Text Trends, Martin John Callanan
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Text Trends is a sendup of the ubiquitous line graphs and related information returned by services like Google Trends. The project takes the content generated by these types of X vs. Y search queries and reduces this process to its most essential elements: search terms, frequency mentioned and a timeline. In experiencing the piece, the viewer sits idly and watches animations plot out the ebb and flow (or lack thereof) of a series of search terms over the last four years. This all plays out matter-of-factly with all the passion of a market index or a readerboard. Instead of the infoglut and hyper-interactivity of emerging news mashups and aggregators, Text Trends revels in stark pans across curated comparisons while exploring topics like political figureheads, temporality and politics.
Greg J. Smith