Places of Articulation: Five Obstructions (2020)

Places of Articulation: Five Obstructions is a video installation that examines how voice has become a tool of border control. Drawing on automated dialect detection technologies used by German immigration authorities in asylum procedures since 2018, the work reveals how speech is analysed to infer someone’s perceived origin and determine belonging. Five individuals recount their experiences while their voices are measured, processed, and visualised by machines. An interactive component allows visitors to see a real-time visualisation of their own voice. Referencing the biblical “shibboleth” – a word historically used to identify group membership through pronunciation – the installation positions voice as a contemporary mechanism of inclusion and exclusion. The accompanying wall drawing is based on a manual published by the German immigration authorities (BAMF) for employees processing asylum applications, and depicts an automated dialect detection system.