Algorithmic Imagination
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The idea for this project emerged during the online workshop I did with Lewis Bush in the summer of 2020. While I had decided on the visual format quite quickly, I needed to create the text elements and that took a bit longer to resolve. The images are drawn from the ‘Into the Woods,’ project and I wanted to add text that started to explore the issue of machine creativity. The joy of working in this zine format, as Lewis suggested in the workshop, is that it gives you lots of flexibility to experiment. I went through a number of iterations to get to this point.
My initial attempts to add text felt a bit didactic, which was not the result I had intended. In the end I chose a non-narrative approach, with a series of what might be described as adapted ‘terse tellings’ or even antenarrative.
“Antenarrative” is defined as “the fragmented, non-linear, incoherent, collective, unplotted and pre-narrative speculation, a bet” (1), a very improper story can be transformative (4). (Boje, 2001 & 2011)
These fragments give some insight into process, outputs, topic and tools. For the first time I also used a generative programme to create text, two fragments of which are included in the zine. I have deliberately left them unidentified for the reader to discover for themselves.
I feel this piece is resolved in its current format but that it has the capacity to expand further. It may even be the first in a series. The mixed format of visuals and text has been very satisfying to work with and I am hoping to do more in future.
References and citations
https://davidboje.com/Warwick/Boje_listing_storytelling_definitions.htm
BOJE, D. M. 2001. Narrative methods for organizational & communication research, Sage.
BOJE, D. M. 2011. Storytelling and the future of organizations: An antenarrative handbook, Routledge.
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