phenomenon Is this the glass wall (2015);

phenomenon Is this the glass wall is a computer program for generating endless stage-plays. It utilizes the thousands of copyright-free books on Project Gutenberg as source material, restructuring that text with techniques like grammar control, cut-ups algorithms, and sentiment analysis.

Likely 'subjects' are identified and given stage-directions, as well as language to speak. Over time, these subjects (or actors) may develop personalities- words and phrases they learn to repeat and prefer. 'Scenery'-like language is also identified and used as stage-description, as well as directions regarding sound and lighting. Included in the play generator are small abstract illustrations of where actors are in the current play-space; 'blocking', if you will.

Fundamentally, phenomenon Is this the glass wall is a recurrent theatrical space, with persistent actors and scenery and cohesive threads of plot. These stage-spaces are meant to construct small, invisible worlds to serve as platform to the language that comes out of them. Here, the visitor is cast as a character (THE VISITOR); the terminal becomes a black box; the visitor may leave but THE VISITOR remains in action, entering STAGE LEFT; a road intersection of few moments; Sunday appears.

Originally developed over 2 weeks at the summer School for Poetic Computation with the support of a microgrant from the Frank-Ratchye Fund for Art @ the Frontier (FRFAF). Photographs by Brian Fitzsimmons, courtesy of The Contemporary Austin.