Divergent Streams

 In chapter seven, Rhettberg discusses the ways in which artists use locative technology to create new and interesting work. Rhettberg emphasizes how "the possibilities of locative narrative are broad and varied. We could investigate the murder mystery by retracing the steps of the killer at the scene of the crime" (Rhettberg 184). In locative style literature, the location and geography are tied to the narrative. This is especially true in projects like audio walks, where the user must pay attention to the story being told in their ear and also pay attention to their surroundings. As Rhettberg explains, this type of media is also very adaptable. The LA flood project combines locative media with collaborative media by having people submit disaster stories which were then assigned a location and made into a broader disaster narrative in the city of Los Angeles. 


Camille Utterback & Romy Achituv - Text Rain, 1999 - YouTube

This piece is an interactive instillation that combines kenetic poetry with interactive technology. The interactor stands in front of a projection. Behind them, words on the screen begin to fall. When they reach where the body is, they stop moving as if they were solid objects being held up by the interactor. The words are from a poem about the physical nature of conversation. However, the focus is more on the interactivity of the piece than the words themselves. This project was a really interesting example of how words and letters become more than just ways to communicate. They are represented as physical objects in the world to be interacted with. This blurs the lines between the "familiar and the magical."

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