In this series, the national anthems of different countries are translated into English using Google Translate and sang by non-professional performers from those countries. The translation renders visible the often nationalistic content of the anthems, while also emphasizing the idea that English is the global lingua franca. At the same time, the greater or lesser degree of precision in certain translations also maps out linguistically the supposed “importance” of a nation according to Google’s meter. The work hints at the hegemonic attempt to transform the world into a leveled landscape, where we all speak the same business language, while at the same time particularism and nationalism represent the other side of the coin.
Exhibition view at MATA, Ex manifattura tabacchi Modena (IT)
