Again, I really loved seeing all the creativity and innovation with so many distinctly different final projects. Rose and Bo's "My Heart Will Go On" was hilarious. The puns were out of control at times--wave upon wave of them. And it's obvious they worked really hard on the project while still being able to have fun.
I also though Tammy's idea to make an online trivia game was great. I don't think I ever would have thought to make something like that and the questions were fun, challenging, and intriguing. The videos of her niece and nephew were cute.
I wanted to comment on Camile's project, as it particularly stood out to me. I like the way she incorporated various elements of remixing and hyperlinking that we learned/used over the semester. For example, using internet archive, she was able to use both original text (the poem at the beginning) and original illustrations to add relevance and character to her text, itself a modern and abbreviated rendition of Carroll's original work. The added element of choosing different options was reminiscent of our group project together and was an added surprise to the text. It (the linked storyline options) seems to have a functional role within the text as well in that jumping to either one scene or another allows Camile to include various main scenes from the original Alice in Wonderland without having to make logical narrative connections between all the different scenes.
Camile was able to tell the story in such a way as to keep the essential elements of Alice in Wonderland intact while revamping the story to fit a contemporary context. It was interesting to identify particular characters and scenes in Camile's work with their counterparts in the original. In this regard, the illustrations she included were helpful as well.
I also thought that Camile's transference of Wonderland to New York city was a creative and in fact logical idea. People feel small and lost and confused in New York all the time. It seems perfect. The only thing I would suggest is that 1) the picture of the white rabbit could be re-cropped since right now it is cut off at the top and his head is missing. 2) the page depicting the angry woman in red is spaced strangely so that some of the words run into each other. Otherwise, a wonderful and creative project.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Idea for final project
For my final project, I like the idea of writing about human rights crises in the world. I seem to be magnetically drawn to writing about global crises and human rights issues. I have written about workers' rights in Dubai, womens' rights in Saudi Arabia, the current violence and grass roots peace efforts in Colombia, the current humanitarian crisis in Burma, reconciliation efforts in Rwanda, and the current crisis in Darfur.
I think it will be interesting, given the focus of this class, to (as Dr. T suggested) examine the ways in which increased accessibility and use of the internet, and wider modes of media over the internet has affected global awareness of particular global humanitarian disasters. Instead of looking at just one region or country, I would like to look at a number of different cases, including Darfur (because it is an excellent example of how the internet has been used en masse to reach a global audience and garner solidarity and support for the victims as well as working to influence change) as well as Tibet, and Burma.
I think it will be interesting, given the focus of this class, to (as Dr. T suggested) examine the ways in which increased accessibility and use of the internet, and wider modes of media over the internet has affected global awareness of particular global humanitarian disasters. Instead of looking at just one region or country, I would like to look at a number of different cases, including Darfur (because it is an excellent example of how the internet has been used en masse to reach a global audience and garner solidarity and support for the victims as well as working to influence change) as well as Tibet, and Burma.
Online Academics
I wasn't sure whether we were supposed to write about the online academics links posted or to merely read them and discuss them in class.
In general I think I would have to say that I support MIT's open course initiative. This seems to be a step in the right direction in terms of breaking down the long-established wall that has held University curriculum up on an elitist pedestal. What I mean is that by making everything that MIT teaches completely open and accessible to the public--a public consisting in part of those individuals who may never have the chance to attend an ivy league school--there are no secrets and MIT suddenly becomes relevant to everyone, less untouchable. In the long run, I don't know whether this will prove to be good or bad for MIT. One the one hand, MIT is significantly acknowledging that knowledge is meant to be free, whether it is in the form of a lecture developed by a teacher or not. Yet they are making a subtle distinction between knowledge and academic accomplishment. The information is free; the degree and the MIT name still cost money. In addition, this means that MIT becomes almost more elitist because this distinction--the fact that people will still want to go to MIT and get a degree there because it's respected, because it's established as being upper-crust--almost negates the academic element involved in MIT's respectability and places an emphasis on MIT as a name more than anything.
That aside, the fact that inevitably, someone somewhere is going to put university materials online makes MIT's decision preemptive and wise. They are branding themselves as technologically ahead of the game.
But what about the teachers? By MIT giving away its curriculum, it seems to be disregarding the authorship of the professors and claiming that all work produced or developed at MIT whether it is a class or lecture or an invention or some sort of software, belongs to MIT in the end and thus they can do what they want with this information.
This doesn't necessarily tie into the controversy involving the professor suing for the note to his lecture being sold, but still, there's the issue of whether knowledge can be owned and whether a professor owns the information he gives as a part of a university course. I mean, if the professor gets to sue, does the university get to sue as well? At the same time, I can appreciate the fact that a professor would see his lecture as his own intellectual property and thus lecture notes from that as being part of that property. I don't think it's wrong to share lecture notes, but definitely to profit from them when the professor doesn't share in that profit is wrong.
In general I think I would have to say that I support MIT's open course initiative. This seems to be a step in the right direction in terms of breaking down the long-established wall that has held University curriculum up on an elitist pedestal. What I mean is that by making everything that MIT teaches completely open and accessible to the public--a public consisting in part of those individuals who may never have the chance to attend an ivy league school--there are no secrets and MIT suddenly becomes relevant to everyone, less untouchable. In the long run, I don't know whether this will prove to be good or bad for MIT. One the one hand, MIT is significantly acknowledging that knowledge is meant to be free, whether it is in the form of a lecture developed by a teacher or not. Yet they are making a subtle distinction between knowledge and academic accomplishment. The information is free; the degree and the MIT name still cost money. In addition, this means that MIT becomes almost more elitist because this distinction--the fact that people will still want to go to MIT and get a degree there because it's respected, because it's established as being upper-crust--almost negates the academic element involved in MIT's respectability and places an emphasis on MIT as a name more than anything.
That aside, the fact that inevitably, someone somewhere is going to put university materials online makes MIT's decision preemptive and wise. They are branding themselves as technologically ahead of the game.
But what about the teachers? By MIT giving away its curriculum, it seems to be disregarding the authorship of the professors and claiming that all work produced or developed at MIT whether it is a class or lecture or an invention or some sort of software, belongs to MIT in the end and thus they can do what they want with this information.
This doesn't necessarily tie into the controversy involving the professor suing for the note to his lecture being sold, but still, there's the issue of whether knowledge can be owned and whether a professor owns the information he gives as a part of a university course. I mean, if the professor gets to sue, does the university get to sue as well? At the same time, I can appreciate the fact that a professor would see his lecture as his own intellectual property and thus lecture notes from that as being part of that property. I don't think it's wrong to share lecture notes, but definitely to profit from them when the professor doesn't share in that profit is wrong.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Response to group projects
There were about three projects that really caught my attention during our group project show last Thursday. Tammy and Alyse's project was one of these three, and since they both volunteered for Camile and my interviews and were subsequent inspirations for two of our fairy tale characters, it seemed fitting to review their project. Somehow this seems to let things come full circle.
One of the things I really liked about Tammy and Alyse's project, "What is Love," was that each of their voices was distinctly present within the work as a whole. While this aspect is inherent to the particular structure of their project, it still bears mention since being able to clearly identify two distinct trains of thought within the work added, I think, to the personality of the piece, adding extra layers to it. By adding extra layers, I mean that not only was their a flash fictional work, which did indeed create imagery and evoke emotion that lingered long after the story itself was over, but there was also a completely separate--yet relevant and connected--dialog occurring in which I as the reader was able to hear both Tammy and Alyse's voices and to understand each of their understandings of the text. In this context, I like that way that Tammy apparently had not been briefed by Alyse on the work she was writing ahead of time, as this would have spoiled the very realistic process of reader reaction and author answer that is documented within their "conversation." Moreover, I liked the way that the stucture lent itself fluidly to a natural explanation of the text. Having an explanation from Alyse, the author was useful, and yet they allowed this explanation to necessarily be displayed in a non -self aggrandizing, non-self righteous way. The author is not setting out a forced interpretation on the reader.
I also like the way that the text can be read in several different ways, which all will influence the way the reader will initially understand the work as a whole. This means that some readers will not go through the reading experience that Tammy went through, as she had only one choice in reading. I chose to read through the flash fiction first, then proceeded to clicking on each of the hyperlinked lines in the text to read Tammy's comments, along with Alyse's responses to them. I usually went back to the text to read the next hyperliked line, but in some cases I would link over to Tammy's full commentary. I never found the jumping back and forth impeding or inconvenient. Rather, I enjoyed the span and webbing of the work and the chance to get a glimpse into the minds of each of the writers.
In addition, I liked the way that
One of the things I really liked about Tammy and Alyse's project, "What is Love," was that each of their voices was distinctly present within the work as a whole. While this aspect is inherent to the particular structure of their project, it still bears mention since being able to clearly identify two distinct trains of thought within the work added, I think, to the personality of the piece, adding extra layers to it. By adding extra layers, I mean that not only was their a flash fictional work, which did indeed create imagery and evoke emotion that lingered long after the story itself was over, but there was also a completely separate--yet relevant and connected--dialog occurring in which I as the reader was able to hear both Tammy and Alyse's voices and to understand each of their understandings of the text. In this context, I like that way that Tammy apparently had not been briefed by Alyse on the work she was writing ahead of time, as this would have spoiled the very realistic process of reader reaction and author answer that is documented within their "conversation." Moreover, I liked the way that the stucture lent itself fluidly to a natural explanation of the text. Having an explanation from Alyse, the author was useful, and yet they allowed this explanation to necessarily be displayed in a non -self aggrandizing, non-self righteous way. The author is not setting out a forced interpretation on the reader.
I also like the way that the text can be read in several different ways, which all will influence the way the reader will initially understand the work as a whole. This means that some readers will not go through the reading experience that Tammy went through, as she had only one choice in reading. I chose to read through the flash fiction first, then proceeded to clicking on each of the hyperlinked lines in the text to read Tammy's comments, along with Alyse's responses to them. I usually went back to the text to read the next hyperliked line, but in some cases I would link over to Tammy's full commentary. I never found the jumping back and forth impeding or inconvenient. Rather, I enjoyed the span and webbing of the work and the chance to get a glimpse into the minds of each of the writers.
In addition, I liked the way that
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Groupo Projectos
My group consists of me and Camile.
Our idea for the group project is mutli-tiered. First we'd like to create a play loosely based on an ethnographic approach--but without the ethnographic ethics in the sense that we will create five characters and build scripts for them based on short interviews we'll do with them in class, but the characters we create will be stereotypes based on the interviews. The questions we ask will be formed to bring out easy stereotypes in our informants. For example, the question, "what is your favorite music" might elicit a response that an informant likes country music. They might then turn into a character named Bubba who wears a red bandana. The point is that we want to be blatantly clear that we are creating stereotyped characters. Our class mates will be aware of this when we announce that we are looking for volunteer informants. Those who do not want to participate don't have to. Once we know who is interested in volunteering, we'll pass numbers around and randomly choose 5 informants, with whom we will conduct short 10-15 minute interviews.
Once we have our information, Camile and I will create characters and develop a script so that we have a play/story. This play will be acted out with hand and mouth PUPPETS as a puppet show. We will film scenes separately so that we will be ble to develop a "choose-your-own-puppet-show" type presentation online. Viewers will have the task/opportunity to click on links as they come to the end of a scene which ill direct them to a new scene and an alternate development in the play so that each viwer's experience will be a little different. In addition, we hope to create at least one looped scene, similar to 12 Blue, where a viewer will continuously return to a random scene and will have to back track and find a new path to the end of the play/puppet show. Our hope is that this will be a light, comical show in which informants will be able to identify their contributions to a certain character, and where at the same time, classmates will enjoy the process of finding their way through the visual narrative.
We will include intrview transripts and the script we write on our websites.
Our idea for the group project is mutli-tiered. First we'd like to create a play loosely based on an ethnographic approach--but without the ethnographic ethics in the sense that we will create five characters and build scripts for them based on short interviews we'll do with them in class, but the characters we create will be stereotypes based on the interviews. The questions we ask will be formed to bring out easy stereotypes in our informants. For example, the question, "what is your favorite music" might elicit a response that an informant likes country music. They might then turn into a character named Bubba who wears a red bandana. The point is that we want to be blatantly clear that we are creating stereotyped characters. Our class mates will be aware of this when we announce that we are looking for volunteer informants. Those who do not want to participate don't have to. Once we know who is interested in volunteering, we'll pass numbers around and randomly choose 5 informants, with whom we will conduct short 10-15 minute interviews.
Once we have our information, Camile and I will create characters and develop a script so that we have a play/story. This play will be acted out with hand and mouth PUPPETS as a puppet show. We will film scenes separately so that we will be ble to develop a "choose-your-own-puppet-show" type presentation online. Viewers will have the task/opportunity to click on links as they come to the end of a scene which ill direct them to a new scene and an alternate development in the play so that each viwer's experience will be a little different. In addition, we hope to create at least one looped scene, similar to 12 Blue, where a viewer will continuously return to a random scene and will have to back track and find a new path to the end of the play/puppet show. Our hope is that this will be a light, comical show in which informants will be able to identify their contributions to a certain character, and where at the same time, classmates will enjoy the process of finding their way through the visual narrative.
We will include intrview transripts and the script we write on our websites.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What is Narrative?
Well, I thought I had a vague idea of what narrative was, and then I read Arseth's article...now I'm totally befuddled. I kept waiting for Aseth to specifically address narrative and discuss what that is--or at least what he thinks it is. He discusses text and what that is and what it's been thought to be. He also discusses cybertext--obviously--and provides a definition of what that encompasses, which was actually quite informative. I was one of the naive people who thought that cybertext necessarily implied computers. Surprisingly to me, Arseth explains that cybertext is any text/"system" that possesses some sort of information feedback loop. Ok. He also refers to ergotic literature as a machine. Interesting. I can't say that I understood ALL of what Arseth talks about, but my perspectives on text and literature and cybertext and ergotic text have been broadened assuredly.
But that still leaves me with the question "what is narrative?" to answer.
UGH.
Is narrative different from text? Is narrative different from literature?
Somehow I feel like narrative falls somewhere between the two. Narrative is more specific than text in that it tells some sort of a story. It is a text, but a text, I think, might not necessarily be a narrative. Similarly, literature seems a bit too narrow a term, since narratives can include non textual aspects. A picture can be a narrative. A song can be a narrative.
People question whether multiple user dungeons and text-based games and digital role playing games and other hypertexts are narratives. They seem to be up in arms about whether these texts can be considered linear or literary, etc. At least in terms of being narrative, I tend to think, well, yes, why not? Whether the author is totally the author and the reader totally the reader, or whether the author sets the groundwork and the reader takes on part of the authorship-creatorship, or is simply more of a participant, engaging in the illusion of authorship, a story is still, in the end being told. As a narrative, I think that's what counts. a narrative can be a story of past, present or future, made up or true, or parts of both. I think the end result--what comes out of every reading, even if each reading is totally unique, counts as narrative.
But that still leaves me with the question "what is narrative?" to answer.
UGH.
Is narrative different from text? Is narrative different from literature?
Somehow I feel like narrative falls somewhere between the two. Narrative is more specific than text in that it tells some sort of a story. It is a text, but a text, I think, might not necessarily be a narrative. Similarly, literature seems a bit too narrow a term, since narratives can include non textual aspects. A picture can be a narrative. A song can be a narrative.
People question whether multiple user dungeons and text-based games and digital role playing games and other hypertexts are narratives. They seem to be up in arms about whether these texts can be considered linear or literary, etc. At least in terms of being narrative, I tend to think, well, yes, why not? Whether the author is totally the author and the reader totally the reader, or whether the author sets the groundwork and the reader takes on part of the authorship-creatorship, or is simply more of a participant, engaging in the illusion of authorship, a story is still, in the end being told. As a narrative, I think that's what counts. a narrative can be a story of past, present or future, made up or true, or parts of both. I think the end result--what comes out of every reading, even if each reading is totally unique, counts as narrative.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Remix Peer Review
I really loved watching all the presentations last week; it made me regret not being a film or art major and being able to have the chance to appreciate other peoples' creativity in an intimate communal (yes, it's a class, but it still felt at least somewhat communal) environment. I kicked myself after sitting back down from my own presentation and realizing that there were all sorts of things I had planned on saying and then forgot to under the projector light and in the "hot seat." Ah well.
There were several projects that struck me particularly--especially Bo's since he used lines from the text of my faith. Actually, I have to say that I felt really happy to see those lines up there on the screen, since not a lot of people have ever heard of my faith, and if they have, chances are it's some ignorant gossipy negative misinformation that they picked up (on the Internet).I guess that's why Bo's project made me feel so--um, accepted?--so happy; because without any preconceived notions, Bo took my faith's text with all the rest and sort of equalized everything.
BUT. The project I actually wanted to talk about here is Rose's project: "Strength and Weakness."
I think one of the things I liked most about it was its simplicity, which in fact allowed the detail and meaning of the piece to emerge more fluidly. I was surprised to find that while I had been so engrossed with making my project complex enough and interesting enough, Rose had succeeded in achieving these things with very little technical methods required. Had I once again gone overboard?
Well, that aside, I love the arrangement of Rose's words on each page of her site. Some pages seem to make a shape with her words, particularly the "devour" page, which begins with "a single act of good will" on the left, with words above and below moving to the right in a funnel or arrow and ending with "lonely." The movement makes sense here, I think.
I enjoyed trying to imagine what these sentence fragments were once a part of--what thoughts were they expressing? It's strange to think of all those diary entries shattered and strewn around on the web pages, forming new meanings and significance on their own, and as they exist with other fragments on the screen. I also enjoyed finding the links--looking for the one or few words that would channel me to the next collection of loosely-strung words and phrases. IEach page certainly reads like a poem, and what's great is that there isn't one set order in which to read the poems; each one can change every time depending on how I choose to read it.
There were several projects that struck me particularly--especially Bo's since he used lines from the text of my faith. Actually, I have to say that I felt really happy to see those lines up there on the screen, since not a lot of people have ever heard of my faith, and if they have, chances are it's some ignorant gossipy negative misinformation that they picked up (on the Internet).I guess that's why Bo's project made me feel so--um, accepted?--so happy; because without any preconceived notions, Bo took my faith's text with all the rest and sort of equalized everything.
BUT. The project I actually wanted to talk about here is Rose's project: "Strength and Weakness."
I think one of the things I liked most about it was its simplicity, which in fact allowed the detail and meaning of the piece to emerge more fluidly. I was surprised to find that while I had been so engrossed with making my project complex enough and interesting enough, Rose had succeeded in achieving these things with very little technical methods required. Had I once again gone overboard?
Well, that aside, I love the arrangement of Rose's words on each page of her site. Some pages seem to make a shape with her words, particularly the "devour" page, which begins with "a single act of good will" on the left, with words above and below moving to the right in a funnel or arrow and ending with "lonely." The movement makes sense here, I think.
I enjoyed trying to imagine what these sentence fragments were once a part of--what thoughts were they expressing? It's strange to think of all those diary entries shattered and strewn around on the web pages, forming new meanings and significance on their own, and as they exist with other fragments on the screen. I also enjoyed finding the links--looking for the one or few words that would channel me to the next collection of loosely-strung words and phrases. IEach page certainly reads like a poem, and what's great is that there isn't one set order in which to read the poems; each one can change every time depending on how I choose to read it.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Is that your final answer?
Yes, I have decided on a project and have started work on it, and NO, it has nothing to do with anything I've written about up until now. HA!
What? A children's alphabet reader (published in 1850) with engraved illustrations. Very aesthetically appealing. COMBINED with Shakespearean quotes that have snuck their way into everyday English language and, alas, have become cliche. There are, I've found, enough to represent every letter of the alphabet!
So, what I've done is edit and change the wording in the children's reader so that I now have a "Footsteps to Learning Shakespeare or the Alphabet in Cliches." Each letter is exemplified with a Shakespearean cliche to show the way in which our English-speaking society (often unknowingly) relies on Shakespeare to simply communicate out ideas.
An enlightening reader for all. And, whatho, there are pictures of animals!
What? A children's alphabet reader (published in 1850) with engraved illustrations. Very aesthetically appealing. COMBINED with Shakespearean quotes that have snuck their way into everyday English language and, alas, have become cliche. There are, I've found, enough to represent every letter of the alphabet!
So, what I've done is edit and change the wording in the children's reader so that I now have a "Footsteps to Learning Shakespeare or the Alphabet in Cliches." Each letter is exemplified with a Shakespearean cliche to show the way in which our English-speaking society (often unknowingly) relies on Shakespeare to simply communicate out ideas.
An enlightening reader for all. And, whatho, there are pictures of animals!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Idea
What about combining Kipling's Gunga Din with Beirut's Elephant Gun?! Jungle, guns, colonialism, adventure, hunting?
Oooh! Plus this picture!
Maybe it can be an explorer/hunter/manly man theme juxtaposed with the elegant beauty of Zach Condon's semi-operatic French voice.
Oooh! Plus this picture!
Maybe it can be an explorer/hunter/manly man theme juxtaposed with the elegant beauty of Zach Condon's semi-operatic French voice.
This cannot be a coincidence...
I have been listening to the new Beirut album for the entirety of this last week. I'm talking non-stop listenage. I had Mausoleum stuck in my head ALL day.
Tonight I JUST found a live recording of a Beirut show played in Texas. It was just sitting there on archive.org in the live music section. I really thought it was going to be Arabic music when I saw the link. How could Beirut be on archive.org? BUT THEY ARE! So...WHAT can I do with this?? I MUST somehow find a way to implement this into my remix project. This recording did not just appear for no reason.
One thing I worry about is that I cannot find a clear restrictions statement. Is it truly public domain?
This is the golden link that leads to the recording. Just listen to the trumpet-y, accordion-y, violin-y, ukulele-y goodness!
Tonight I JUST found a live recording of a Beirut show played in Texas. It was just sitting there on archive.org in the live music section. I really thought it was going to be Arabic music when I saw the link. How could Beirut be on archive.org? BUT THEY ARE! So...WHAT can I do with this?? I MUST somehow find a way to implement this into my remix project. This recording did not just appear for no reason.
One thing I worry about is that I cannot find a clear restrictions statement. Is it truly public domain?
This is the golden link that leads to the recording. Just listen to the trumpet-y, accordion-y, violin-y, ukulele-y goodness!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
idea for remix project
My latest idea is to combine this 1950s suburb-promoting film with a voice over (done by my father?) of Beowulf (maybe just the battle with Grendel part). I think the contrast between the idealistic image of the suburbs that's put forth in the film would be extremely interesting juxtaposed with an old English monster-hero story like Beowulf.
I'm not totally satisfied with this, but at least I have something.
I'm not totally satisfied with this, but at least I have something.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
remix idea
As I sit here in class looking and listening to the remix examples, I realize that I could easily make a presentation that somehow highlights my current ethnographic work on puppetry.
Blog post 2--ideas for remix project
I've got to say that this remix project has me a little intimidated--I often balk at being graded on producing something creative. One of the reasons I quit art within educational environments was that I never felt like I was really creating something from within myself--a part of myself. My art was always dictated by the necessity of a class project and a grade. And when I had the time to paint at home? I felt empty and false.
At the same time, I feel energized by the opportunity to create within new mediums, to explore the digital world and find material that on its own may look one way, but which, once I've juxtaposed and combined and cross-sectioned it with multiple other materials--takes on a new life.
I can see myself using a combination of my own poetry, possibly some sound bites of either my father telling a story or a joke or my husband singing or playing guitar, or my mother yodeling and playing accordion--maybe all of it. I definitely want sound. Lots of sound.
I am also fascinated by old photographs--black and white stills, portraits, old photos of peoples' relatives, snapshots. It's pretty obvious I like black and white photos if you look at my class site. But I'm bot a photographer. (Is that sad? I'm not a musician, but I love music. I'm not a photographer, but I love old photos. I've found that being an English major sucks all the time for learning to do those other things.)
I work for a news company called UPI (big in the 40s, 50s, and 60s). We've got a really incredible photo archive and I know that a lot of the older photos are public domain now. We just have copies. I'd like to explore these public domain photos as another media option.
I am also really interested in puppetry--I wrote a 78 page ethnography on the culture of puppetry for a class last semester and am now trying to re-envision and re-write it for publication. During my research I came across a website full of old Kukla, Fran, and Ollie videos, which I believe are all public domain now (i'd have to go back and check). If they are, I'd like to somehow implement those into my project.
How will this all come together? I honestly have no idea right now. A social commentary? A representation of human diversity?
I might try to tell a story--like a fictional creative writing story, using all these different mediums. Maybe I'll develop the story based on the material I collect--let the story form around them. Why? Does there really have to be a reason for creativity? That seems reminiscent of my high school IB art class in which we always had to have a rationale behind what we produced, a research journal and a thesis. Useful but also confining. What were the reasons and rationales behind the works displayed on the electronic literature collection?
In terms of tools, I am not well-versed in flash, php, etc., but I am willing to learn or seek out help. I'd love to implement flash into my piece--to make it dynamic. I see it being a web-based work--what else would it be? (I am unclear as to the parameters of this project) Could it be on paper?? I didn't think that was an option. No, I see this being either a video (short film) or a n interactive web-program. The latter will really depend on the implementation requirements. If it is not feasible, I may opt for either a non-interactive web film/flash presentation or a video.
I will update as soon as I figure out more of the specifics.
At the same time, I feel energized by the opportunity to create within new mediums, to explore the digital world and find material that on its own may look one way, but which, once I've juxtaposed and combined and cross-sectioned it with multiple other materials--takes on a new life.
I can see myself using a combination of my own poetry, possibly some sound bites of either my father telling a story or a joke or my husband singing or playing guitar, or my mother yodeling and playing accordion--maybe all of it. I definitely want sound. Lots of sound.
I am also fascinated by old photographs--black and white stills, portraits, old photos of peoples' relatives, snapshots. It's pretty obvious I like black and white photos if you look at my class site. But I'm bot a photographer. (Is that sad? I'm not a musician, but I love music. I'm not a photographer, but I love old photos. I've found that being an English major sucks all the time for learning to do those other things.)
I work for a news company called UPI (big in the 40s, 50s, and 60s). We've got a really incredible photo archive and I know that a lot of the older photos are public domain now. We just have copies. I'd like to explore these public domain photos as another media option.
I am also really interested in puppetry--I wrote a 78 page ethnography on the culture of puppetry for a class last semester and am now trying to re-envision and re-write it for publication. During my research I came across a website full of old Kukla, Fran, and Ollie videos, which I believe are all public domain now (i'd have to go back and check). If they are, I'd like to somehow implement those into my project.
How will this all come together? I honestly have no idea right now. A social commentary? A representation of human diversity?
I might try to tell a story--like a fictional creative writing story, using all these different mediums. Maybe I'll develop the story based on the material I collect--let the story form around them. Why? Does there really have to be a reason for creativity? That seems reminiscent of my high school IB art class in which we always had to have a rationale behind what we produced, a research journal and a thesis. Useful but also confining. What were the reasons and rationales behind the works displayed on the electronic literature collection?
In terms of tools, I am not well-versed in flash, php, etc., but I am willing to learn or seek out help. I'd love to implement flash into my piece--to make it dynamic. I see it being a web-based work--what else would it be? (I am unclear as to the parameters of this project) Could it be on paper?? I didn't think that was an option. No, I see this being either a video (short film) or a n interactive web-program. The latter will really depend on the implementation requirements. If it is not feasible, I may opt for either a non-interactive web film/flash presentation or a video.
I will update as soon as I figure out more of the specifics.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A reflection on the Electronic Literature Collection (Vol. 1)
There are of course too many files, too many entries housed within, or at least lending their presence to, the electronic literature collection (http://collection.eliterature.org/1/) for me to have been able to peruse them all. To be honest, even if I were to have had the time, I'm not sure that I would have enjoyed the experience. To be sure, there were several entries that caught my interest for one reason or another. I will discuss one or two of those more intriguing/enjoyable digital literature creations later.
The fact is that within the scope of digital literature, which is such an enormously malleable and experimental genre, it is easy to find pieces or creations that rub one the wrong way. I absolutely hated a few of the sites I initially explored. Among these, "Deviant: The Possession of Christian Shaw" was a piece that lost my interest and my desire to understand its ultimate nature almost immediately. I found (surprising myself in fact) that without some sort of words to guide me, whether one small phrase or entire paragraphs, I was not anchored by anything in the "text" and felt no motivation to continue randomly clicking or rolling over objects within the "interactive" image interface. In short, I could not see the point of the program, regardless of whether there was some revolutionary or avant-garde significance that I was overlooking. A question began to float to the surface of my mind the same way the answer in a magic eight ball slowly floats through the blueish liquid to finally press up against the ball's plastic window. How can a work be literature if I doesn't contain words? Does "literature" not pertain to that which is written? I can understand that a piece using words in a new and innovative way might incorporate a wide range of imagery or visually creative material, but at least in the case of "Deviant," I was left wondering why it was included in the collection. I thought the images themselves--the digital design--and the little movements they acted out were charming in a way, cute perhaps. But I was waiting for a final point, or some sort of meaning--some closure--as well as some words, and I never got them.
Then again, now that I think about it, perhaps that was the point of the piece. Maybe the lack of closure (normalcy in a way) and the pointlessness of the click/roll-over actions were a reflection of the main word in the piece's title: "Deviant."
On another note, the piece "Tao" by Alan Sondheim and Reiner Strasser was one that, although extremely minimalistic in a sense, struck me as something beautiful. In essence, this piece reflected its name well, existing as a combination of dualities. The alliterative nature of the poetic lines, as well as the repetition of words like "earth," "blown," and "stars" help to reinforce an interchangeable ongoing flow of the piece as the words move in a linear fashion across the screen, ending in the "invisible," the intangible. This flow is also enhanced by the movement of the car itself in the movie frame along with the movement of the--are they flags? plastic bags? a napkin like in the movie American Beauty?--object blowing in the wind. The movie frames can be changed so that destination becomes irrelevant in a way, yet meaningful in every different combination that is created. The movement itself becomes significant, yet not overwhelming. (Or is it overwhelming? The user has no real control over what ultimately happens in the flow. One must submit to the "overwhelming" predestined movement of the piece--the digital micro-universe for the moment.) Finally, the shakuhachi music--subtle, yet seemingly synchronized with the erratic movement of the windswept object and the pavement passing beneath the the car--helps one to connect to the piece, while also helping the piece--the images, the words, to connect to each other.
I was particularly interested that the authors chose to use shakuhachi music, something I am familiar with only because my uncle made a shakuhachi of his own and I have enjoyed listening to his flute-like dabbling in the past.
....
Fin.
The fact is that within the scope of digital literature, which is such an enormously malleable and experimental genre, it is easy to find pieces or creations that rub one the wrong way. I absolutely hated a few of the sites I initially explored. Among these, "Deviant: The Possession of Christian Shaw" was a piece that lost my interest and my desire to understand its ultimate nature almost immediately. I found (surprising myself in fact) that without some sort of words to guide me, whether one small phrase or entire paragraphs, I was not anchored by anything in the "text" and felt no motivation to continue randomly clicking or rolling over objects within the "interactive" image interface. In short, I could not see the point of the program, regardless of whether there was some revolutionary or avant-garde significance that I was overlooking. A question began to float to the surface of my mind the same way the answer in a magic eight ball slowly floats through the blueish liquid to finally press up against the ball's plastic window. How can a work be literature if I doesn't contain words? Does "literature" not pertain to that which is written? I can understand that a piece using words in a new and innovative way might incorporate a wide range of imagery or visually creative material, but at least in the case of "Deviant," I was left wondering why it was included in the collection. I thought the images themselves--the digital design--and the little movements they acted out were charming in a way, cute perhaps. But I was waiting for a final point, or some sort of meaning--some closure--as well as some words, and I never got them.
Then again, now that I think about it, perhaps that was the point of the piece. Maybe the lack of closure (normalcy in a way) and the pointlessness of the click/roll-over actions were a reflection of the main word in the piece's title: "Deviant."
On another note, the piece "Tao" by Alan Sondheim and Reiner Strasser was one that, although extremely minimalistic in a sense, struck me as something beautiful. In essence, this piece reflected its name well, existing as a combination of dualities. The alliterative nature of the poetic lines, as well as the repetition of words like "earth," "blown," and "stars" help to reinforce an interchangeable ongoing flow of the piece as the words move in a linear fashion across the screen, ending in the "invisible," the intangible. This flow is also enhanced by the movement of the car itself in the movie frame along with the movement of the--are they flags? plastic bags? a napkin like in the movie American Beauty?--object blowing in the wind. The movie frames can be changed so that destination becomes irrelevant in a way, yet meaningful in every different combination that is created. The movement itself becomes significant, yet not overwhelming. (Or is it overwhelming? The user has no real control over what ultimately happens in the flow. One must submit to the "overwhelming" predestined movement of the piece--the digital micro-universe for the moment.) Finally, the shakuhachi music--subtle, yet seemingly synchronized with the erratic movement of the windswept object and the pavement passing beneath the the car--helps one to connect to the piece, while also helping the piece--the images, the words, to connect to each other.
I was particularly interested that the authors chose to use shakuhachi music, something I am familiar with only because my uncle made a shakuhachi of his own and I have enjoyed listening to his flute-like dabbling in the past.
....
Fin.
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