Coaxing the Ripples: thoughts on distant writing of interactive works
Proposal Type
Individual Talk
Location
Hypertexts & Fictions
Start Date
July 2026
End Date
July 2026
Abstract
Ripples is an experiment in what Floridi and Bajohr have characterized as distant writing using generative AI models. Distant writing occurs at n degrees of remove: the human author writes the prompt which in turn generates the text. We explore distant writing for interactive works: the human author writes the prompt which in turn generates the artifact, which may consist of a multimodal combination of media or an interactive interface. In creating Ripples, the prompting is heterogeneous (consisting of text and code) and multilayered - sometimes known as metaprompting. A master prompt was used to produce prompts that were refined through further prompts to generate a set of three final artifacts. All of the artifacts explore the notion of a ripple - a pattern of impacts that spreads from one narrative entity in a closed system to other entities in that system.
The Ripples experiment begins with a “worldtext,” a master system prompt that produces a mutli-paned interface on analogy with a DJ’s deck. The user of this deck is figured as a performer who can control the relationships among the various entities (human, nonhuman or posthuman). Each of the three of us then further prompted this deck in particular aesthetic directions.
The process resulted in three very different artistic expressions that diverge from the same starting point. The multiplicity and heterogeneity of these artifacts illustrates the abundance that distant writing makes possible. This talk reflects on our shared experiences in coaxing out the ripples by unpacking the genealogy of a distant writing process through the collective learning that has unfolded over a period of several months. We reflect on the difficulty of getting closer to our aesthetic intent through distant writing; the evocative moments that inspire us to keep pursuing the approach; the disillusionment of unimaginative machine language; and so forth.
Coaxing the Ripples: thoughts on distant writing of interactive works
Hypertexts & Fictions
Ripples is an experiment in what Floridi and Bajohr have characterized as distant writing using generative AI models. Distant writing occurs at n degrees of remove: the human author writes the prompt which in turn generates the text. We explore distant writing for interactive works: the human author writes the prompt which in turn generates the artifact, which may consist of a multimodal combination of media or an interactive interface. In creating Ripples, the prompting is heterogeneous (consisting of text and code) and multilayered - sometimes known as metaprompting. A master prompt was used to produce prompts that were refined through further prompts to generate a set of three final artifacts. All of the artifacts explore the notion of a ripple - a pattern of impacts that spreads from one narrative entity in a closed system to other entities in that system.
The Ripples experiment begins with a “worldtext,” a master system prompt that produces a mutli-paned interface on analogy with a DJ’s deck. The user of this deck is figured as a performer who can control the relationships among the various entities (human, nonhuman or posthuman). Each of the three of us then further prompted this deck in particular aesthetic directions.
The process resulted in three very different artistic expressions that diverge from the same starting point. The multiplicity and heterogeneity of these artifacts illustrates the abundance that distant writing makes possible. This talk reflects on our shared experiences in coaxing out the ripples by unpacking the genealogy of a distant writing process through the collective learning that has unfolded over a period of several months. We reflect on the difficulty of getting closer to our aesthetic intent through distant writing; the evocative moments that inspire us to keep pursuing the approach; the disillusionment of unimaginative machine language; and so forth.
Bio
Terhi Marttila is an artist, researcher and lecturer. Terhi holds a PhD in digital media (2022, University of Porto) and was postdoctoral fellow at the Interactive Technologies Institute (2023-2025, eGames lab) and invited adjunct professor (IPCB). Marttila exhibits her digital artworks on leading online platforms for interactive digital art and writing, including raum.pt (invited artist), the New River, nokturno, taper as well as at leading national and international academic venues for digital art and writing including ISEA, ELO, ICIDS, DIS and Videojogos. Her work is included in the Electronic Literature Collection 4 (ELC4). Https://terhimarttila.com
Watson Hartsoe is a researcher and computational arts practitioner at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His work explores the intersection of generative AI, interactive media, and cultural systems theory, focusing on how computational systems simulate complex human and ecological expressions. He develops generative pipelines, interactive simulations, and toolchains that bridge technical AI development with experimental digital storytelling and artificial life.
Jay David Bolter is emeritus professor and former co-Director of the Augmented Environments Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has lectured extensively on contemporary media culture in the United States and Europe. His books include Remediation (1999), with Richard Grusin and The Digital Plenitude: The Decline of Elite Culture and the Rise of New Media (2019). His current research and creative focus is generative AI as a medium of expression.