POEM BY NARI
visual poetry from the cyberstream
 

Komninos,
do you believe critical analysis is important at this time?
 
i do ted.

formalcriticalanalysis

o s * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ismerelyanotherformoftheartists/writersselfevaluationp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
rocess,somethingwealldoaswedevelop.thecomputerhasensur
s j u s t o u r s e l v e s , d o e s i t o f f e r o r g i
t h e n e w c y b e r a r t . ( b y t h i s i a m n o t s a
edthatliteraturehaswellandtruelyenteredthepostmodernph
s t u d e n t . u q . e d u . a u / ~ s 2 7 1 5 0 2 / j u k
d y i n t h e 2 0 ' s a n d 5 0 ' s a n d 7 0 ' s . i t i s
aseandwearestartingtoseethesamerestrictiveboundaries,a
f o r m a l c r i t i c a l a n a l y s i s i s m e r e l y
e r h a s e n s u r e d t h a t l i t e r a t u r e h a s w
searlypostmoderncriticismbegantoseetherestrictionsofmo
l i s n o t s o i m p o r t a n t a s t h e s i d e t r i p
e r e i s n o t s o m u c h a s e n s e o f j o u r n e y a
dernistliterature.poststructuralistschallengedtheconce
s a s e n s e o f c o n s t a n t v a r y i n g a n d d i f
a s e x p e r i m e n t a l a r t i s t s o u r w o r k w i
ptofauthorasauthority,makingeachreadingare-writingbyth
n p o s i t i o n s , t o g a i n a c c e p t a n c e f o r
t d a z z l e d b y t h e e a s e a n d n e w n e s s o f t
ereader.hypertextliteraturegivesthereadernavigationalc
a t r e a l i t y i s , i c a n c e r t a i n l y s e e c l
e m e n t i o n : . n e t c a t e g o r y : p r i x a r s e
ontrolthroughnon-lineartexts,allowsforalternateinterpr
a r l y p o s t m o d e r n c r i t i c i s m b e g a n t o
a l l e n g e d t h e c o n c e p t o f a u t h o r a s a u
etations.thenewkindsofartusingtextastheirbasethatweare
e d i u m , w h a t d e v i c e s c a n b e u s e d s o t h
f e r e n t e x p e r i e n c e s . t h e l u r e s a r e n
seeing,hearing,tryingtomakesenseofontheinternet,arethe
u t a l l h a v e t o b e s c r i p t e d . w e a r e s t a
d w r i t e r s a n d t e a c h e r s o f l i t e r a t u r
yliterature?isatamagotchi(computerpet)literature?isaso
a p o e t w h i l s t n o t c l a i m i n g t o k n o w w h
r i t i n g b y t h e r e a d e r . h y p e r t e x t l i t
ftwarepoetrygeneratorliterature?isthethreedimensionalm
l l b e t r i v i a l i s e d b y t h e e s t a b l i s h e
h e w o r k i t s e l f a n d a s k i s i t c o m m u n i c
ovinganimatedtextwearemakingliterature?isamixtureofthe
n g w e a l l d o a s w e d e v e l o p . t h e c o m p u t
r n p h a s e a n d w e a r e s t a r t i n g t o s e e t h
sethingsliterature.ifsowhatdevicesdoesitusetocreateemo
t h o r i t y , m a k i n g e a c h r e a d i n g a r e - w
e r a t u r e g i v e s t h e r e a d e r n a v i g a t i o
tion,tellstories,evokeimages?whatneedstobeavoidedinaut
y t h e r e a d e r / i n t e r a c t i v i s t ? w h a t r
r e w a s a d e p a r t u r e a n d a r r i v a l w i t h a
horingforthismedium,whatdevicescanbeusedsothatmaximume
n p o s t m o d e r n l i t e r a t u r e t h e a r r i v a
s a n d a l t e r n a t i v e p a t h w a y s b u t s t i l
njoymentisextractedbythereader/interactivist?whatrolew
i m p o r t a n t t h a t w e d o n ' t i d e n t i f y w i
y i n g w e h a v e n ' t b e e n i n f l u e n c e d b y t
illintelligentagents,separatefromwriterorreader,haveon
l o o k i n g a t w h a t w e a r e d o i n g , n o t j u s
i n g e n o u g h t o m a k e i t a p l e a s u r a b l e e
determinigthenarrative,ofinterpretingthethetext.litera
v e s a n d t h e w a y t h e y r e l a t e t o t h e p e o
l w a y s a t t h e f o r e f r o n t o f m a j o r u p h e
turehasbeenseenassomekindofjourneyinthepast.inmodernis
o l e w i l l i n t e l l i g e n t a g e n t s , s e p a r
l a f o r w a r d m o v i n g s o r t o f j o u r n e y . i
tliteraturetherewasadepartureandarrivalwithafairlyline
a n o t h e r f o r m o f t h e a r t i s t s / w r i t e r
x t a s t h e i r b a s e t h a t w e a r e s e e i n g , h
arjourneyinbetween,inpostmodernliteraturethearrivalisn
e i n t e r n e t , a r e t h e y l i t e r a t u r e ? i s
u n d f o r a w h i l e , w h e t h e r t h a t r e g i m e
otsoimportantasthesidetripsandalternativepathwaysbutst
d n o t r e p e a t w h a t h a s b e e n d o n e a l r e a
o t h e y l e a r n a n y t h i n g a b o u t t h e m s e l
illaforwardmovingsortofjourney.incomputer/internetlite
e a r l y a n d c a n h i g h l i g h t t h e i n t e r f a
s e e t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s o f m o d e r n i s t l
raturetheactionsortofsurroundsthereader/interactivista
a t i o n s . t h e n e w k i n d s o f a r t u s i n g t e
l s t o r i e s , e v o k e i m a g e s ? w h a t n e e d s
ndtheyreturntothesamespotonlytobeattractedbyanotherint
e e n s e e n a s s o m e k i n d o f j o u r n e y i n t h
e p a s t . i n m o d e r n i s t l i t e r a t u r e t h e
erestingactioninacompletelydifferentdirection.sotheeis
a v a l s o f a r t / s o c i e t y s t a n d a r d s b e c
p l e a r o u n d t h e m ? i m a y n o t k n o w t h e a b
notsomuchasenseofjourneyasasenseofconstantvaryinganddi
c e b e t w e e n c o n f l i c t i n g c o n s t r u c t e
a t a m a g o t c h i ( c o m p u t e r p e t ) l i t e r a
fferentexperiences.theluresarenotonlytextual,theyareau
a t m a x i m u m e n j o y m e n t i s e x t r a c t e d b
* * * * * * * * * * * * k o m n i n o s ' s c y b e r p o e
ral,visual,andkineticvisualinnature,butallhavetobescri
s s e l f e v a l u a t i o n p r o c e s s , s o m e t h i
p l e t e l y d i f f e r e n t d i r e c t i o n . s o t h
pted.wearestartingtoexplorethisnowinourwork.avantgarde
t h t h e s e m o v e m n e n t s t o v e r i f y o u r o w
e w r i g g l i n g , i w o n d e r i f a n y o n e h a s t
,experimentalartisalwaysattheforefrontofmajorupheavals
e a r i n g , t r y i n g t o m a k e s e n s e o f o n t h
h e s o f t w a r e b u t t o l o o k d e e p e r i n t o t
ofart/societystandardsbecausewearealwaysupagainsttheri
v e a n y t h i n g t o t h o s e w h o e n g a g e i t , d
e b e s t d o n e b u t i d o k n o w t h a t w h a t i k n
gidruleswhenoneregimehasbeenaroundforawhile,whethertha
. a v a n t g a r d e , e x p e r i m e n t a l a r t i s a
i s a n a r t f o r m o r a p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m .
tregimeisanartformorapoliticalsystem.asexperimentalart
h e i r l a s e r t o o t h p i c k r e a d y ? k o m n i n
e b o x . h t m l c y b e r p o e t r y s i t e : f i n a l
istsourworkwillbetrivialisedbytheestablishedwritersand
t u r e ? i s a s o f t w a r e p o e t r y g e n e r a t o
t h i n g s l i t e r a t u r e . i f s o w h a t d e v i c
teachersofliteratureandtheory.itisimportantthatweknoww
e s d o e s i t u s e t o c r e a t e e m o t i o n , t e l
a t e f r o m w r i t e r o r r e a d e r , h a v e o n d e
hathaspreviouslybeenachievedbyavantgardsartmovements,a
t e r m i n i g t h e n a r r a t i v e , o f i n t e r p r
n c o m p u t e r / i n t e r n e t l i t e r a t u r e t h
ndnotrepeatwhathasbeendonealreadyinthe20'sand50'sand70
i d r u l e s w h e n o n e r e g i m e h a s b e e n a r o
x p e r i e n c e f o r o u r a u d i e n c e a s w e l l a
's.itisimportantthatwedon'tidentifywiththesemovemnents
s o l u t e t r u t h , n o r k n o w h o w t h i n g s a r
u / ~ s 2 7 1 5 0 2 p o e t r y j u k e b o x h t t p : / /
toverifyourownpositions,togainacceptanceforthenewcyber
i t e r a t u r e . p o s t s t r u c t u r a l i s t s c h
n g l i t e r a t u r e ? i s a m i x t u r e o f t h e s e
art.(bythisiamnotsayingwehaven'tbeeninfluencedbythem).
a u s e w e a r e a l w a y s u p a g a i n s t t h e r i g
e a n d t h e o r y . i t i s i m p o r t a n t t h a t w e
ibelieveitistimewestartedlookingatwhatwearedoing,notju
v e d b y a v a n t g a r d s a r t m o v e m e n t s , a n
e o p e n e d m a n y c a n s a n d m a n y w o r m s a r t
stdazzledbytheeaseandnewnessofthesoftwarebuttolookdeep
t r y s i t e h t t p : / / s t u d e n t . u q . e d u . a
s i t e : a t o m a w a r d s : 1 9 9 7 . h o n o u r a b l
erintotheworkitselfandaskisitcommunicatinginabetterway
e l l a n d t r u e l y e n t e r e d t h e p o s t m o d e
t s , a l l o w s f o r a l t e r n a t e i n t e r p r e t
,isitstimulatingenoughtomakeitapleasurableexperiencefo
r l i t e r a t u r e ? i s t h e t h r e e d i m e n s i o
n a l m o v i n g a n i m a t e d t e x t w e a r e m a k i
rouraudienceaswellasjustourselves,doesitofferorgiveany
e t i n g t h e t h e t e x t . l i t e r a t u r e h a s b
r / i n t e r a c t i v i s t a n d t h e y r e t u r n t o
thingtothosewhoengageit,dotheylearnanythingaboutthemse
a n o t h e r i n t e r e s t i n g a c t i o n i n a c o m
o t o n l y t e x t u a l , t h e y a r e a u r a l , v i s
lvesandthewaytheyrelatetothepeoplearoundthem?imaynotkn
r t i n g t o e x p l o r e t h i s n o w i n o u r w o r k
h e m ) . i b e l i e v e i t i s t i m e w e s t a r t e d
owtheabsolutetruth,norknowhowthingsarebestdonebutidokn
o w c a n b e c o n s t a n t l y i m p r o v e d a n d a s
l e c t r o n i c a : a u s t r i a : 1 9 9 7 . * * * * * *
owthatwhatiknowcanbeconstantlyimprovedandasapoetwhilst
n a l c o n t r o l t h r o u g h n o n - l i n e a r t e x
t o b e a v o i d e d i n a u t h o r i n g f o r t h i s m
notclaimingtoknowwhatrealityis,icancertainlyseeclearly
f a i r l y l i n e a r j o u r n e y i n b e t w e e n , i
e a c t i o n s o r t o f s u r r o u n d s t h e r e a d e
andcanhighlighttheinterfacebetweenconflictingconstruct
d r e a l i t i e s t h r o u g h m y p o e t r y . i h a v
e s a m e r e s t r i c t i v e b o u n d a r i e s , a s e
edrealitiesthroughmypoetry.ihaveopenedmanycansandmanyw
u a l , a n d k i n e t i c v i s u a l i n n a t u r e , b
k n o w w h a t h a s p r e v i o u s l y b e e n a c h i e
ormsartewriggling,iwonderifanyonehastheirlasertoothpic
i s t : m o s t c r e a t i v e / i n n o v a t i v e w e b
a t i n g i n a b e t t e r w a y , i s i t s t i m u l a t
kready?
t h e s a m e s p o t o n l y t o b e a t t r a c t e d b y
* * * *                                               P b N
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