Asz (Module H-An)

ABYSSMO: the hyperpostypographical mesh

Meditations over the specificity of the WWW medium

The web page is infinite, a universe. There are not "edges" (this is evident in the initial page of Abyssmo). The displacements are effected in three dimensions: up, down, right and left, and also "back" and "forward" (3D through VRML). The spectauthor interacts by moving onto one or other direction.

A forth dimension is given by hypertext, which enables to jump from a universe to the other like hyperspatial leaps. This introduces another mechanism of interaction with the spectauthor, since the decisions that he takes regarding which link to utilize will affect very strongly the development of the work and will completely alter its "reading".

The objects included in the page might be visual (static, animated) or sonorous, which means that we are in the dominion of the visual-auditory. The animations introduce mutations and movements, both of them impossible to generate on a written page.

WWW and poetry

Regarding the specific field of poetic language, it is possible to generate semantic and syntactical relationships that go much beyond the linearity of the phrase, word, or even beyond the letter as structural unit. The word is probably the most adequate generator of meanings over the printed page (not so much taking into account visual poetry ). However, this could be not so in the virtual dominion of WWW. At least, it is clear that there is no sense in keeping a syntactical bidimensional relationship (left-right and up-down) given the possibility to move in four dimensions. Thus, breaking the visual linearity of the word and thanks to the utilization of movement it is possible to generate a great quantity of meanings with a very small number of symbols: in Nichos a quadrangular arrangement constituted by a total of seven letters generates an incredible number of meanings. Though the generative line is given through the key meanings LOVE and HATE, the spatial disposition and the lack of simultaneity in the movements allows the spectauthor to generate more meanings: in Spanish late, vale, lote, leva, tela, velo, vole, etc., in English late, tale, veal, heat, etc. and each spectauthor will perceive others, depending on his native language. In fact, in some cases it is possible to perceive words of more than four letters thanks to the cuasi-infinite square arrangement: lethal, Ot(h)elo, etc. The "black" spaces are also generators of meanings, since its absence allows to make words of two or three letters: hat, hot, lot, etc. On the other hand, the combination of the letters "o" and "a" functions as a "oa" or "ao" and permits to dispose of five letters keeping a square arrangement. Other example similar to Nichos, but utilizing a triangular arrangement, can be seen in WAR Sky.

However, the rupture at the level of letters makes very difficult to direct the meanings to be communicated. Without doubt, and though the number of generated meanings is smaller, the combinatorials at the level of syllable/word in MOREWARNO is more focused regarding the global sense of the poem, and this is even more evident in The Judas Cradle (revisited), in which the combinatorials are at the level of word/sentence.

Other way of generating poetic images which produces a new type of syntax is the utilization of extratextual techniques such as mutation in Cellda and movement in The Wall.

Regarding to hypertext (the forth dimension), there are cases in which its utilization generates additional meanings by linking a reference to a subject, as in The Walls: the poems linked to this page acquire a dimension that otherwise would not possess. This is even more evident in the sequence Ladder Rack/Aswtz. In these cases, the hypertext acts as a hypersignifier.

Of course, depending on the hipertextual road that the spectauthor elects, different readings will be produced: his perception will be very different starting the trip from S(k)yelos (in Abyssmo) than starting from Videath or Wall.

Fabio Doctorovich

Buenos Aires, May 3^rd 1997