4th project series
translation paradoxes and misunderstandings
http://www.shedhalle.ch/index.html
Globally there are some 6000 languages, and it is generally assumed that around 90% of the languages still in use will have become extinct by the end of the present century.
2008 has been declared the International Year of Languages by the United Nations. The declared objective of European Union language policy is to strengthen the multilingualism of European citizens: multilingualism fosters the personal development of the individual, it improves vocational mobility and competitiveness (Lisbon strategy), enhances understanding of other cultures (intercultural dialogue), and generates a “real sense of union citizenship”.
But which languages benefit from translation? Colonialist practices have shown – and continue to do so even today – that one official language comes to dominate a diversity of languages and linguistic communities.
Artists and commentaries by authors
SHEDALLE.CH have asked the participating artists to invite a writer, theorist or person researching in this contextual field to compose, from their own perspective and in their native language, a short text on the respective work or the issues the work discusses. These texts are integrated into the exhibition on a commentary level of interpretation and presented here in German translation. In this way, we can speak of a double translation movement already on this level: a translation of artistic work into a textual medium takes place while simultaneously the texts were translated into German.
Pierre Bismuth, Chiapas Media Project, Beth Derbyshire / Ilari Valbonesi, Esra Ersen / Miya Yoshida, Patricia Esquivias / Cristián Silva, Lise Harlev / Boris Boll-Johansen / Leila El-Kayem 1 / 2, Farida Heuck / Kien Nghi Ha, Susan Hiller / Sonja Lau / André Siegers, Andreas Künzli, Wolf Schmelter, Pavel Medvedev / Alexander Komin, Praga Manifesto / Dietrich M. Weidmann, Khanh Minh Nguyen / Andrea L. Rassel, Raqs Media Collective / Ravi Sundaram, Volker Schreiner / Kristina Tieke.
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1 http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/orban/index_en.htm
