word destroyers

2023
Installation (variable measurements: laser cut MDF swords, interface in Max/MSP, speakers)
word destroyers is a participatory installation in which, following the basic logic of swords’ function and constructing fictions from them, I simulate the possibility of swords interacting with words as they would interact with bodies. In this installation, three wooden swords are displayed connected to a computer/screen and keyboard that visually and audibly cut the words entered by the audience. The public can select one of the three types of sword and write a word that will be cut according to the selected modality. Instructions for the usage of the device, as well as a text/poem are placed in and beside the computer. 

The instructions read:
Instrucciones:
1. Selecciona una espada
2. Escribe una palabra
3. Aplasta el botón
[Instructions
1. Select a sword
2. Write a word
3. Press the button]

The text read:
I strike and loose the objects that obsess me.
Iunplug my unused cables and slash my devices' extremities.
My horrible drawings thrust themselves and each other into painful deaths,
while I stab my failed omelets into scrambled eggs.
I hew my calls with mom and wound loved ones' feelings.
Wooden swords are quite sturdy, but not so sharp.
That means I can't trim my pubes or split my bed in half.
They are only sharp enough to cut immaterial stuff, and strong enough
to destroy small objects.
Schwing! Thwack! Clang! Combo attack. Burst damage. Sudden death.