Oh My ( ) by Noriyuki Suzuki is an installation that calls out “god” in 48 languages using a complex Twitter database. Shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2019, the machine monitors the Twitter feed in real time. When a tweet includes the word god (in any of the 48 languages), speakers sound “oh my (god)” in the appropriate language.

For Suzuki, the problem is that god is intangible and has no common form in nature, so the term has not been easily shared between different cultures. The work calls this notion into question, as the artist notes: “using this word as a symbol of the complexities between us.”

The work is on view as part of the Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2019, at York Art Gallery from 8 March-14 July. Find out more here.

Images courtesy the artist.