In a collaboration with our friends at marioneteatro.com we developed software used during 'Lab La Bla's theatrical performance.

"LAB LA BLA arises at this stage of our journey as a further reason to link art and science, this time with particular emphasis on language. Both poetry and science use the word to communicate, but the different objectives that guide it lay profound differences in meaning. In science we recognize the growing significance of accuracy, a basic mechanism linked to its reproducibility. In poetry we recognize the need to multiply meanings, to play with them sometimes even to subversion. In both we recognize the ability to add new words to our lexicon.

With the intention of exploring poetry influenced by the advance of science, both through the introduction of new words as through scientific themes and concepts, this event will explore texts by Miroslav Holub (1923-1998), poet and czech immunologist. A proposed reading and rewriting of the knowledge that science builds. We rely on the interaction with technology to create some of the text through the use of mechanisms for generating semi-random text supplied by Holub's poems translated by Manuel Portela."

.: The first app consists of a drawing tool that only lasts for 3 seconds, the "present moment" length, as suggested by Miroslav Holub.

.: The second app explores his texts by pseudo-random generating poems where the original poem structure is maintained but certain word slots are changed by pre-selected correct syntax words.

Both apps were used live on stage.

January/February 2011

Filipe Cruz
Tiago Serra
Victor Martins
xdatelier.org

processing.org/
code.google.com/p/victamin/

More info (Portuguese):
marioneteatro.com/lablabla.html