Dynamic- I had no idea what we would be doing to for this TP but was intrigued by the idea of digital poetry and “mixing” up the mediums/interfaces of analog and poetry. The concept of appropriation and making something different out of something already in existence was cool. The blackout poetry and the photomosh Benny had us complete were a really interesting way to bring the invisible and the visible together.
I was very confused by the photomosh, but once it worked, it was great! I took a page from Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony” about the machine and imposed it over an image of “the apparatus.” I translated it into Esperanto since Kafka is so widely known and translated into so many languages. A universal language like Esperanto seemed fitting. I also used an intricate, ornate font to simulate the Commandant’s handwriting used to inscribe the sentence onto the prisoners. The effect used for the mosh was “slice” to reproduce how the needles of the inscriber would work on the commended. A very visual way to experience the invisibility of digital space!
I want to try blackout poetry in a different way. Instead of making a poem from literature, I want to use this with my composition students when we discuss how to write an abstract or my public speaking students when we discuss how to create a keyword outline. Hopefully, using some of Kenneth Goldsmith’s ideas on “uncreative writing” will help cement the concept for my students and make this interface more visual! I wish we had done this TP sooner because my undergraduates could really use it!
