Philosophy
People talk to each other all the time but are they really listening or do they just hear what suits them (cognitive dissonance)? Computer voices when played on a Mac conjure up all sorts of odd connections. In most cases the computer voice is one directional - you cannot have a conversation, therefore might we tune in more when a statement is being said by a computer?

Concept and reference points
The intention of this idea was to take a dictionary definition of a word spoken by an Apple Mac voice
and record the sound for playback on some sort of
small button device. The title ‘push the button’ was a line borrowed from the Chemical Brothers track ‘Galvanise’. Bruce Nauman’s ‘Raw Material’ exhibition in the Tate Modern was also a big source of inspiration for this work.

Testing
Small devices that record and play back sound were purchased and experimented with. It was possible to transfer spoken computer words as pure digital sounds using the ‘terminal’ to save files - but quality was always an issue with the small sound modules that I had at my disposal (www.talkingproducts.co.uk). To test the idea, a small button was vacuum formed around the ‘playback device’ and then it was attached to a wall where people could see a word (such as xenophobia) and hear the dictionary definition.

Direction
This piece could be put discreetly into public areas with the purpose of making people engage with words. There might also be an opportunity to install the work in a school with some form of artist in residence placement, with the focus on sound and the spoken word.