Lost in translation

‘Lost in Translation’ seeks to explore the inherent complexities of language. While language facilitates the communication of thought, there remains ambiguity between the space of intention and interpretation. And so narratives change over time, and the ‘original’ is lost as words, punctuation, emphasis, and intonations pass from individual to individual. There is a gap between what is spoken and what is understood, and this gap may be filled with distortion or nuance. The double-edged sword that lies within language is its ability to unite as well as strain relationships. Language – whether verbal or written – facilitates expression, but it also carries an inherent aspect of disappointing the speaker’s/writer’s intention. Although, our deepest communication, both interpersonal and intrapersonal, goes beyond the spoken word. This exhibition explores the crevices of communication and mis/understanding, touching the spheres of the personal, the political, the philosophical, the religious as well as the social, where the sequential modification of information has huge ram-ifications. The exhibition invites the viewer to explore the delicate interplay between intention and interpretation, a space of gain and loss, through the lens of language.

Tunty Chauhan