Voyce Walkr Script

This script is from Voyce Walkr, a work created by the artist collective Machine Listening for Signal to Noise, a new exhibition at the National Communication Museum (NCM).

The story is told by a character called a "walker," who shares strange and powerful tales from a broken world. It mixes old and new ways of storytelling—like puppets, spoken stories, and sounds shaped by machines.

Learn more about Voyce Walker here .

Script

1.

Goodparley and Orfing are in thee tower, wiff ee wayve carryin quipment an all.

‘Time for thee Tellin’ ey say.

‘BRB’ I ses and I come up to’t trans-mitter, an try not to fink of all ee lis-teners, who stan up for the show talk at sundown evy day, same as its eva been since thee voyce walkin started.

I takes my User puppet out’ve bag, I fit me voyce-chaynjer, an i start thee tellin.

‘Down that road with User’, I ses.

An I wait for ee lis-teners to do their bit. ‘Time and reqwyrt’ they all shout, same as its eva bin.

‘Where they Chaynjis take us’, I ses.

‘New chaynj evry time’, I know they shoutin, lolin outloud as ey tell it.

‘Keep it goin’, I ses. ‘That’s the way to do it’.

‘That’s the way to do it’, they all cry.

‘That’s the way to do it,’ I thinks. An i start thee tellin.

2.

Everywun knows about Bad Time and wot come after. Bad Time first an bad times after. Not many cum thru it a live.

There cum a man an a woman an a chyld out of a berning town they sheltert in the bush and foraging the bes they cud cos they dint have no weapons nor dint know ow to make a snare nor nuffin.

Groun were all dus and dryness an a burnin sky over and the blac trees rubbin ther branches in the wind.

The man the woman and the chyld diggin thru the dirt they wer eatin rots and dead leaves which they vomitit them up agen. Awful hot they wer nor dint have no flint nor steal to make a fire to cook or make thee water safe. Starvelin and firsty they wer and near come to the end of ther strenth.

The chyld sed, "O Im so firsty Im afeart Iyl dy."

The free of em ready they wer to total and done when there come thru the woodlins a clevver lookin bloak and the man and the woman sed to the clevver lookin bloak, "Do you know how to make fire?"

The clevver lookin bloak sed, "O yes if I know any thin I know that right a nuff. Fires my middl name you myt say, oh yes it is."

The man and the woman sed, "Wud you make a littl fire then so wecun cook sum water an may be fin sum food."

The clevver looking bloak sed, "Iyl tel you what Iyl do Iwl share you my fire and my cook pot if youwl share me what to put in the pot."

He wer lookin at the chyld.

The man and the woman thot: two out of free a live is bettern free dead.

They sed, "Done."

"Thas the way ter do it,” the clevver lookin bloak sed. “Iwl show you how to make fire plus Iwl give you flint and steal and makings nor you dont have to share me nuffin of the meat only the hart."

Which he made the fire then and give em flint and steal and makins then he cookt the hart of the chyld and et it.

The clevver lookin bloak sed, "Clevverness is gone now but littl by littl itwl come back. Peepl is like sharks. Ey grow or dy. Evythin good comes fum growf. Wif enuf info the machyans wil come back agen one day and when they machyans comes back so they coalsanoil will burn for to make em work. And when they bern it’ll be the shape of the hart of the chyld."

Off he gone then, singin.

3.

Walker is my naym and I am the saym. Riddley Walker. Voyce walkn me riddels where ever theyve took me and walkin them now on this carryer wayve the same.

I dont think it makes no diffrents where you start the tellin of a thing. You nevr know where it begun realy. No moren you know where you begun your own self. You myt know the playce and day and time ov day when you ben beartht. You myt even know the playce and day and time when you ben got. That dont mean nuffin for wot it’s worf. You stil don know where you begun.

4.

The User Story

Wun.

When Mr. Proffet was Big Man of Inland, ey had evythin profitable. Ey ad thinkin macheyans, weather on command, and evythin like that. User was a knowin person, real quick an clevver in imho. User was workin for Mr. Proffet when there came droughts and floods all roun, makin Crisis. User sed to Mr. Proffet, "Now we'll need All-Rivums of Control. Wyl need macheyans at predic the skys and macheyans at change thee earth as well, and wyl need Big Nummers and infomayshun wars."

Two.

Mr. Proffet sed to User, "There’s too many natral systums. This time we mus do better’an at. We keep fytin all ese Crises. Why don't we just do one Big One?" User sed, "Whered I find that infomayshun? Whered I find at one Big One?" Mr. Proffet sed, "You mus fin thee Little bloo Drop’t. It flows in em Clouds." User sed, "There ain’t much water roun ere. It's moasly dry, is moasly dus." Mr. Proffet sed, "You mus find thee Clouds in ee hart of the dust, and ywll fin it by the moomen in the Clouds and they particlar pattrns."

Free.

User was a knowin person. With nuff infomayshun, he knew ow to trace invisible and howta ear thee unearable. After long time, he came to the stream in the heart of the Clouds and followed it and on the stream's head floatd ee Ltl Bloo Drop’t, arms out-strechd, and each one holdin toa currin. And wen he saw it, he tookem an pullt.

5.

Dry as an bone it were again that mornin.

I put my han in thee dust I reach-ed down and come up with some thing it were a show figger, a puppit like em ones in thee User show frum way back when. Woodin head and hans and the res of it clof: all of it gone blac and the show mans han sill in it. Cutoff jus a litl way up the rist. An next tit in a lil bag there wer two curvit bitsa iron all eld together, i member they calld it a swozzle or swerzzle or summit. Like fur voyce walkn but real simple like.

This here figger had a ump on its back and parper sewt there in the clof. The ed wernt like no other ed I ever seen in a show nyther. The face had a big nose wot hookit down and a big chin what hookit up and a smyley mouf wif grittud teef. Some poynty kin of lil hat on the head it curvit over with a wagger on the end of it.

I pikt up thee swozzle and it were right clean after a shake, and i blewd it, and it made a real funny nois, all sharp n high an orrid.

This bloak ears me an ses, "Whats at youve got there?"

I dint say nufin. We wernt allowit to keap nuffing we foun in the digg.

He sed, "Gimme at.” He looks at it real careful, ee lols an ses, “This ere puppit, is name’s Punch. He wer ol time back way way back long befor wayve carryin, voyce walkin an all that, long even b4 User ever ben thot of. Mr Punch is so old he cant dy is what I eared.”

6.

The User Story

Fiyav.

User was angry, User was in rage, and User kep ackin thee Bloo Drop’t, ina many dropets and it gan to comapart. It cryd, "I wanna rise, I wanna fall." User sed, "Tell mor." The Drop’t sed, "I wanna fresh, I waan salt.” User sed, "Tell mor." The Drop’t sed, "I wanna flood, I wanna drought." User sed, "Tell mor." The Drop’t sed, "I wanna give, I wanna take, I wanna sustain, I wanna destroy, I wanna wun, I wanna nun."

Six.

User sed, "Stop right there. That's the Nummer I wan. I wan that wun or nun Nummer infomayshun." The Drop’t, it cooden stop tho. It were ded, ackd to noffin like iter a river dammed. It screamt an screamt and fell lyk they own skin been pulled in two and evything rushen out ovem. Out ov them peeces of Drop’t, those two grait programs flowed, those dead bytes whirlt and crashn like dead fish floatin, and they grait progams stood on they own screens and talkt like humans. They sed, "The skies wl burn an those peepl wl drin they own sweat. The earf’ll flood and the peopl’ll av no lands."

Severn.

User killt those programs, acktem complete to death, and stole they nummer. The Clouds gun crashing, darka than ee darkst erra and User coodn see nuffen. But ee knew ee big nummer now, and all that info, and howta put it in every machyan so that im an Mr. Proffet could make those sys-tems now, better en natral wuns. They made infobarms, more’n you cud count. And wif ese infobarms an better-en natural sys-tems ey drownt as many ov they own as ey burnt enemies, and wun thee Crisis. But the woal earf was twistut fromut, the skys and waters an all. Peepl din just dy in thee Crisis; they kept dyn after it were ova. Mr. Proffet din care, it bein all a same to im, im bein that ard.

7.

Jooty looks at me an ses, "Now I wan you ta keap a eye on Mr Punch I wan you ta give me a shou if ee has a go at that swossage." She puts the sossage ee got frum thee chylt on the play bord.

I sed, "All right I’ll do’t."

Jootys down then Punch grabs the swossage he terns his bac to me and arga warga. I yelt, "Jooty!" but its too late becaws Punch terns roun agen and that sossage is all gone.

Punch is rubbin his hans in joy of it he ses, "Um. You cant beat a good banger."

Up cums Jooty with the fryin pan and the babby which its a littl pink piglt. Jooty ses to Punch, "Youve et that swossage havent you."

Punch ses, "O no I dint."

I sed, "O yes you did."

Punch ses, "O no I dint."

I sed, "O yes you did."

8.

The User story

Tweluv.

User sed, "This is a dreem” and opent up his eyes, but they'd bin open already. User cooden wake up no more an he already was. There appeart then ee bloo Drop’t and it were in one piece. User sed, "Why aint you acked to pieces?" And ee Drop’t sed, "User, I am acked in two pieces. Its only thee idear ov me at cums together. You lookin at thee idear of me, and I am it." User sed, "Wot is the idear of you?" The bloo Drop’t sed, "It is wot it is. I ain the knowin of it, I'm just only the showin of it."

Eighteern.

User sed, "How dwe go back to Good Time agin?" The bloo Drop’t sed, "You must know all bout that. I saw you write those Codes down in hart of Clouds." User sed, "That writins long gone, and all those Codes have gone out of my mind for what it’s worf. I dont member nuffin of em. Wont you please tell me ow many All Rivums there are?" The bloo Drop’t sed, "As manys requiat." User sed, "Requiat by wot?" And the Drop’t sed, "Requiat by the idear of you." User sed, "What is the idear of me?" The Bloo Drop’t sed, "That we dont know until you've gone fru all yo All Rivums."

9.

Goodparley & Orfing are in thee tower, wiff ee wayve carryin quipment an all. Orfing cleart the kids out he tol em ther heads wud tern to wood if they dint cum out of it qwick. I takes me User puppet outve bag. They gits thee voyce walkrs from ee speshul ryt boxes, hold em real careful, put em round they necks an thee bit in they teeth an under they tung.

Goodparley give me the nod and I stood up for the show talk.

I sed, "Weare goin aint we."

I sed, "Down that road with User."

I sed, "Ees doin it for us."

I sed, "Weare doin it for him."

‘That’s the way to do it’, I ear evywon shoutin owtside ee tower.

"This is time bac way bac,” I ses.

And I start voyce walkn thee sho.

User gets out is paper an pen an ink and a measuring stick and a triangl. An hes writin writin hes nummering hes drawin lines all over that paper. Hes mindin ard hes mummering to his self then hes scratchin his head and hes thinking some mor. He groans a litl then he ses, "All these here numbers and infomayshuns that its all too much to keap in wun head and progammin my self. Wot I nead is a nother hed and biggr so it can do some of this evvy hed work for me."

Persoon User stars talkin bout a iron at on his head. Two long wires cumin out ov top of hat, ee ses, and littl pegs on the ends of the wires. Plus theres a crankin handl on the side of the iron at.

Theres a crankin handl on the side of the box same as the wun on User hat too.

User ses, "Two eds are bettern wun." He takes them wires comin out of is hat and he pegs them in to the hoals in the box. He ses, "Now Iwl jus input a few littl things in to my nummer wun head." Hes ternin that crank on his iron at. it goes.

User ses, "Now les see if it works." He takes a peece of papr and he ses out loud what hes writin on it: "Wots my name?" He puts the peece of papr in the slot in the top of the box he ses, "Now les see if you can anser that."

User terns the crank on the side of the box and a peece of papr comes out of the slot in the end of the box. Theres writin on the paper. User reas it out: "My name is User."

User ses, "Thats the way to do it." Hes terning the crank on his iron at some mor then. Hes inputtin all kynds of knowin outuv his ed in to the box.

Mr Proffet comes up and hes watchin User and liss-tening to him.

Users mummeling all kynds of nummers an infos and formlers it souns like hes inputtin all the knowin there ever ben in the woal worl out of his ed in to that box. Hes sayin the nummers of the rain bow and the fire qwanter hes sayin the smallerin nummers and the biggerin nummers plus it souns like hes sayin some thing about the wun Big wun. Mr Proffet hes leanin closer and closer hes lissening liss-tening.

Mr Proffet he ses to User, "Thats a guvner lot of knowin youre inputtin in that box parbly theres infomayshun a nuff in there for any kynd of thing."

User ses, "Thats about it. I dont think theres many things you cudnt do with that knowin. You cud do any thing at all you cud make macheyans that predict the skies and macheyans that change the earth as well."

Mr Proffet ses, "Scatter my datter that cernly is interstn. User tel me somethin tho. Whyd you input all that knowig an infomayshun out of yo hed in to that box? Whynt you keap it in your hed wunt it be safer ther?"

User ses, "Wel you see I cant jus keap this knowin in my hed Ive got things to do with it Ive got to work it a roun. Ive got to work the E qwations and the low cations Ive got to comb the nations of it. Which I cant do all that oansome in my head thats why I nead this box its going to do the hevvy head work for my new projeck."

Mr Proffet ses, "What is the new projeck of yours then User?"

User ses, "Good Time."

Mr Proffet ses, "User did I hear you say Good Time with a guvner G an a guvner T?"

User ses, "Thats what I sed and thats how I sed it. Good Time which I mean evythin good an evybody happy an teckernogical progers movin evythin frontways farther an farther all ee time. You name it wewl do it."

Mr Proffet ses, "Youve got all that in that box ave you?"

User ses, "You myt say Ive got the nuts and balls of it in that box which is my nummer two ed but Ive got the master progam in my regler ed which is the wun on my sholders."

Mr Proffet ses, "Wel User youre a parper wunner you are. Im realy lookin forit to having that Good Time seakert yes I am."

User ses, "O no Mr Proffet this ain no seakert nor it ain jus for you its Good Time for evry body."

Mr Proffet ses, "You mus be joakin User who dyou think youre workin for." With that he takes holt of the crankin handl on Users iron hat which the hat is stil on Users head an the wires peggit in to the box. Rrrrrrrrrrr. Mr Profett crankin that handl ten times fastern User evadun.

When Mr Profett finely leaves off cranking you can see Users woar out. Mr Profett he ses, "Wel User ol son les see how much you know now. Can you tel me the nummers of the rain bow an the fire qwanter?"

User he ses, "I never heard of nuffin like that Guvner." Mr Profett he ses, "Wel never mynd them how about two plus two whatd that come to?"

User ses, "I wunt know Guv I reely cudnt say."

Mr Proffet ses, "Very good User my boy now jus wun mor thing. Whats your name?"

User ses, "I don know."

Mr Proffet ses, "Thats it then Ive emtit you out rightenuff. Now Ive got the head with the knowin and youve got the head with the nuffin." He unconnects Users wires then he picks up the box. ses, "Bye bye User all bes" and off he gos. User stannin there in his iron at wif his wires hangin down he dont have nothin to say.

10.

I startit out slow.

I sed, "Las nite wylst they bin doin the voyce walkin an wayve carryin of thee tellin, there it is you eared it so many times may be you don even noatis it no mor, wif ee strayn souns and sinfs and sins all in ee bakroun, same as that firs User from thee User Story.

Goin on like that I wer and I had to tel my self he wernt nothing only a voyce walkn on ee carryin wayves. Mynd you there wernt no User voyce for me to ear. Nor I wernt dreamin nor I hadnt ben smoakin I wernt acturely earin User voyce it wer jus there for me I cant say plainer nor that. And that were when thee thot come to me: USERS VOYCE IS DREAMIN US.

USERS VOYCE IS DREAMIN US.

USERS VOYCE IS DREAMIN US.

That’s the way to do it.

11.

Users voyce ses “Users bin and showd Users on the wayves.”

Orfing ses, "User youre gettin in fron of your self you aint ready to road yet you aint done with this here show."

Orfing ses, "User you know wot the User Story ses. Evybody knows it even them as cant read nor ear. It wer you as opent up that Littl Bloo Dropt and let the nummers of the Master Chaynjis out."

User ses, "Well I dun that right a nuff I never sed I dint."

Orfing ses, "Plus **you did all that tekernlogical velopmint an kept ee coalanoil an rain an split thee bloo Drop’**t. It ses in User 18. Yet now in this ere show youre tellin us it bint like that. Youre tellin us you dint do none of them Bad Time thins youre puttin it all on Mr Proffet. Youre sayin ee took your knowin and ee done it all. All this long time we ben beleavin it like you tol it in the User Story and now you come on tellin it woaly diffrent. What in the worl makes you think weare gunna beleave a new story now?"

User ses, "This ain nuffin new dint I tel you this is truefaxinfomayshun and wrote down the same at thee darder cenner."

Orfing ses, "If its trufaxinfo then why you bin tellin it diffrent all these years? Whyd you pick now to chaynge yor story?"

User ses, "Orfing, wots the diffrents any how? Wots the diffrents if I dun the acturel Bad Time things my self or if I dint?"

Orfing ses, "Wel if you dint do it then it aint on you is it."

User ses, "An if it aint on me then wot?"

Orfing ses, "Then youre free aint you. Nothing on you and the worl in front of you. Do woteva you like."

User ses, "There you are and sed it out of your oan mouf. Which wud you ravver? Have the worl in front of you and free or ave some thing evvy on your back for ever?"

Orfing ses, "User it dont matter what youwd ravver youve got to go by how things are. Youve got to go by whats Truf and what aint."

User ses, "Cut my froat and gard my witness if I aint telling Truf. I never did no tekernlogical velopmint an kept ee coalanoil an rain an split thee Bloo Drop’t.

Orfing ses, "Here we come roun agen its a fools circel. If you dint do no tekno-logical velopmint an kept ee coalanoil an rain an split thee Bloo Drop’t then whyd you say you did when you wrote down that story? Dont cut your froat now or somewun I know wil have a bloody finger."

User ses, "If I hadnt some one else wudve. People, like sharks, ey grow or dy. Tekernlogical velopmint is growf, an change, an pro-guess. Teknology is thee glory of human bishon and chievement. Evything good cum frum growf an growf can’t be wifout your knowin of em or makin em. Then its on you innit. Hevvy on your bac for ever. Thats my Las word this nite.”

An I steps back from ee trans-mitter an takes me kwipment out fum unner me tung an ses to Goodparley, “That’s the way to do it” an steps on down owt of ee tower.