Corruption
10 translation cycles of 80 stages, terminating in the English language
By Christopher Kit Maddox
[Madison, Wisconsin]: ORCS, 2019. Edition of 150.

11 x 6.5" oblong; 76 pages plus cover. Printed four-color offset. Folded insert included inside the back cover. Also insert laid in. Perfect bound with printed heavyweight translucent vellum overwrap. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Christopher Maddox: "'Corruption' tracks ten inflammatory quotations from world leaders as the words are translated across language barriers. Each chapter cycles a [highly-publicized] statement through the languages of the world's 80 most influential nations. The machine translation (MT) platforms used are noted throughout the work. The final translation for each chapter is presented on a full spread, typeset in a manner that means to accentuate its new poetic, interpretive essence. A folded pamphlet titled 'We Will Bury You' is mounted to the inside back cover. The booklet explains the origins and misunderstandings surrounding the infamous mis-translated quote by Nikita Khrushchev. It functions as a case-study that articulates the implications of this project."

Christopher Maddox, synopsis: "'Corruption' is an art work in book form ... This work of experimental text art and process poetry is an anthology of experiments with the degradation of hostile and defensive messages delivered by world leaders. The collection tracks ten quotations as the words travel across language barriers. The process of translation, exacerbated by cycling through a chain of 80 languages, transforms specific ideas into something general, ambiguous, stripped of its original power."
$38