More Gnarly Illusions [When the Boat Comes In]

Three-channel video

Duration: 00:01:21

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More Gnarly Illusions is a multi-channel video documenting the mistranslated lyrics of the traditional North East folk song When the Boat Comes In. Working with local musician Alex Campbell, Dickson uses dictation software to transcribe Geordie singing into received pronunciation, the standard accent as spoken in the south of England. The video depicts three iterations of the performer singing progressively incomprehensible lyrics. More Gnarly Illusions highlights idiosyncrasies of the Geordie dialect, its position within British culture and the worry of being misunderstood.

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