Translation can be a necessity, but it can also be an act of generosity and, ultimately, knowledge sharing. The intricacy and complexities of interlingual translation is often not apparent to those who do not rely on it, but James Nguyen: Open Glossary at ACCA lays bare this process – one that is collaborative, evolving, incomplete and, often, imperfect.
Presented as part of the Copyright Agency Partnerships commissions and created in collaboration with Tamsen Hopkinson (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera), Budi Sudarto, Kate ten Buuren (Taungurung) and Chris Xu, the project seeks to bridge communication and understanding. As an exhibition, Open Glossary features three main installations that feel sparse and meditative. Moments of stillness are purposefully allocated to listen, comprehend and digest information presented in Vietnamese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Cook Islands Māori, Sinhala and more.
