In computing the error message »can't undo« indicates that the processor cannot cancel the previous command. The expression was initially used by Sašo Vrabič in his video The Peace is Cold (1998). The text “East can’t undo West” (and the reverse) was displayed in a loop like some kind of dividing line between two films (one of an American town, the other of a football match) ona a split screen.
The expression has become a kind of signature of his work. The Can’t Undo project consist of a portable computer on the screen of which is stuck the photograph of a baby’s face, with “can’t undo” as its caption underneath. Moreover, the computer is switched off and the soundtrack (a looped news bulletin) is played by a device next to it. To cap it all, the letter keys have all been taken off and then replaced at random.
What weight do the promises for the future and innocence characterised by child have, when faced with the kind of events announced by the sound-loop? One is obviousy reminded of the conflicts in Southeast Europe over the last ten years, and the problems of reconstruction. How can one imagine the evolution of a region when communication has broken down to such an extent?
The idea of an impasse and in-communicability is reinforced by the technical cut-out of the soundtrack, the image, and the physical device on which the image is placed. Whilst most of Saso Vrabic’s work makes heavy use of interactive installations and digital communication, the way in which the computer here has been technically put out of action is a way of calling into question both his usefulness and his role in contemporary communication.
En informatique, la message d’erreur « can’t undo » indique l’impossibilité pour le processeur d’annuler une commande antérieure. L’expression fut initialement employée par Sašo Vrabič dans la video
Text by André Rouillé, Devenirs / Becomings (cat.), Cultureaccess Paris 2001, p.98.
