The Net.Wurk Series _][ad][Dressed in a Skin C.ode_
by Scott Esdaile (c) 2002
How often have you expectantly visited a so called "innovative,
new media" website with its tags of "highly interactive and
engaging content" only to find that its creator's idea of
interactivity is to force-feed the user a new page of information every
time they click a "next page" button? This is definitely not
the case with Australian net artist (net.artist) Mez's recent venture
into the realm of the hypertextual with her
_][ad][Dressed in a Skin
C.ode_, a captivating anthology of non-linear literary works
distributed through email lists.
In the creation of texts and poetic forms, Mez utilises her unique
"mezangelle" language which appropriates features of code and
programming syntax then combines these with plays on symbols and language
to alter or enhance meanings. Upon initial contact with
"mezangelle," many viewers may find it unsettling due to its
ambiguous punctuation, abstract grammar, syllabic dissection and the
subsequent slowed reading speed. However, once whatever original
discomfort is overcome, the ingenuity of the "mezangelle"
language as a literary technique or device really starts to assert
itself. It allows Mez to extend her work beyond the boundaries of more
conventional literary mediums and coaxes the viewer to construct new
meanings for themselves of what it is they're engaging with on
screen.
The works (net.wurks) contained within _][ad][Dressed in a Skin C.ode_
can be viewed as either singular texts, or as enhanced (n.hanced) works
which utilise JavaScript and Flash to extend the user's
conceptualisations even further. Rollovers and segments of audio are also
effectively implemented within these enhanced works, with the sound
samples used having at times a grating, yet organic quality about them
which can be quite unnerving.
Originally, the navigation and interface design of _][ad][Dressed in a
Skin C.ode_ may be fairly confusing and unorthodox (particularly the
difficult to read fonts and the directory of enhanced texts, with its
arrays of what appear to be linked buttons), until it is realised that
Mez has not set out to create a site that conforms to usability
guidelines and commercially driven ideologies. This is a site that allows
the user parallel or simultaneous understandings of the content, while
instigating "non-linear and imaginative order" into the
vocabulary of electronic communication.
Viewed as one of the most "consistent, prolific and innovative
artists working in new media today," Mez was the recipient of
JavaMuseum's Artist of the Year Award for 2001, the 2001 VIF Prize from
Humboldt University, as well as placed on the shortlist for the 2001
Electronic Literature Organisation's Fiction Award. Her review of jodi's
_untitled-game_ written in "mezangelle," can be seen
here
in last month's issue of fineArt forum.
Mez's _][ad][Dressed in a Skin C.ode_ is an excellent example of the notion of web "spaces" as opposed to web pages and through the use of the "mezangelle" language system and syntax, it is a highly thought-provoking and stimulating collection of textual works. Intended to expand and extract upon a user's perceptions and conceptualisations, these works will leave you feeling somewhat enlightened and enriched by their required level of comprehension and engagement.