The Word That Binds Them

The Word That Binds Them is an interactive installation that invites viewers to interact with several famous books. As viewers open the books, voices from inside each book’s pages begin speaking. These voices belong to the books’ authors and those who hold positions of power in promoting each book’s teachings. As the voices resound from the books, they are also panned up and down five suspended speakers, traversing the vertical length of the gallery.

When the box of fire reaches its apex, a bright amber-colored light illuminates the gallery and pages are printed in real time, raining down from above. These pages contain passages from the texts that contain both “power” and the dictionary term that was submitted by participants (via Mira). Without knowing the source to which each quotation belongs, viewers are left to consider its origin.

Max was used to read sensor data, to control a motorized winch system, to control an electrical relay switch, and to control 17 channels of audio.