Introduction
In this participatory installation and performance at YCAM, visitors seek ways of communicating beyond machine recognition. Institutional accounts describe camera and microphone analysis of expressions, speech and movement, making the experience of being recognised and directed an artistic material.
Why this entry remains in the timeline
Places machine recognition and collective attempts to evade it within participatory performance, extending the history beyond generated images.
Archive editorial judgment based on the cited sources; this does not establish global priority.
View full image ↗Unlearning Language, installation view in YCAM’s archive, which dates the work to 2022. The exact photographic date is not stated.
Photograph: Shintaro Yamanaka (Qsyum!); source: YCAM · Artwork and photographic rights remain with their holders; the source link does not imply an open licence.
Source · YCAM: Unlearning Language ↗RESEARCH ACCOUNT
Renegotiating communication under machine recognition
ANTI-AI ARCHIVE · Revised 2026-10-13
Installation and collective action
The artist distinguishes an installation for up to eight participants from an opening performance. Light, sound and vibration interrupt communication, prompting clapping, humming or changes in speech. These are proposed interactions, not proven techniques for defeating recognition systems.
Section sources: Lauren Lee McCarthy’s account
Who makes recognition
YCAM separately credits story implementation, expression and language analysis, speech analysis, lighting, sound and front-end development. Camera and microphone detection enters collective activity; the installation depends on distinct forms of labour rather than an uncredited, autonomous AI.
Section sources: YCAM work archive
The 2022 work and its programme
The work archive gives 2022; YCAM lists its Walled Garden programme from 12 November 2022 to 29 January 2023. A programme crossing calendar years does not change the work date, and a Japanese premiere is not global priority.
Section sources: YCAM programme · YCAM work archive
From generated objects to relations
Editorial interpretation: recognition, monitoring and bodily cooperation become conditions of participatory art. How visitors accept or resist direction matters alongside generated outputs. Critical intent does not establish a surveillance-free space.
Section sources: Lauren Lee McCarthy’s account · YCAM work archive
Sources for this account
2022 date; interaction account at lines 129–139, credits at 172–185, and the first installation photograph.
Concept at lines 107–123; dates, venue and production at 173–196.
Overview at lines 64–69; interaction, performance and credits at 92–129. Film not viewed.
The installation and complete performance were not experienced. Code, model versions, training sources, consent forms and retention policies were not examined. Mechanisms rely on artist and institutional accounts; a photograph cannot verify algorithmic effectiveness. Source text and the selected image were examined separately; independent human review is pending. The account and translation are AI-assisted, pending independent human review. Section references identify evidence without claiming independent verification of every historical statement.
Continue with a comparative question
The artist participates in different creative infrastructures; p5.js is not equated with this work’s recognition system.
Dates & version record
Date displayed for this node: 2022 · Historical date recorded for the source: 2022
YCAM dates the work to 2022; the programme ran from 12 November 2022 to 29 January 2023. These are not webpage publication dates or a claim of global priority.
These dates refer to the historical event or recorded version, not this page’s publication date. The original date precision and unresolved questions are retained.
Original sources & further reading
These links lead to the cited paper, article, institution or conference page. External texts retain their source languages.
アンラーニング・ランゲージ / Unlearning Language
https://www.ycam.jp/archive/works/unlearning-language/
Current cited URL
アンラーニング・ランゲージ
https://www.ycam.jp/events/2022/unlearning-language/
URL cited in a research master or supplement; it may have moved or expired
Unlearning Language
https://get-lauren.net/Unlearning-Language
URL cited in a research master or supplement; it may have moved or expired
Work and programme records and the artist’s account were read; see src-1115, src-1116, src-1117. Technical effectiveness and consent mechanisms have not been audited; the Chinese title is an archive translation.
Provenance, translation & verification
Timeline entry #164 · Participatory installation and performance
Research materials & supplement references · 3
Historical accessions, 13 October 2026 · 2022 date; interaction account at lines 129–139, credits at 172–185, and the first installation photograph. · 001
Date as recorded: 2022
YCAM work archive ↗
アンラーニング・ランゲージ
Historical accessions, 13 October 2026 · Concept at lines 107–123; dates, venue and production at 173–196. · programme
Date as recorded: 2022
YCAM programme ↗
アンラーニング・ランゲージ
Historical accessions, 13 October 2026 · Overview at lines 64–69; interaction, performance and credits at 92–129. Film not viewed. · artist
Date as recorded: 2022
Lauren Lee McCarthy’s account ↗
Unlearning Language
Archive account based on the listed research materials, not a full translation of the linked work. AI-assisted translation; independent human review pending.
Official material was read within the stated scope; see the source note for reading limits and outstanding checks.
Cite this node
ANTI-AI ARCHIVE. Unlearning Language: Lauren Lee McCarthy and Kyle McDonald. Art-history node #164. https://salondesrefuses.cn/en/art-history/361
For specific historical claims, also cite the original sources above and include your access date. This account is not a full translation of the linked work.
Adjacent nodes follow chronological order; adjacency does not establish direct influence or causation.