Remoting

Remember the driving-directions-on-tape from the 1970s? What if they took the scenic route? We present a novel, non-interactive audio guide. Not only does it tell you which exit to take, but also, where to look, and what to see there. We combine open data on historical monuments, “creative writing” of neural networks and human-curated songs about Google Maps and travel.

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REMOTING is speculative fiction about the hubris of AI-aided content mills, but works today as a radio play which lets your mind travel — keeping a safe distance with “remote travel”. The title is a very literal translation of its first destination town, Thallwitz (Saxony, Germany).

REMOTING is a radio play. Produced for the exhibition ∞UNENDLICH∞ by FAIL (Fine Arts Institute Leipzig). Originally broadcast on Radio Blau on September 9, 2020, with a public listening party at Thallwitz’s town square.

Sample Text

In der Neuen Hauptstraße 4 befindet sich ein Wohnhaus (um 1905), ein einfach gegliederter Putzbau mit Krüppelwalmdach, ortsbildprägend an der Lossa.
Der Gründer des Architektenbüros T. Ave Gruch schrieb die Pläne:
„Die Häuser waren mit natürlichem Charakter gebaut und es war gut, einen Fußboden zu bekommen.“

(Spoiler: The first sentence was the prompt from real data, the second sentence is what the neural network came up with, given the prompt.)

Track list

00:00 Insecure Kids - Big Blood
00:30 Miami - Cate Le Bon
05:13 Saturday Morning Doze - Ernest Hood
06:54 Hand Drawn Maps - Luke Abbott
07:09 Google Maps Holiday - S Lyre
09:16 Stoned And Starving - Parquet Courts
10:12 Saturday Morning Doze - Ernest Hood
11:09 Autos Und Frauen - Blumentopf
11:43 Map Ref 41 Degress N 93 Degrees E - Wire
13:55 Autos Und Frauen - Blumentopf
13:59 I'm The Map - Dora The Explorer
14:13 Hand Drawn Maps - Luke Abbott
14:52 Google Maps - Elujay
16:07 Ride - Lana Del Rey
17:57 Google Maps - Sly Withers
18:22 Follow The Map - Mono
19:31 Journey In Satchidananda - Alice Coltrane
20:29 Follow The Map - Mono
21:12 Ride - Lana Del Rey
22:19 Journey In Satchidananda - Alice Coltrane
23:25 Clairaudients - Bright Eyes
27:14 Road To The Stars - Molly Drake
28:01 Ritual Roadmap - Calexico
29:06 Google Maps - The Screenshots
30:38 Everyplace Is A House - Maps & Atlases
31:29 Google Maps - Yeah No Yeah
31:49 Map Ref 41 Degress N 93 Degrees E - Wire
32:46 Google Maps - Yeah No Yeah
32:58 Truckers Atlas - Modest Mouse
33:43 Possibly The Best Song About Union City - The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns
34:28 Google Maps - Las Desnortadas
35:38 Ritual Roadmap - Calexico
36:46 See America Right - Mountain Goats
37:13 Come On Feet - Quasimoto
38:43 No Cars Go - A Giant Dog
40:13 Ohne Navigation - Tamaz53
40:17 Climb-Down - June Chikuma
41:05 See America Right - Mountain Goats
41:42 Drunk Drivers Killer Whales - Car Seat Headrest
42:27 Crawley Is About 28 Miles From London, I Think - Von The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns
43:17 Drunk Drivers Killer Whales - Car Seat Headrest
43:38 Climb-Down - June Chikuma
44:14 Drunk Drivers Killer Whales - Car Seat Headrest
45:53 Autos Und Frauen - Blumentopf
46:06 Google Maps - Yung Coso & K Swipe
46:53 The Map Is Not The Territory - Luke Howard
49:18 Saturday Morning Doze - Ernest Hood
50:31 Miami - Cate Le Bon