Putting words in her mouth

Performance artist Danielle Freakley lives her life in quotations

By Sara Kinninmont
Published: November 21st, 2008 | 3:45pm

When Robert Burton said, “We can say nothing but what hath been said,” he wasn’t referring to Australian performance artist Danielle Freakley, but could very well have been summing up her latest project: the Quote Generator.

Believing that the majority of what the average person says is primarily made up of regurgitated words and sentiments, Freakley has undertaken the challenge of bringing awareness to it by speaking only in quotes for three years, thus turning herself into the Quote Generator. When asked why three years, she says, “I think it is an adequate amount of time to learn a new language.”

In order to familiarize herself with her new verbatim vernacular, she compiled quotes into a book that she carries with her at all times. Primarily, it was used to aid her in her quest for fluency, helping whenever there was a loss for words. Yet as time went on, it became more and more of a prop and less of a necessity. In the beginning, Freakley was “pretty shaky at it, but as time goes by it becomes more natural.” The book itself is divided into several “manners” of speech: polite, banal, straight, colloquial, humorous, sarcastic, witty, creative, cheesy, optimistic, pessimistic, academic, analytical, odd, cryptic, emotive, and offensive.

Freakley pays particularly close attention to using quotes that work in the context of the conversation and to deliver them in her normal speaking voice. One steadfast rule is that the quote must always be referenced aloud. Her quotations and sources vary drastically — for example, in response to the public’s confusion, she says, “ ‘Most people I know think I’m crazy’ (Billy Thorpe, 1972). ‘A n***** like me is going insane’ (Cypress Hill, 1993). ‘Making as much sense as a Japanese VCR instruction manual’ (Red Dwarf, 1993).”

Whether or not she makes sense, Freakley has managed to bring back mindfulness to speech and to elevate reiteration to an art form. Nearing the final year of her project, it would seem that Danielle Freakley is certainly a woman of her word.

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To learn more about Danielle Freakley’s project, check out her Web site.