Abstract

This paper will address the significance of the ability of digital media to alter and transform primary experiences in ways that may improve, misrepresent or interfere with the viewer’s reception and understanding of the original material. A secondary question is that of ownership and authorship when the translation involves a creative process. These ideas will be considered through a discussion of my video installation Where were the Mothers? (2009) in which people who have taken alternative life paths worked with a professional musician to write one song about the participant’s mother. This video installation allows viewers to explore both transparent and more invisible shifts from the original material.

• Linda Duvall is a Canadian media artist and educator who presents within gallery contexts, on the web, and within communities. Her work mimics the fieldwork of sociologists as she records conversations in order to discern meanings hidden in familiar language.  lindaduvall.com

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