Year: 2022
Dimensions: Variable
Materials: Foam balls, Iron wires
Research Team: Weixi Kuang, Junpeng Liang, Yujing Xie, Rong Xiang
We trace this phenomenon to the irregular use of words in daily life, where contexts are arbitrarily expanded without regard to precision. If each word were a segment of DNA, then semantic distortion would be akin to genetic mutations—inversions, deletions, and duplications—occurring during replication. The contemporary abuse of language resembles a pandemic spreading across multiple dimensions...
Every lexical entry carries intrinsic attributes and meanings, which we define as its "genes" or DNA. We conceptualize the rampant misuse of words as an infodemic, visually translating this phenomenon through DNA as a carrier to manifest tangible biological transformations. Using the dictionary as a prototype, we redesign its structure to compile and reinterpret entries with semantically distorted definitions. The installation, inspired by DNA’s form, incorporates four kinetic modes symbolizing the four primary manifestations of lexical abuse, facilitating multifaceted interactive experiences.
Starting from the phenomenon of stigmatization, we trace its origins to the widespread misuse and distortion of words in daily communication. The constant abuse and arbitrary expansion of lexical meanings lead to semantic ambiguity, resulting in the failure to accurately convey original definitions and the inability to comprehend texts correctly. We perceive the dictionary as a container, while semantic overflow resembles a "liquid" spilling beyond its boundaries. By deconstructing existing dictionaries and inserting our designed ribbon-like lexical annotations through rebinding, we extend meanings from within the dictionary to the outside. Varied colors of these annotations indicate their incompatibility with the original definitions—signifying erroneous misuse—thereby visualizing the process of "semantic flooding.
This installation draws a parallel between genetic mutations and linguistic distortions. The four “errors” in the DNA model represent: 1) Semantic Dilution, 2) Context Collapse, 3) False Equivalence, and 4) Euphemistic Escalation. By rearranging the spheres, visitors symbolically restore both genetic and lexical order.