With the conclusion of our second brief, we were immediately given our third brief, Methods of Translating. I found this project the most difficult in thinking of an idea as this brief was the most open-ended as of yet. In the context of this brief, the meaning of translation could be reconfiguring one thing through its form or medium and therefore transforming it into something else. The list of objects we could choose from was also very expansive ranging from images, videos or excerpts from a text.
For the subject of this brief, I chose to take an excerpt from Homer’s Iliad. The reason for this is because the epic poem itself is a literal piece of translation, from the original language of ancient Greek to the many languages it is now found in. I also wanted to explore the idea of how the Iliad has been translated in its form throughout history. Originally, the epic was passed on verbally through the oral tradition before being written down and then eventually being captured through many different mediums such as paintings, and now film and television. Yet, even before the epic was fixed in its written form it was being retold with faithfulness to the story’s main structure. I find it interesting how such a lengthy and dense epic was communicated effectively over time and between many different communities. I wonder how and whether erroneous changes to the story occurred and if they were assumed into the epic. Through this project I want to explore how meaning is transmitted and potentially lost with each transfiguration of the original content.
1. Visualising
2. Verbalising
3. Transmitting