Ross Sutherland: 3 Computer Generated Poems

This film was recorded for a special poetry event at the FACT Centre in Liverpool. The poetry reading takes place in The Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden.

I took famous poems and bounced them, line-by-line, through a series of automated Internet translation programs (mostly Babelfish). Once I'd translated, I deleted any words I didn't like, then put it back into the translator again. After approx 1,000 translations, the poems had become a completely new text, divorced from its original author and lawsuits regarding Intellectual Property.

I began collaborating with my computer on writing poetry about 12 years ago. However, I have learnt a series of chilling facts about my co-author that have led me to fear and eventually despise it. A bit like what happened to Simon and Garfunkle. That is, if Art Garfunkle turned out to be a semiotic timebomb buried deep in the heart of our global communication network. Which in many ways he was.

I'm giving a lecture on my CGP project at Imperial College London on the 4th December 2008.
More computer-generated poems can be read at www.myspace.com/rosssutherland

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[moonOandOmoon]

Back for more! I love this so much!

[moonOandOmoon]

clever clever : ) automated writing is fun, i like your google poem on Aisle 16 site too x

[Esther Wright]

What a cool idea. It works well, the emphasis moves to the richness of the words and the meter of the delivery. Love it.