Online
Sculptural Hyperessay 2000-03
(Ars Electronica 2000 Honorable Mention)
Grasping at Bits is a continuation of both my work in critical theory
and online textual sculpture. Dealing with a reading of the problems of
intellectual property in light of art and corporate imperatives through
Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons", GAB deals with domain name
limitations, corporate imperatives of power, and artists' attempts to
question these issues.
The essay was written in a 'lexial/associative' style in which the text was composed not as a linear narrative, but as a series of topics and associations with multiple levels of relevance to one another. These associations were shown via the mindmap-based interface at the top of the screen, as well as through a system of topical color coding and multiple interfaces and embedded annotation. The result was an essay that was extremely 'deep' in content, as well as exhibiting sculptural elements in narrative form.
