Babel
2004 (5′53″)
Sound collage
For the exhibition “Public Spaces” by the Belgian artist Marie-Jo Lafontaine at the Felix Nussbaum Museum Osnabrück, I designed a collage consisting of a text in different languages:
German
Ich bin ein weltbürger – überall zu hause und fremd überall
Spanish
Soy un ciudadano del mundo, cualquier país es mi País, soy extranjero en cualquier lugar.
Swedish
Jag är världsmedborgare. Alla länder är mitt hem. Jag är främling överallt.
English
I am a citizen of the world, my homeland is everywhere, i’m a foreigner everywhere.
Portugese
Sou um cidadão do mundo, a minha pátria é em todo o lado, em todo o lado sou um estranho
French
Je suis un citoyen du monde, partout chez moi, étranger partout.
Estonian
Maailmakodanik ma olen, igalpoolon mu kodu, kusagil pole mu kodu
Dutch
Ik ben een wereldburger, overal thuis, vreemd overal
The texts were spoken, among others, by children who come from a wide variety of nations and cultures and are now at home in Europe. In addition, different accents play a role. Europe, a Tower of Babel, a melting pot with Babylonian language confusion.