open.ended
a spatial poetry installation
 

 
 

 
 

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introduction

Extending poetry beyond the printed page into interactive spaces calls for novel ways of designing the poetic experience. As authors access a broadening range of technologies, new methods of augmenting the reader experience become available. A work’s entry and exit points may change across viewings, the ordering and spatialization of words may update dynamically, and the work may transform itself in ways independent of the reader. open.ended is an interactive, three-dimensional poem which explores such techniques.

experience

open.ended is designed to reveal itself through continually shifting geometric surfaces. Verses appear on the faces of separate, translucent cubes nested within one another.

rendering of poem in a gallery setting
Rendering of open.ended in a gallery setting, where a joystick is used to control the
position of the nested cubes.

To experience the work, the reader manipulates a joystick to bring stanzas on different surfaces into view. As cubes, faces, and layers are manipulated by the reader, dynamically updating lines move in and out of focus. The fractal structure of the poem allows it to be read in any number of ways; from single verses on cube faces, to sequential verses across faces, to juxtapositions of verses across multiple cubes. Order is deliberately ambiguous, allowing for shared lines across geometric surfaces and encouraging multiple readings. Meaning is constructed actively through collaboration between reader, author and mediated work.

conclusion

Unlike works that employ digital and networked media simply as effective distribution mechanisms, open.ended attempts to leverage the specific affordances of the medium. Using real-time 3D rendering and dynamic text generation, open.ended invites the reader to reconsider the very experience of reading. Meaning is generated collaboratively as the reader works through the poem and lines of verse appear, vanish, and combine. New potential for juxtaposition, association, and layered meaning are enabled via real-time interaction which becomes a primary component in the poetic experience.

author biographies

Daniel Canazon Howe is a digital media artist and researcher at NYU's Media Research Lab. His interests include machine-learning approaches to art-making & social aspects of technology design. He has published on a variety of topics including Trust Online, Value-Sensitive Design, & Virtual Ethics. Current projects include RAPUNSEL, a massively multi-player gaming env. designed to foster code literacy in children; & Values-In-Design, a developing methodology for analyzing & integrating political & ethical values in technical systems. In addition to a background in creative writing & improvisational music, Daniel has masters' degrees in Computer Science (UW) & Interactive Media (ITP), as well as nearly ten years of industry experience as a software designer, educator & artist.

Daniel C. Howe
Media Research Lab
http://mrl.nyu.edu/~dhowe
daniel@mrl.nyu.edu

Aya Karpinska’s research and creative work focus on the intersection of physical and virtual spaces. Her diverse output includes computer music, fiction, poetry, web and graphic design, and game design. Her 3-D poetry has been featured in such venues as p0es1s, a digital poetry exhibition in Berlin, Germany, and the Fourth International Digital Art Exhibit and Colloquium in Havana, Cuba. She received her Master’s degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University, and currently works as an interaction designer in New York City.

Aya Karpinska
Digital Media Artist
http://technekai.com
aya@technekai.com

all content © canazon & technekai 2004