Submission Type
Conference Proceedings Paper
Abstract
Narrative media may vary the adjacency of fixed textual passages to drive rhizomatic readings through a montage procedure. We present the design of “exul mater”, a hypertext fiction which locates perlocutionary acts in virtual spaces and resonant gaps. We reflect on sculptural fiction, the (de)formance of complex systems, and tarot reading as methods of layering metaphorical blends into polysemous juxtapositional elements. "exul mater" consists of one set of such elements and their pairwise juxtapositions, as presented through an interface which supports higher-order ‘gap-filling’ reading(s). We draw on peer feedback to address challenges to readability arising from the narrative application of procedural montage.
Procedural Montage: A Design Trace of Reflection and Refraction
Narrative media may vary the adjacency of fixed textual passages to drive rhizomatic readings through a montage procedure. We present the design of “exul mater”, a hypertext fiction which locates perlocutionary acts in virtual spaces and resonant gaps. We reflect on sculptural fiction, the (de)formance of complex systems, and tarot reading as methods of layering metaphorical blends into polysemous juxtapositional elements. "exul mater" consists of one set of such elements and their pairwise juxtapositions, as presented through an interface which supports higher-order ‘gap-filling’ reading(s). We draw on peer feedback to address challenges to readability arising from the narrative application of procedural montage.
Bio
Jasmine Otto is a data ecologist interested in reifications of complex systems, especially through constellated scientific practice. She is exploring the role of computational creativity in existing scientific sociotechnical ecologies, including explorable explanations and casual creators. Her creative writing is influenced by the lightness of enacted proof, inherent to uncivilizing myths. She is a Computational Media PhD student in the Creative Coding Lab at UC Santa Cruz, and holds an MS in Applied Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Angus Forbes is an Associate Professor of Computational Media at UC Santa Cruz, where he directs the Creative Coding Lab. More information about the lab can be found at https://creativecoding.soe.ucsc.edu/.