An interactive installation using video disk and computer by Bill SEAMAN, who continues to create poetry out of images, words, and music. 330 words are arrayed on a computer screen, and as visitors choose freely from among those words offered, full sentences are created. These various fragments, accompanied by music and images, are recorded onto a laser disk as single-unit compositional modules. A poem is created as these series of modules take the form of sentences. The visitor experiences an uncanny sensation as the words intertwine with images and sounds that appear to be floating forth from his own memories, thoughts, and reactions. The appearance of these words amidst constantly changing contexts illustrates the multiplicity of meaning. In addition to creating a Japanese language version of this installation while participating in ICC’s “Artist-in-Residence” program before the exhibition, SEAMAN also used the network to create an online version in which the computer-generated poems could be accessed during the term of the exhibit.
Excerpted from “ICC Concept Book,” NTT Publishing, 1997