VMAC Article

Writing an Article as if Writing a Piece of Software
Winnie Soon

To generate the graph on the left, execute the following code in the terminal with Graphviz installed:

dot -Tsvg tm_article.dot -o tm_article.svgtm_article.dot:
                       digraph G {
                       graph[overlap=false, splines = true];
                       node[fontname=”Hershey-Noailles-help-me”]
                       layout=neato;

The->term->”‘computational publishing'”->has->emerged->in->recent->scholarship->”(Adema 2021; Bowie 2022; Soon 2022)”->and->is->used->specifically->to->describe->books->as->dynamic->and->computational->objects->that->are->open->to->”re-versioning”->In->contrast->to->more->conventional->or->mainstream->forms->of->book->production->and->distribution->computational->publishing->challenges->the->way->in->which->we->understand->books->and->archives->as->more->than->”‘discrete objects'”->”(Batchen 1998:47)”->Books->are->regarded->not->as->a->final->format->or->concluding->result->as->finished->artefacts->ready->for->consumption->but->as->”‘a continuous stream of data without temporal restriction'”->”(ibid)”->According->to->”Adema (2021)”->a->computational->book->is->an->ongoing->iterative->process->More->importantly->people->can->fork->download->study->modify->and->republish->a->book->as->if->it->were->a->piece->of->software->producing->multiple->versions->through->computational->techniques->and->under->free->and->”open-source”->licences->In->other->words->modifying->and->executing->programmable->scripts->can->generate->different->versions->of->a->book->thereby->disrupting->the->fixed->linear->nature->of->print

Considering->minor->technology->as->something->experimental->and->contingent->that->seeks->for->new->relations->and->challenges->normative->forms->of->practices->what->potential->have->opened->up->if->we->start->thinking->of->writing->an->article->as->if->writing->a->piece->of->software->Beyond->the->focus->on->digitisation->how->might->institutional->libraries->and->academic->publishing->collect->and->archive->these->new->and->experimental->forms->publication->in->multiplicities->which->are->more->process->and->”computationally-oriented?”

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Originally published in Toward a Minor Tech, Vol.12, Issue 1, 2023. See: toward-a-minor-tech-online-sm.pdf (au.dk).

 

(The views and opinions expressed in this article published are those of the author/s. They do not necessarily represent the views of VMAC.)

 

 

Staff Pick 01

 “Video Workshop” (Original Text:《錄象工房》, English translation by the author), Express, 1997

Videotage’s news clippings files contain a total of 14 issues of “Video Workshop”, a column published in the Express. Written by members of Videotage, the column covered technological developments and the latest video editing tools.

These clippings reveal Videotage’s efforts to bring video art to a wider audience in the 1990s. However, a considerable amount of technical knowledge is required, such as the latest technologies in signal conversion and image compression. Reading the column requires some knowledge of video production.

As the column noted, a rudimentary editing system would have cost $200,000 at the time. It was unusual to have a column dedicated to this art form at a time when video production costs were high, resources were scarce, and video-making was not yet very popular.

 

 

Staff Pick 02

No One’s Driving 

We are thrilled to present the complete collection of ‘No One’s Driving’ – a television programme commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and produced by Videotage between 2000 and 2001. The programme consists of 12 episodes and was launched at the end of July 2000 on Saturday nights from 10:30 to 10:45 pm on Cable TV Channel 2. Produced by Ellen Pau and Fion Ng, the programme has the ambitious aim of promoting local independent film and video art to the general public through television. Each episode is carefully curated around a specific theme:

(1) Hello – No Man’s Driving: video eye – a man with a moving camera 

(2) Colours (花花世界): selection of works on the visual senses and forms 

(3) Out & In (老少咸宜): selection of works on the fashionable and outdated 

(4) Gumo (攣攣金毛): selection of works on youth 

(5) Wannabe (我想): selection of works on the personal future 

(6) Wonderland (私家地): selection of works on games and dreams 

(7) Love & Death (愛到死): selection of works on love and passion 

(8) Body parts (真人露相): selection of works with a strong performance component 

(9) Square (語無倫次): selection of works that play with the textual element

(10) Video letter (老相好): selection of works using video as a means of communication 

(11) Speed (忽然): selection of works inspired by music and rave culture 

(12) Personal belongings (私物語): selection of works on the subject of private life 

Excerpts of the works shown were provided by Ellen Pau, Jamsen Law, Danny Yung, Chan Tin Shing, Hung Keung, Yau Ching, Ernest Fung, Mathias Woo, and VideoPower, among others. The programme is rich in content and provides a comprehensive overview of the development of local video art in the 90s. Also worth mentioning is the animated opening sequence for each episode, created by Chan Yuting and Lily Lau. In addition, Jan Lamb’s introductory remarks add to the appeal of the whole series.

If you are interested in viewing or finding out more about the ‘No One’s Driving’ programme, please feel free to make an appointment to reserve access!

 

 

About VMAC Newsletter

VMAC, Videotage’s collection of video and media arts, is a witness to the development of video and media culture in Hong Kong over the past 35 years. Featuring artists from varied backgrounds, VMAC covers diverse genres including shorts, video essays, experimental films and animations. VMAC Newsletter, published on a bi-monthly basis, provides an up-to-date conversation on media arts and their preservation while highlighting the collection and its contextual materials.