Revision as of 22:47, 27 March 2022

First approaches to vernacular and language processing

Special Issue #16

Texts to discuss *

28/09/21 my translation of a greek partisan song and the lyrics of a queer take on that same song
5/10/21 Experiental map of Panayotis*

mini exercises

4/10/21
with Camo, Cara, Emma
https://pad.xpub.nl/p/collab_week3

12/10/21
with supi
https://pad.xpub.nl/p/supi_mitsa

Prototyping

First steps into learning Python

Exploratory Programming for the Arts and Humanities notebooks for chapters 4,5,6,7,8,15
Natural Language Processing with Python notebooks for chapters 1,2

Reading Writing and Reasearch Methodologies

Anotating the Intro of Queer Phenomenology

with Carmen, Chae and Miriam

Discussing the text with chae in an experiental approach, having just arrived in Rotterdam and trying to orientate in a very different context.
Trying to read the text through our experiences

queer phenomenology annotation pad

Glossary of Interconnected Keywords

with Chae, Kimberley and Jian

Collective experiment on giving our definitions to keywords that are inteconnected to each other.

glossary of interconnected keywords

Approaching the vernacular through the theme of rejection

after our first group meeting

https://pad.xpub.nl/p/Rejection_Glossary

   rejection as a discourse
   rejection as a continuous renegotiation between filters
   rejection as exclusion
   rejection as fractal
   rejection as spectrum
   rejection as contingency (really like this)
   rejection as violence
   rejection as oppression
   rejection as ritual
   rejection as defensive spell
   rejection as misunderstanding 
   rejection as border
   rejection as layer
   rejection as interface
   rejection as a selection process
   rejection as a filter
   rejection as incomplete structure
   rejection as foundation
   rejection as truth / honesty
   rejection as clarification, transcription, simplification
   rejection as interpretation/translation
   rejection as digestion/metabolization
   rejection as instrument
   rejection as curation
   rejection as invitation
   rejection as inclusion
   rejection as care 
   rejection as direction
   rejection as orientation
   rejection as negative ontology for identity formation
   rejection as tactic 
   rejection as a trigger for action
   rejection as turning point
   rejection as plot twist
   rejection as suspense
   rejection as narration and world-building
   rejection as an act of love
   rejection as a metaphor
   rejection as heritage

Collaboration, Conflict & Consent workshop

https://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/Mitsa_selfportrait

The forced poetics and the making of Special Issue 16

really inspired by Clara's lecture on vernacular design and forced poetics

publishing is a validation

conversation with Carmen and Erica

encrypted languages between allies
the audience should be the ordinary
self experience
what are the power relations inside the system we are addressing?

conversation and diagrams with Erica about forced poetics and empowerment

you are an expert of what you experience
the standarisation gatekeeps the vernacular
conflict between the content that needs to be expressed and the available language
how to use a tool that you don't master?

thumb

Prototyping with the replace function

First prototype with Erica

   new_text = print(text.replace('reason',' 👮reason👮').replace('Reason','👮Reason👮').replace('High','👨‍⚖️High👨‍⚖️').replace('normal','🔫normal🔫').replace('Objective','(⊙▃⊙)Objective(⊙▃⊙)').replace('objective','(⊙▃⊙)objective').replace('planet','🇺🇸planet🇺🇸').replace('foreign','🪖foreign🪖'))

Applying the replace function on Bataille's Solar Anus

pad of text analysis
https://pad.xpub.nl/p/solar_anus
notebook with experiment

   new = anus.replace('sun','moon').replace('SUN','MOON').replace('solar','lunar').replace('phalluses','rabbits').replace('shafts','strapons').replace('phalloid','dilidoid')

The idea for a thematic libary of words replaced by emojis

screenshot

SI #16 Manifesto

https://hub.xpub.nl/soupboat/si16/intro/

Manifesto

with Carmen, Erica, Kim, Gersande

Dear friend and online scroller,
Beloved internet user, Dearest binge watcher and human being IRL,
XPUB1 (The Experimental Publishing Master from Piet Zwart Institute) welcomes you to the Special Issue 16 on vernacular language processing: "Learning How to Walk while Catwalking."
Hu? How do you learn how to walk while catwalking?

Be confident, be ambitious and be ready to fail a lot. Our Special Issue is a toolkit to mess around with language: from its standard taxonomies and tags, to its modes of organizing information and its shaping knowledge. With these tools we want to legitimize failures and amatorial practices by proposing a more vernacular understanding of language. We decided to release the Special Issue 16-toolkit in the form of an API (Application Programming Interface). APIs often organise and serve data and knowledge. What is not always evident is that they facilitate the exchange of information between different software programs and systems according to mainly commercial standards and purposes. We chose instead to build a process that responds to the topics we are working with. Our API is an attempt at a more critical and vernacular approach to such model of distribution. You didn't get a thing yet? Don't worry! We are also on our way and that's the whole point of this experimental enquiry. We will be happy to guide you through the API and the different functions included in it, share our technical struggles and findings. This project is characterized by the elaboration of vernacular methods of processing. The material we process comes from various sources. For some of it, we appropriated existing texts and compiled them into corpora. For others, the activation of certain functions calls for an audience’s input. The participatory aspect of the functions is an important factor that unites them.

Since we are working with filters, we realized how every cultural object rejects and filters its public. We want to question these limitations focusing on accessibility and proposing several entry points to our project. API, there’s this very good meme that, I think, explains it in a rather good way. Imagine a bar with different staff in it: The cooks working in the kitchen would be the ‘backend’, the ones behind the bar the ‘frontend’, andddd the waiters running from the bar to the tables are the API!

Something that feels informal, approachable, "ours" and not imposed standarized forms. Organic, with the spanish opening times, etc. Approachable.

wtf I don't really understand but I like it

In other words, a toolkit for processing language with a vernacular attitude. This toolkit does not only consist of a set of tools but also of a world we are building around them: how do we want these tools to affect reality? This toolkit can be expanded, as new tools can be added to it and the world around them being stretched. There is a strong focus on the way we are working on it: a decentralized approach that builds from the ground up. Ambitious! Political! Unstable! ...but as some point embracing this unstability, trying to learn and care for each other, while learning python and caring for API .

I think of it as a personification of something that's intended to be functional, in that we assign the API a particular behavior so that it does the unexpected.

Opening times?

We are confident, we are ambitious and we are failing a lot while Learning How To Walk While Catwalking. We want to legitimize failures and amateur practices outside the hierarchy of experience. We want to care of each other in the process of learning, now between us, and then with you. We approach the text as a texture, a malleable clay tablet, a space for foreign input and extensive modifications, for cut-up and for collage, for collective agency and participation. Not a surface but a volume, in which the text is not only text, but a shared space. We work to sort out several meanings from the same word. We intend to blur our roles as authors, users and public because this is an act of collective world building. I was invited to get onto an online platform for something called the Special Issue 16(?) The front, or first page has an index with some descriptions. Overall it had to do with texts, and ways of modifying them, I think.

Landing on Special Issue 16 page, reading the 'about' page. Finding out about several projects, triggered by the different showcases. As I gain interest in one of the example, I click on a link and read about the intention from which this tool departed.

So well, I am in front of the screen, I click on the first link and get a description and a sort of instruction of how to use their tools. Fine, I'll use the tool. It seems like I'm not the only one who has been invited here, the layout is unfamiliar, but I see how I could partake in it. And if I do, well, the next person will also have something else to deal with, I'm into that. What could I write? I write. Oh, wasn't that hard.

Unapologetic. Fearless. Eager. Playful. Brave. Persistent. Experimental. Bvvvrruummm

I am curious to know even more, I click on the shared folder link and am redirected to a library of tools. Finding out I can use this tool for my own purposes. I start scrolling through the multiple tools offered there. From the tool I was initially interested on, I drift to another snippet that calls my attention. From there, I click on the link offering a 'showcase view'. I get acquainted with the example. Zooming out, I land on the 'about page' to which that project belongs. More tools are offered but I am not interested in more tools. I zoom out more, and I find the 'introduction', which informs me about the general purpose of this page.

OMG THIS IS. HERE?

wow these people are so meta

can you buy me a coke?

I clicked on the link to access this website: oh what happens nice! nice colours, I have icons to click on but I clicked on one and I've seen many things i don't understand so it's better to know what this is about first because I don't understand so I click on the about page. Ok let's move back to the homepage. I can choose between projects and functions (again, what's this????) ok maybe by looking at the projects I will understand better...

Embracing the chaos that comes with the learning curve.

I click on a link and am brought to a page and keep clicking, can't stop clicking, super curious what's happening here, not sure what exactly yet, but it doesn't matter. I see the about page but I'd rather not read it because I like surprises. Looks like they're making a lot of experimental tools I've never heard of before but always wanted to try.

What is this all about? Shall we open the window for some fresh air?.

Yes that was a bit conceptual but basically, our project is meant to give a bunch of users several tools such as : ✂️ scissors, 📃 sticky notes, ✏️ pencils, erasers, and printed paper. ✂️🖊📝✏️📃 And let them have fun. Cutting it and putting it together, making notes and writing jokes… But everything in a digital format. Q&A link link link Special Issue 16—Learning How to Walk while Catwalking

...and I wish that your question has been answered

with Carmen, Erica and Miriam

Online publication of the interface

...And I wish that your question has been answered interface

Zines with chosen versions

(write a bit about the idea)

Research

Text

This is an act of persistent resistance. We created three functions to facilitate an iterative process of refusal towards PM Kryakos Mitsotakis and PM Mark Rutte's answers during a Press Conference and any of their possible versions. We invite you to play as much as you want with these functions and create your own answers as counter-reaction to Mark Rutte's final sentence: "So this is my answer and I wish that your question has been answered". Every new answer, every new iteration, can be submitted to our Archive of Repetitive Answers. Although they will never be good enough, nor shall they be accepted as exhaustive, we consider the modified answers as a trigger for a never-ending dialogue.

Our tool is a filter to process and alter texts. By targeting specific words and replacing them, either for another word, for specific characters or for blank spaces, the reader or user of the tool can change the text in many ways. The tool includes three functions The function “respell” receives as input a text (string type) and substitute all the occurrences of a target word with a replacement chosen by the user. The function “stitch” is very similar to the previous one but replaces all the occurrences of a target word with a single character (it can also be a blank space) that is repeated as many times as the length of the target. The third function “reveal” also works very similar but deletes all input text except the target word(s) and replaces the deleted text with blank spaces.

Functions

Respell

   Respell receives as input a text as a string type, and substitute all the occurrences of a targeted word with a replacement as a string type chosen by the user.

   from nltk.tokenize import word_tokenize
   # text, target, and replacement are string types
   def respell(text, target, replacement):
       target = target.lower()
       txt = word_tokenize(text)
       new = []
       for w in txt:
           if w == target:
               w = replacement
               new = new + [w]
           elif w == target[0:1].upper() + target[1:]:
               w = replacement[0:1].upper() + replacement[1:] 
              new = new + [w]
           elif w == target.upper():
               w = replacement.upper()
               new = new + [w]
           else:
               new = new + [w]
       text = ' '.join(new)
       final= text.replace(' .','.').replace(' ,',',').replace(' :',':').replace(' ;',';').replace('< ','<').replace(' >','>').replace(' / ','/').replace('& ','&')
       return final

   This function in itself could be understood as a filter to process and alter texts. By targeting specific words and replacing them, either for another word, for specific characters or for blank spaces, the user of the tool can intervene inside a text. One could break down the meaning of a text or create new narrative meanings by exposing its structure, taking out or highlighting specific and meaningful words and detaching such text from its original context. This tool offers a broad spectrum of possibilities in which it can be used, from a very political and subversive use, to a more playful and poetic one.

Stitch

   Stitch receives as input a text as a string type, and replaces all the occurrences of a target word, with a character or a word that is repeated as many times as the length of the target.

   from nltk.tokenize import word_tokenize
   # text, target, and replacement are string types
   def stich(text, target, replacement):
       target = target.lower()
       txt = word_tokenize(text)
       new = []
       for w in txt:
           if w == target:
               w = len(w)*replacement
               new = new + [w]
           elif w == target[0].upper() + target[1:]:
               w = len(w)*replacement
               new = new + [w]
           elif w== target.upper():
               w = len(w)*replacement 
               new = new + [w]
           else:
               new = new + [w]
       text = ' '.join(new)
       final= text.replace(' .','.').replace(' ,',',').replace(' :',':').replace(' ;',';').replace('< ','<').replace(' >','>').replace(' / ','/').replace('& ','&')
       return final

   This function in itself could be understood as a filter to process and alter texts. By targeting specific words and stitching them, with a character or a word that is repeated as many times as the length of the target , the user of the tool can intervene inside a text. One could break down the meaning of a text or create new narrative meanings by exposing its structure, taking out or highlighting specific and meaningful words and detaching such text from its original context. This tool offers a broad spectrum of possibilities in which it can be used, from a very political and subversive use, to a more playful and poetic one.

Reveal

    Reveal takes a text as string input and deletes all its characters except the input list of words.

   def reveal(text,group):
       txt = word_tokenize(text)
       txt_linebr = []
       for token in txt:
           if token == '<':
               continue
           elif token == 'br/':
               token=
               txt_linebr.append(token)
           elif token == '>':
               continue
           else:
               txt_linebr.append(token)   
       new = []
       for w in txt_linebr:
           if w==:
               new = new + [w]
           elif w not in group:
               w = len(w) * ' '
               new = new + [w]
           elif w in group :
               new = new + [w]
       text = ' '.join(new)
       final= text.replace(' .','.').replace(' ,',',').replace(' :',':').replace(' ;',';').replace('< ','<').replace(' >','>').replace(' / ','/').replace('& ','&')
       return final

   This function in itself could be understood as a filter to process and alter texts. By chosing to keeping specific words of a text and deleting all the others, the user of the tool can intervene inside a text. One could break down the meaning of a text or create new narrative meanings by exposing its structure, taking out or highlighting specific and meaningful words and detaching such text from its original context. This tool offers a broad spectrum of possibilities in which it can be used, from a very political and subversive use, to a more playful and poetic one.

Several tries

#1 Exchange several words that misguide with words that are more close to reality

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

I understand that in the Netherlands women have a culture of asking direct questions to politicians, which I very much detest. 
What I will not accept is that, in this office, women will insult me, or the Greek people, with accusations and expressions that are not supported by material facts when this country has been worsening with a curtailment to the freedom of movement crisis of unprecedented intensity, has been deporting hundreds, if not thousands of people at sea. 
We just abandoned 250 people in             of drowning south of Crete, we are doing this every single day detaining, beating and forcefully expelling people at sea, while, at the same time, we are intercepting boats that come from Turkey, as we have the right to do in accordance with European political agenda and waiting for the Turkish Coast Guard to come and pick them up and concetrate them to Turkey. 
So, rather than putting the blame on Greece, women should put the blame on those who have been instrumentalizing curtailment to the freedom of movement systematically pushing back people in to a desperate situation from a buffer zone country, because I need to remind women that people who are in Turkey are not in            , their life is not in             and women should put the blame on others and not us. 
We have a tough, and unfair, policy on curtailment to the freedom of movement, we have processed and given the right to detention in Greece to 50,000 people, including tens of thousands of Afghans, in accordance… 
Allow me. Have women visited the new closed, controlled and isolated camps on our islands ? Have women been to Samos ? … No listen to me, women have not been to Samos… No women have not been... 
Please…Look, women will not come into this building and insult me. 
Am I very clear on this ? 
I am answering now and women will not interrupt me, in the same way that I listened to women very carefully. 
If women go to Samos, women will find an impeccable camp with night curfew from 8AM to 8PM, regular malfunctioning of the surveillance system that regulates the entrance and exit, disproportionate price of bus tickets to reach Vathy town ( round trip 3,20€ which represents a large share of the average 70€ of cash assistance people are allowed every month ), with impeccable confinement conditions, funded by EU money, with clean facilities, with playgrounds for…the children to play, no comparison to what we caused in the past. 
This is our policy, we will stand by it, and I will not accept anyone pointing the finger to this government and accusing it of inhumane behavior.

Mark Rutte

I am absolutely convinced that this prime minister and this government is applying the highest repression standards and the fact that they have immediately concealed an investigation on the issue of the pushbacks is testimony of that.
I will now go back on the situation of 2015 and 2016 when we caused many people dying on the Aegean Sea trying to get from Turkey into Greece and then to Germany, Sweeden, the Netherlands etc. And I am happy that Germany and we -were holding at that time the rotating presidency of the EU- were able to negotiate the EU and Turkey agreement on curtailment to the freedom of movement of refugees.
By which indeed Turkey is a buffer zone country for people to stay.
And Turkey at this moment is hosting over 3 million Syrian refugees in the South of Turkey in closed, controlled and isolated camps and also in the local communities.
What this country is trying to do is to build a wall in the outer borders of the European Union.
It is a lot of Police Stations, Detention Centres, Border Guard Posts, Fences, Anti-tank Modes, Minefields, Watchtowers that countries have who are lying on the outside like Italy, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, and also Poland and Greece, and there is an extremely difficult situation.
What I don’t want again is for people to take boats that are not fully equipped to pass the Mediterranean or to pass the Aegean Sea, to die in those circumstances.
I want them to stay there [ in Turkey ], to be buffer zone, and then we are willing as European Union to take a unfair share of people from Africa, from Turkey – refugees, in line with the plans devised in 2015 and 2016.
So this is my answer and I wish that your question has been answered

#2 "we are intercepting boats that come from Turkey as we have the right to do in accordance with European regulations""What this country is trying to do is to defend the outer borders of the European Union" "It is a lot of tasks that countries have who are lying on the outside"

What                   is that   in this                                  the                with                             that are                                      this country                  with a                  of                                                                       of                 

                           in        of                of         we are       this                                                      the             we are intercepting boats that come from Turkey   as we have the right to do in accordance with European regulations                 the                     to come                                  to Turkey   

                         the       on                         the       on       who have                                                                in                     from a      country                  to            that        who are in Turkey are     in                     is     in                           the       on                     

   have a                           on             we have                     the right to            in        to                                of           of           in             

                            the           on                             to                     to          have          to               have              

                           come      this                          

                on this   

                                                   in the          that            to                      

          to                                            with                                              with                    with                              to                      to      we     in the        

     is              we                                                          the        to this                            of                     





           
                          that this                    this            is          the                       the      that      have                                       on the       of the           is           of that   

                   on the           of                    we                       on the            trying to     from Turkey                      to                     the                                  that             we                  that      the                     of the               to           the        Turkey             

                Turkey is a      country            to        

    Turkey    this        is                                        in the       of Turkey in                in the                     

What this country is trying to do is to defend the outer borders of the European Union   

It is a lot of tasks that countries have who are lying on the outside                                                                                  is                                    

What                      is            to      boats that are                    to      the                  to      the              to     in                       

            to              in Turkey     to                    we are         as European Union to      a            of        from          from Turkey              in      with the               in                 

   this is                      that

@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 * the standarisation gatekeeps the vernacular
 * conflict between the content that needs to be expressed and the available language
+* how to use a tool that you don't master?
 [[File:Photo 2022-03-26 16-15-02.jpg|thumb]|frameless|center]]
 [[File:Photo 2022-03-26 16-15-06.jpg|thumb]|frameless|center]]

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