[創作理念]
In Brian Friel’s masterpiece Translations, the relationship between Maire and Yolland serves as a poignant manifestation of how intimacy is shaped, challenged, and ultimately strained under differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Their tragic romance vividly illustrates that language is never just a neutral tool for communication, but the very container of identity, memory, and power.
In today’s world, everyone is looking for connection and intimacy. But even though technology connects us instantly, we still struggle with the same old problems: misunderstandings, language barriers, and failing to truly understand each other. We like to think modern technology brings us closer, but it actually creates new, hidden ways to control how we interact.
This irony is the driving inspiration behind Anglicise Me. By translating a 20th-century Irish literary text into the framework of a trendy, modern dating app, we aim to recreate the historical and social atmosphere of colonial Ireland through a medium that users engage with every day. Through the interface of swiping, matching, and clinical, automated translations, players do not merely read about cultural hegemony. They experience it first-hand as their own names are altered and their mother tongues are systematically restricted.
Through this APP, we want to provoke a critical reflection on our modern relationships:
In our current quest for intimacy, how often do we allow algorithms to standardize our emotions? In our daily communication, do we still encounter the very same cultural and linguistic walls that Maire and Yolland faced centuries ago?