Readings for April 10
- Paul, 174-196: Databases, data visualization, and mapping;
- Lev Manovich, first 1/2 of Chap. 5 (”The Forms”): pp. 213-243 (”The Database”) from The Language of New Media, MIT Press, ON RESERVE IN MIDDLETON LIBRARY.
- THIS BOOK APPEARS ON GOOGLE BOOKS BUT YOU CANNOT ACCESS ALL THE PAGES–YOU MUST PLAN THE TIME TO READ IT IN MIDDLETON OR ORDER FROM AMAZON/NEXT DAY DELIVERY.
my blog has my opinion of the Manovich reading….http://marykate.wordpress.com/
I found Lev Manovich’s reading to be rather interesting. I have never thought about what goes into creating digital pieces. This reading helped me understand all that is needed, and how each of the parts have developed.
To comprehend the difference between narratives and databases more clearly, I searched the web for Jeffrey Shaw’s “Legible City”. I watched a short clip of what the art piece consists of. The viewer sits on a bike in front of a gigantic screen. The viewer then begins to pedal throughout the “city”, choosing the paths between boundaries of words. In the reading, Manovich states that narratives and databases are “natural enemies”- they both are used to interpret the world. Both are working for the same purpose. It is similar to the relationship between McDonald’s and Burger King. They are both competing for the same customer, both wanting to feed him greasy, delicious meals.
As I understand it, “Legible City” is a database. However, it can also be considered a narrative. Manovich describes a narrative as “computer games”. This piece could be considered a large scale computer game. The viewer may not have a typical controller; however, the viewer does choose what will happen next in the “game”.
Does this truly make it a narrative?