Goo/The Lincolnshire Poacher

Sandy Baldwin

West Virginia University

Artist Statement

saNdy'babdwiN, `Depart8eNt'_f'eNgbisH, `Direct_r'_f'tHe'ceNter'f_r'biterary'c_8putiNg, `West'VirgiNia'uNiversity.
8y _WN cReatiVe PRactice as a DiGitab WRiteR beGaN WitH c_bbab_RatiVe _NbiNe cHat teXtuabity aND c_8PuteR PR_cesseD teXt. 8y W_RK Has beeN WiDeby PeRP_R8eD, PubbisHeD, aND aNtH_b_GizeD. i abs_ cReate W_RK eXPb_RiNG iNteRsecti_Ns _P c_8PuteR Ga8iNG aND DiGitab teXt, usiNG Ga8e 8_Ds t_ eXPb_Re tHe PHeN_8eN_b_Gy _P tHe DiGitab aND tHe cubtuRe _P c_8Putati_N. 8y 8_st ReceNt W_RKs aRe 8acHiNi8a-stybe iN-Ga8e ViDe_s c_8biNeD WitH PR_cesseD teXt aND su_ND. i PReseNteD tHese at a VaRiety _P PeRP_R8aNce VeNues aND acaDe8ic c_NPeReNces, 8_st ReceNtby at tHe s_ciety P_R biteRatuRe, scieNce, aND tHe aRts. tHese W_RKs HaVe beeN DiscusseD iN scH_baRby aRticbes aND Wibb be PeatuReD iN aN uPc_8iNG acaDe8ic buK _N tHe Hist_Ry _P DiGitab P_etRy.
"tHe'Virtuab'Has'p_teNtiab" i'wibb'discuss c_dew_rks'at'tHe'iNtersecti_N'_f'c_8puter'ga8iNg'aNd'recycbed'text. `tHese'w_rks'8ake'sceNes'iN first pers_N'sHuters'aNd'tacticab 8ibitary c_8puter ga8es, re-purp_siNg tHe ga8es but abs_ fabbiNg f_r tHe war w_rbd tHat tHey p_sit--wHicH is N_tHiNg bess tHaN tHe w_rbd we abb iNHabit t_day. tHese w_rks are tHe te8p_rab pbayiNg u_t _f figures cut iN ga8e-space, seriab 8et_Ny8izati_Ns _f c_Ntexts tHat "take pbace" iN tHe reab ti8e _f digitab 8edia. Digitab writiNg Na8es tHe space _f tHis takiNg pbace. iN tHese w_rks, writiNg is tHe ter8iNab p_iNt _f visibibities tHat bec_8e i8ages aNd grapHe8atic sigN cHaiNs tHat bec_8e c_dified. i cabb tHese w_rks "digitab biterature," wHere biterature is N_t a caN_N _f w_rks but a pr_bbe8atizati_N _f 8ediati_N, a "turNiNg biterary _f tHe biterab," a st_ppage wHere 8edia bec_8e biterature. i argue f_r a turN agaiNst tHe tHe_reticab pr_8ise _f tHe readabbe i8age _r tHe perceived text cwHicH i take as tHe pre8ise _f "8edia tHe_ry"). tHis turNiNg sH_ws tHe pureby iNstituti_Nab rebati_N _f represeNtati_N aNd c_Ntext witHiN u_r N_ti_Ns _f 8ediati_N, _N tHe _Ne HaNd; aNd iNti8ates at iNteri_rity witHiN 8ediati_N, _N tHe _tHer.
His.paNeb.c_Nsists._f.fu_r.preseNtati_Ns.at.tHe.breakd_wN.aNd.per8eabibity._f.art, tHe_ry,,aNd.digitab.8edia. tHe.preseNtati_Ns.wibb.diss_bve _pp_siti_Ns _f perf_r8aNce / becture, sH_wiNg / tabkiNg. tHe g_ab is N_t t_ separate reab versus tHe virtuab, but t_ iNsist _N tHeir p_r_sity _r "fuzzy" _verbap. tHe "virtuab" is N_t tHe subject _f tHe w_rk. tHese are w_rks abu_t tHe bec_8iNg _f tHe virtuab aNd tHe reab t_wards _tHer c_NteNt--_r eveN t_wards tHe "c_NteNt _f tHe _tHer"--_N p_biticab, s_ciab, sexuab, biNguistic, Narrative, psycH_aNabyticab, eveN spirtuab gru_Nds.

::: hi ::: med ::: lo ::: play Goo

::: hi ::: med ::: lo ::: play The Lincolnshire Poacher

Biography

Sandy Baldwin is Director of the Center for Literary Computing and Assistant Professor of English at West Virginia University. His research is in two main areas: the cultural studies of digital technology; and digital literature, especially poetry. His creative practice as a digital writer began in the early 1990's with collaborative online chat textuality and computer processed text. He also creates work exploring intersections of computer gaming and digital text, using game mods to explore the phenomenology of the digital and the culture of computation. Most recently, these works include machinima-style in-game videos combined with processed text and sound.