ABOUT


GO HERE!!! 

Navigate here for a dedicated user interface and environment for this content. 


WHAT IS THIS?

  • Web-Comic
  • Open forum
  • Researched Academic Discourse
  • My dissertation
This is all of these things.  But, perhaps more than any of those, it is an experiment.  I seek, through the development of this work, to test theories relating to web based technologies, forum, collaboration, social networking, and information consumption and distribution.

The primary themes explored, as can be noted in the title, will be cyborg anthropology and shifting paradigms in labor and consumption.  I will attempt to utilize traditional and non-traditional arts practices to highlight how these shifts are occurring and to perhaps (re)define the position of the arts and culture within that emerging paradigm.  However, I would like this to be a space for the discussion of not just these themes but also of form, function, and content distribution.  Any and all comments specific or meta are welcomed and encouraged. 

WHY?

Aside from the experimental angle, and the obvious, "why not?"  I have chosen to use this form factor for two specific reasons. 

  1. Based on the example set here, by McKenzie Wark with The Future of the Book, I am attempting to create a discursive space.  By presenting this content as it is developed, I am opening my own research methodology and editing process to a wider audience.  However, unlike the Wark example, a printed text is not an intended finality.  While the comic will be presented in a physical form, the web content is intended to remain active and as usable as the printed form, the creation of which may not indicate the content's "final draft." 
  2. Not only have I opened the initial phases to commentary and input, I have also chosen to present this work in a non-traditional form -- the (web)comic.  There are many reasons I am interested in the utilization of comic form within this context.  Certainly, I hope to expand the intended audience of this research beyond the traditional academic community.  I am also interested in how interactive and free-flowing factors of the comic (particularly the web-comic) can expand or adjust the possibilities for engagement with the idea presentation.  I intend this project to be an exploration of those possibilities.    
I both welcome and (implore) you to consider these and any other interests as you engage with this content.  Feel free to comment on any and aspects and to use this forum to explore discursively the ideas presented as well as the possibilities and pitfalls of the chosen format.     

I look forward to our discussions! 


HOW TO USE?

And now, beyond the theory and to the nitty gritty - how it works segment.  

All of the intended content has now been uploaded and you may read it and comment here, in blog format or here, in its own dedicated environment. You may still choose to follow the comic through RSS or by following me on Twitter or Facebook, where I will be announcing updates.

Each installation appears single comic image as a blog post.  These posts will act as links to the full size image, which you may then explore - each of these links will take you to the dedicated environment.  All exterior sourced images will be presented as hyperlinks to my source.  You may explore alt (title) text for further information about included references, citations, etc... as well as follow links throughout the image to various source materials.  

A Footnote looks like this!
Footnotes (or what would be a footnotes) look like this and will act as links to source content, wherever possible. 

The entire blog is also searchable through the use of a "Topics" (or tag) list as well as through an integrated search bar on the left.  I will endeavor to include searchable text for all of the images included here, in order to ensure that content is not lost within the images.  <-- Let me know how it works! 

Finally, through the Table of Contents navigation element in the left sidebar, you may go directly to any specific comic/post.  

Please use the comment area to add comments about the post, about the format, or about any of the included content! 


THE FUTURE...

This site is in perpetual development, while all of the intended content has been uploaded, I will still be adjusting layout, interface, and design elements based on the feedback I get from participants.  All of the comments supplied here will also be integrated into the final version, and some of the content might even be adjusted based on user input. 

If you have any further questions, or would just like to know more about the project feel free to email me at theartist @ minkaart.net. 

Thank you and I hope you enjoy! 

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