Tutorial Notes 01-11-12
About
Thoughts about my work after discussion with Femke Snelting.
City in a State of Collapse
City in a State of Collapse is "complete" - I need to remove some UI elements in order to 'kiosk-mode' the game but in general it's ready. It is quite a literal manifestation of my research, and takes the form more of a kind of joke or subversion of the game itself. As a presentation I think it should be interactive, so the viewer can engage with the game and watch as their constructions immediately collapse. At the same time, it's not so important to actually interact with the piece as the 'hack' is obvious enough to communicate its point without being used.
Yet Another Collaborative Editor (Y.A.C.E.)
Currently rebuilding as my initial version was a quick demo build with more bugs than a decaying log in a copse. It is important to keep the interface very minimal so the system is simple to learn yet intrudes into the flow of productivity of the tool. I don't want to just leave the piece online, but it should be used in 'situations'. Thomson and Craighead suggested inviting a political party to write a press release with the software - I definitely like this idea that it might be used to write a manifesto or a document where all the authors have something at stake. Another question is how to archive the text - or to not archive at all, which in itself contributes to the linearity of the system. Femke suggested that one of the big differences between this system and other Collaborative Editors is that there's no history, once a decision is made there is reversion.
A New Economics of Community and the Land (The Nation, 1856)
I will turn this into a radio documentary with multiple characters:
- Historian
- Interviewer
- Descendant of Thomas Brennan
- Descendant of Woman who Lived in the Community
Actors will be presented with my "Notes on A New Economics of Community and the Land" text and a brief character description, from which they will improvise their dialogue in a naturalistic tone.