alva noto . uni acronym (feat. anne-james chaton)

Acronyms are special kinds of abbreviations. In chat language, they are so popular because they save time when typing and because they are also reminiscent of programmer language—communication between insiders. alva noto . uni acronym is, on the other hand, based primarily on abbreviations from propaganda and marketing that serve to break down complex names and circumstances into catchy formulas.

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna becomes ETA. The staccato-like quality of pitch in a video presented by a machine voice develops its eerie quality from the seeming reduction of the whole world into three letters, and the connotations derived from CEO, CIA and CNN become the triad of an alphabetical conspiracy theory. alva noto . uni acronym is presented as an installation in the theater on transmediale’s opening evening.

alva noto . uni acronym (featuring anne-james chaton) by Carsten Nicolai (de), 2011, 7 min.