Short form scholarship on born digital poetry and poetics.
Talan Memmott’s 2003 work Self Portrait(s) [as Other(s)] situates itself within an art historical context by presumably introducing the reader to self-portraits of artists from between 1756 to 1954, allowing the reader to simply click through what might conventionally pass for a mundane educational presentation.
Self Portrait(s) [as Other(s)] de Talan Memmott del año 2003 se sitúa dentro de un contexto histórico de arte presumiblemente introduciendo al lector en autorretratos de artistas entre 1756 y 1954, permitiendo al lector simplemente hacer clic en lo que podría ser convencionalmente pasar por una presentación educativa mundana.
This generative poem re-purposes the code in “Tokyo Garage” and produces a remix of “Taroko Gorge” that is also an inversion of the natural world. As the poem unfolds like an endless stream of Toy Story outtakes (in which toys gain a life of their own when away from the children that own them), but with other older toys, many of which are no longer in circulation. Words like “toxic” remind us of some of the reasons these toys were recalled or discontinued. The poem also reminds us of how much waste is generated by the toy industry, as does the climactic scene in Toy Story 3 (image below).
This hypertext work of poetry, theory, and narrative is exquisitely programmed in HTML 3.2 using JavaScript from 12 years ago, which means that it is currently best read in Internet Explorer, which retains its responsive elements. This DHTML piece uses JavaScript to modify the Document Object Model (DOM), which means that the document is the same, but once you activate certain parts of it, its rendering becomes modified with the addition of static or kinetic elements.
“Disposable Language” by Talan Memmott, et. al.
This performance is based on Memmott’s video poem “NONCE.EXECUTOR” a poem that juxtaposes words with phrases and images that somehow define or describe them. The dancers are positioned between the screen and a disheveled blonde doll sitting on the front of the stage with a spotlight shining on it. The dancers’ movements are very doll-like, making stiff movements that emphasize their joints and how they bend and rotate on dolls. Are the dancers an explanation or description of the doll?
The title and the performance are reminiscent of Memmott’s Taroko Gorge remix, “Toy Garbage,” a poem that shares his darkly satirical vision.
“Disposable Language”
Choreography: Ashley Peters
Poetry: Talan Memmott (“NONCE.EXECUTOR”)
Dancers: Samantha Crosby, Danielle Delong, Julie Marazzo, Kristina Merrill, Shannon Moore,
Megan Rutkowski, Holli Simme, Julia Tomanovich, Emily Wilhelm
The Electronic Literature Collection, Vol. 2: A Retrospect
Having completed reading all the e-poetry in the ELC2, a little reflection is in order. Launched a little over a year ago, this collection has proven to contain some highly engaging work in a surprising number of platforms and authoring software. I was delighted to discover works in Second Life and Half Life both immersive social/gaming environments that provide the ability to create and give shape to spaces with writerly tools. Also surprising, yet disappointing was having to see movies documenting work in environments I didn’t have access to. I felt that the limited space of the anthology could’ve been better used by incorporating works we could really experience. Still, I understand the impulse to document the existence of works that may not be online or in a platform that cannot be published online, such as works designed for the CAVE.
The poetry in this collection was quite moving, with interfaces that went from minimalist to highly sophisticated. In comparison to the works in the Electronic Literature Collection, Vol. 1 the design seemed cleaner, more transparent, better integrated to the poems. Is this an indicator that e-poetry is becoming less “interesting” and more “good?” Is it still in an experimental phase, discovering what is the message of this medium, as pertains to language? Videogames feature prominently in this collection as well. Does that mean that e-literature is blending with one of the oldest modes of artistic expression in digital media?
Whatever the case may be, this and the previous collection are a record of a global phenomenon, with works in multiple languages from all over (but not from Korea?). There is still so much to discover and recover because not every writer of dancing signifiers has been represented in these collections.
It is time to read and write about some of those who didn’t get included. Perhaps they’ll find their way into a future Volume 3 of the Electronic Literature Collection.
Open “Lexia to Perplexia” by Talan Memmott
This celebrated work of e-literature is not only hard to label— poetry, fiction, theory, essay, English, code— it is also hard to read. This is not a criticism of the text: it is merely an observation on its ontological reality.
When Memmott wrote it in 2000, DHTML was a new thing, without established standards, and a key player in the browser wars. Aware of the difficulties in maintaining compatibility over time, he engaged its obsolescence thematically in the work. Nowadays, DHTML has come a long way towards becoming a new open standard, but the code in “Lexia to Perplexia” barely functions in modern browsers.
What can an interested reader do to experience more than the tip of the iceberg that is still functional in this text?