“Going through the Signs” by Jody Zellen and Deena Larsen

Screen capture of “Going through the Signs” by Jody Zellen and Deena Larsen. A first person POV of a bridge entrance, with a second window showing another bridge, this one curved to the right. Text: "(First bridge) / Step through / (Second bridge) / play it safe / without signs / do you follow flows?"
Open “Going through the Signs” by Jody Zellen and Deena Larsen

This collaborative hypertext poem uses a “page space” designed by Zellen to create a sequence of pop-up windows that last 20 seconds before closing along with links that lead to new pop-up windows, simultaneously closing the previous one, and leading to a final page with three thin vertical frames. This produces a powerful sense of progression in which the reader must press on or have to start over while not providing any way to get back to an earlier page. Larsen uses this structure to build a trail of consciousness which includes the thoughts of a character seeking a path and sense of purpose in a world that seems to have the former, but not the latter.

Read more about this work at ELMCIP.