Does Artwork Come With Instruction Manuals?

By Ady Tang

Artwork is an expression of creativity that can be interpreted in many ways by different audiences. However, the artist always envisions a particular way that the artwork should be comprehended. As a result, it can be said that the author gives us “instructions” on how to interact with the artwork, especially when dealing with electronic literature, or “e-lit”.

Project for Tachistoscope [Bottomless Pit]

 

By Ady Tang

In William Poundstone’s “Project for Tachistoscope [Bottomless Pit]”, it begins with a “Start” command in the center of the page encircled by user-friendly menu accompanied with seven attractive icons which divide the piece into seven separate pages. The separate icons allow the reader to read at his or her own pace. In the background, a blue circle throbs repeatedly and increases and decreases in size as it reappears in every page throughout the piece. Within the seven pages, they describe examples of subliminal messages used in the advertising industry as well as the technicalities of how they are used to sell a product through “conscious and unconscious control”.

Inanimate Alice, Episode 1: China

By Ady Tang

In Kate Pullinger and babel’s “Inanimate Alice, Episode 1: China”, the authors describe the young life of eight-year-old Alice living in Northern China with her parents as her father works for an oil company: “My father has a lot of equipment, and he uses it to look for oil”. However, after two days of her father’s anticipated return home from the oil field and her father still nowhere in sight, Alice and her mother start to get worried and head out in their Jeep to look for him.

Review: The Dreamlife of Letters

By Ady Tang

In Brian Kim Stefans’ “The Dreamlife of Letters”, he uses Flash as his medium to portray the relationship between words and letters and provides a creative animation to deliver his message. Stefans begins with a small introduction prologue and leaps into the alphabet, highlighting one letter at a time with its versatile presentations. The letters “A” through “Z” each has their own “minutes of fame” with some having more time in the spotlight than others. However, with repeated observation, it has been noticed that the letter “Q” and the letter “X” have been deprived of their minutes of fame.

Why Read?

By Ady Tang

Everyday of our lives has been filled with reading ever since one has started to learn the art of reading. Everywhere from bus stop advertisements to shopping flyers to street signs are composed of words and letters which force us to read for a single purpose: to convey an idea of significance worth noting in writing.