www.dichtung-digital.de/2000/Simanowski/27-Feb


Index - Pref - Def - Coll Writing - Hyperfiction - Hypermedia: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 / Epilogue

 

"Das Epos der Maschine" (The Epic of the Machine) by Urs Schreiber (1998) is a work that consists only of words except one graphic and a sound file, which can be put aside for now. However, we are not wrong in discussing this piece in the hypermedia section since what we encounter is again a sort of visualisation without images. The words itself represent pictures by moving in a predetermined way. If, for example, we click on the word 'Maschine' it produces words which push the former words away like technology pushes nature away.

We soon realize that this piece does not only adresses technology as a doubtful god that controls us, but it also lets us feel it. We do not know how to deal with it, we feel as though we are under the thumb of technology already. And indeed, we are. Everything is programmed. Our reading process is not as free as it uses to be with books.

One remarkable effect is when the words, which are putting technology into question, shape into a question mark. The period of the question mark is the word 'truth' with a background like a barcode, what may lead us to the association one can buy truth.

The words are moving as if the question is alive. If we click on the word 'truth' the other words disappear behind or in it as if it has swallowed them.

However, once the question has arisen, one can not get rid of it anymore. The words sticks on the 'truth', they follow where ever it moves, they can be 'eaten' again, but not erased.

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