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1. Le mange-texte

   Le Mange-Texte is a work by Jean-Marie Dutey that perfectly represents the esthetic of frustration. There are two versions of Le Mange-Texte: the original 1989 version (that was programmed and published in alire 0.1 and alire 1) and the 1994 version. When one starts to look at the black screen, squares appear, changing into the form of four letter words. The words gradually develop and the reader tries to decipher the letters in order to make sense of the unclear words (that can be read vertically, revealing the verses of the poem). The moment one tries to read the words in their proper context, the machine “eats” the text which transforms into different shapes. The color changes from blue to pink and instead of squares, one sees flowers, and the words change. Some words repeat, but the word “rose” (which can also be translated from original French into English as “pink”) appears, for example. Once again, the machine “eats” the words and the process repeats. It is difficult to read the text because the reader must try to distinguish the letters.

   Scott Rettberg - 02.02.2011 - 14:53

2. La Belle

   “La Belle” is a kinetic poem created by Philippe Bootz in 1989. Published in the review alire 2, it was later transferred into the anthology Le salon de lecture électronique in 1994. The poem itself is a brief program that is presented in several parts. That is to say, the poem seems to be cut into strophes: a preliminary strophe that introduces the poem, a sequence of lines that appear and disappear quickly in the center of the screen that make up the second part of the poem, and the third strophe that is presented just after the first and second strophes. Yet, the third strophe changes a bit after the second strophe. Only the last line of the poem, “froid jusqu’au coeur,” is seen. This means of presenting the poem complicates the comprehension of its sense and thus creates a sentiment of distance from the poem. Moreover, the rapidity of the program is accentuated by the transfer software for technological reasons. Therefore, the feeling of isolation from the poem is augmented inadvertently by the software program. Despite all that, a meaning can be drawn from the poem so long as one knows how to slow down the program to be able to soak it in.

   Jonathan Baillehache - 16.09.2014 - 05:18