Integrated Media: Reading 08

Shields, David. Reality Hunger: A Manifesto. New York: Vintage, 2011. Print.

This extract from David Shields is a strange piece of writing which delves into the characteristics and some pros of interactive documentary.

He touches on a number of different angles in her disconnected article but stays on topic and effectively summarises a number of points that are useful to interactive documentary makers, such as us.

The most interesting points:

‘The absence of plot leaves the reader room to think about other things’: without a traditional 3-act narrative structure, a k-film (for example) has the capacity to provoke a much wider band of thought than plot-driven narratives that tend to restrict the train of thought that can follow its’ reading/viewing/consumption.

‘A great painting comes together, just barely’: this abstract comparison between a great painting and poetic documentary is a fascinating way to reflect upon how the ‘disconnectedness’ of an interactive documentary can actually work to its favour.

‘Collage is pieces of other things. Their edges don’t meet’: this point is also fascinating, making the claim that a finished collage need not have all matching pieces that all contribute to the overall piece in the same way… It is meant to seem odd and mismatched.

Integrated Media: Reading 04 RYAN

Ryan, Marie-Laure. Avatars of Story. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.


This article by Marie-Laure Ryan is based upon the definition of what makes up a narrative – which Ryan briefly discuses and then summarises in list form. It is accepted by Adrian that lists are a very useful method to ‘approach making, and reading, Korsakow films’.

Ryan summarises that narrative is the textual realisation of story and story is narrative in virtual form. This interesting perspective allows us to think more effectively about the relationship between the two and how narrative is different from other text types because of its ability to ‘evoke stories to the mind’.

After finalising her arguments, Ryan raises the point that we ‘can never be sure’ that the text is read in the exact way that the writer intended.

10: Lè Tour of Latour

In his article, Bruno Latour sets out to determine exactly what a network is. He explains that the term ‘network’ is misunderstood, that the network does not describe an infrastructural setup like a telephone network or subway.

He defines the characteristics of a network as distant, having compulsory paths and having strategically positioned nodes – quite different from the  previously outlined understanding of the network through the metaphor of a telephone network.

Whilst the Actor-Network Theory does not subscribe to ‘vague all encompassing sociological terms’, it is aimed at describing the very nature of societies.

Latour goes on to describe the network as a live entity. That the nodes of the networks have an infinite number of dimensions and connections – that they are versatile and are not restricted to interacting in a certain way.

After about the 3rd page, my brain started to hurt and I felt like I was trying to comprehend the 4th dimension… Cheers Latour

08 Reading: Potts//Murphie

Culture and Technology, where do we begin?

The main points I took from the Potts, Murphie reading were:
– Technologies play a prominent role in defining a society and determining where that society goes in the future.
– For technology to remain relevant, it must adapt to changing social conditions.
–  Technology does not simply refer to the evolution of gadgetry that is always present in society, but more so to the technological age, in which everything around us (the entire developed world) is a form of technology and we are forever entwined with this technology.
–  Our technology is our culture and our culture is our technology; as the world moves in this never-ending technological vortex, it is likely that technology will now forever be a part of who we are, and we will seek to create technologies that we are as much a part of.

03 Readings: The speculative past, present and future…WOT

Vannevar Bush’s ‘As We May Think’ is a truly interesting article which explores the development of science as we know it. He weighs up the advantages of ‘man’s science’ – increased control of our material environment and improved clothing/food/shelter. Bush then continues on to reflects upon the inhibiting effect that scientists and their differing specialisations can have on one another – arguing that there are simply too many developments than can be grasped and remembered. In order to combat this hinderance, Bush argues that scientists should focus on making their combined knowledge more accessible to one another – rather than overloading the already crowded database that is scientific research. This got me thinking – and not for the first time about a possible solution to this problem. Imagine if there was some kind of worldwide knowledge super-computer which one could plug oneself into and learn everything and anything they desired at the flick of a switch; almost like how Buzz suddenly speaks fluent Spanish and becomes a dancing casanova when he enters ‘Spanish mode‘ – that’d be the day. This article is an absolute gem of a take on the future, proposing a number of ideas which don’t seem ridiculous or even out of the question – but rather suggest that we don’t know where things will end up, or how the world will be different in a couple of decades.

Theodor Holm Nelson. WOW. That’s one introduction to a book I never, ever, ever saw coming. I actually think it would be impossible to propose a more confusing read-through of a piece of writing, or several – chapters zero through three. Anyway, onwards I read, only to find myself tripping on the idea of Xanadu storage networks. What just happened? What did I just read? The only conclusion I was able to draw from this reading was the idea of developing networks that are capable of storing and accessing an unlimited bank of data. Which is vaguely related to my super computer featuring a ‘plug n’ learn’ feature for the human brain…somehow.

Relating these two readings to the symposium, I feel as though it is important to be able to speculate – and whilst there is no limit to how far we think ahead, Elliot’s point about being ‘grounded’ was something that I took away from the symposium and had an impact on me.

Needless to say – these readings were very…speculative. Confusing the bejesus out of me whilst also provoking a lot of thought, just as the unlectures before them did. Twinkle, twinkle, how I wonder what the future holds.

02 Readings: Design Fiction and ‘the realm of the real’

It has come to my attention that I may/may not have accidentally skipped forward a week in the readings and left the ever important ‘Design Fiction’ content in my dust. (Props to Tom Lewis for the guide on posting a GIF into your blog.)

Carrying on. This week’s real reading – an article from Matthew Ward; a designer and educator, who explores the importance of DF (Design Fiction, not dairy-free) in a creative line of work.

Ward makes the point that those who work in consultancy must constantly fight the ‘dark matter’ to have their work made. What is dark matter? In this context, I’d like to believe that dark matter is ‘the box’ in which one’s ideas become unoriginal and somewhat dull. He argues that thinking laterally and ‘pushing the boundaries’ of one’s discipline allow them to design creatively, to remain original and most importantly, to have one’s work made.

I was particularly drawn to point number six (being open to experimentation) on Ward’s manifesto, perhaps because it is what I feel lacking from my own creative process. I think that I get set on one really specific idea and refuse to let myself change it for the better/worse – which might act as a creative block and refuse me the opportunity to really develop any of my work and learn from mistakes.

The importance of consuming literature to learn what makes a strong, interesting, complex yet subtle narrative is not overlooked and Ward suggests in his 12th point that immersing oneself in writing will not do any harm.

Ultimately, this reading provided me with a deeper insight into writing fiction and how the creative process can be aided by means of ‘pushing the boundaries’, experimenting and reading, a lot.

The certainly not big boat that is Networked Media

All rights to image belong to http://downloads.xdesktopwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Lonely%20Boat%20In%20Sea.jpg

Firstly, I like this subject. From the moment I walked into the first ‘unlecture’, heard about how we were being assessed and begun work on my own blog, I was absolutely chuffed with COMM 2219: Networked Media.

I think it is the approach to ‘work’ in this course that most excites me. Rather than writing essays (something I’m sure every student is happy about), we are asked to write about obscure readings and interpret them however we see fit.

This first reading was confusing, to say the least. It seemed to be more of a poem than an actual description of the course we were undertaking – but slowly began to make more sense by my 5th read-through.

I feel as though being on the ‘boat’ that is Networked Media provides us with an opportunity – to begin to develop the skill of blogging that will most likely be an important part of our work in the future. The boat requires a number of things from it’s occupants – they mustn’t be lazy, they must be proactive and willing to work, especially if they plan on making it anywhere worthwhile.

In my opinion, the boat and the ocean in which it floats, along with the eddies, currents and waves are a very successful metaphor for ‘the network’ and describe the way in which the it is free to move about the vast ocean of ideas that surround it.

Needless to say, this reading was weird – but hey! Weird mightn’t be so bad after all.