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CODE-SWITCHING October 20 - November 18, 2007 ARTIST RECEPTION: Thursday, October 25, 2007, 6-9PM Swarm Gallery 560 Second Street, Oakland CA 94607 Tel 510 839 2787 Linguists define code-switching as an alternation between two or more languages within a single conversation between people who have one or more language in common. What this means for most of us is that we participate in, and practice a type of verbal syntactic shape-shifting, frequently changing terms of speech and expression to accommodate the fluctuating needs of discourse within different social and cultural interactions. Often an unconscious act, code-switching is used for many purposes, including protection, identification, recognition, approval, and control. With this exhibition, Quorum artists address these aspects of code-switching, exploring when and where the switch occurs and why the switch happens. ..............