I HV DRM

October 11, 2008 5:16 PM

The book artist Clifton Meador has dabbled in a few other projects, including I HV DRM, a version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic speech delivered at the 1963 March on Washington. Meador's edited out the words, leaving only the pauses and the audience response. "We can't remember the words anymore," he says.

He's also done something like the reverse, recreating Washington Crossing the Delaware [PDF warning] in words, rather than images.


(Meador also makes some of his artist's books available as print-on-demand purchases through Lulu.com. And "Masks of Evil" is a free, downloadable artist's book, based on Brecht's poem and directed at the Bush administration, available on his site.)

posted by liketitanic (8 comments total)

If you edit out the words in the written version, the whole speech takes much less time to read.

Here it is:
.,,,...,.,.,.,.'.''.,.,,,""",.",.,,"."..,',......'..'.-,....,:,....,.,,,...,..,"?".,,.'.-:".".,,,",."¹2.(11261)..--...,,,,,,.,,.,..:"-,.",.,,,..!,,,""""--.!,,,;"."²,.,.,.,,,,,,.--':',,.,',,!,....-..:...,.,,,,',,,,:!!,!
posted by twoleftfeet at 6:01 PM on October 11, 2008

That would be interesting to look at - the punctuation of speeches. I bet the ratio of commas to exclamation marks, the number of quotes and question marks, is telling.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:05 PM on October 11, 2008

I'll take that bet!
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 8:23 PM on October 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I actually read that as I have digital rights management instead of I have a dream for a second. Works either way I guess.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:57 PM on October 11, 2008

Me too, BrotherCaine. I bet you also read Slashdot. Nerd.
posted by sonic meat machine at 9:36 AM on October 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, thirded on BrotherCaine's remark. Maybe it's not just when we can't remember the words, but for when we haven't paid for the rights to hear the words.
posted by taursir at 10:08 AM on October 12, 2008

No, I've never heard of slashdot; never played D&D, rolemaster, or advanced squad leader; and have always been at war with Oceania. I read alterslash.org, saves time.
posted by BrotherCaine at 11:54 AM on October 12, 2008

I like Mr. Meador's aesthetic sensibilities, but unrelentingly political work can sometimes be so heavy handed that it is inane. However, Washington crosses the Delaware is unexpectedly awesome. I'm reading the book arts 'zine the Bonefolder now.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:09 PM on October 12, 2008