Commissioned by Carlow Arts Festival to create a sound piece presentation at the Braun site in Carlow and within the festival's VR world.
Legacy Is/I Love You was created for octophonic installation, binaural headset and VR.
"Women's contributions are often written out of history. There have been many great texts and initiatives to address this, highlighting hidden and lost histories. However, this can never be comprehensive. What brings me comfort is in knowing that the contribution of women at Braun, and in the computers and machines they made, is not lost. Their legacy is inherited and passed on, even if unknowingly. Despite the lack of documentation, it is lived through people, families and friends. A key theme in my work is women's voices, and how technology might be influencing how we listen to these voices. This work, through an octophonic speaker array, explores the potential implications of women's voices being used for AI systems, which are often not designed by women. The woman is in the machine, but the woman is not the machine. In the piece, the voice of the woman is altered by technology throughout, and the same phrase is frequently repeated to allow the listener to observe how technology might influence the meaning they derive from the words. The sound world suggests how the building could have sounded, some sounds of items that would have been made there are used and processed."
Woman in the Machine at Carlow Arts Festival co-created with VISUAL
"Woman in the Machine which we co-created with VISUAL has allowed us access to the incredible landmark building which has dominated my imagination since first arriving in Carlow. As a lifelong fan of ‘between life’ spaces in the creation of my own work, I am always on the hunt for that sweet spot in a building’s life, when artists are welcome to come and reimagine that life briefly. This project had been gestating for quite some time and the opportunity of being part of Brightening Air | Coiscéim Coiligh made it possible for Emma Lucy O’Brien and I to dream big. I am thrilled for the building, the 50+ artists involved and the people of Carlow, who have such a deep relationship with the site." from director Jo Mangan
Jenn participated in a talk within the VR world, which can be seen below.