Self-Generating Text: Metallica, Taroko, Sonny, or the Computer?

"Camel Tail", a work of self-generating text, stands as a terrific example of what exactly may be accomplished when human creativity & creation cross with the power of modern computing.   In this case, we are presented a piece made up of lyrics by Metallica over nine of their ten albums. Interesting, though, is the way in which these lyrics are exactly presented.

Originally created and written by Metallica, Sonny Rae Tempest uses the code formerly created by Taroko Gorge to input these lyrics which are then self-generated and arranged by the code, or, computer.  In this, SRT inadvertently produces a separate discussion around the following question: who exactly is the legitimate creator and intellectual property (I.P.) owner of this work?

In looking for an answer to this question, one must first consider this following text, originally found on the right side of SRT's piece, "Camel Tail":

As shown above, SRT clearly states that Metallica is the owner of the original content.  In fact, he does so by asking the band to not sue him over the use of their lyrics.  Perhaps, then, SRT is simply the "middle man" to the computer, though without him, this work would not have been created.  Furthermore, without the use of Taroko Gorge's original code, SRT would not have been able to input these lyrics of which were borrowed from Metallica.  As far as a clear cut owner of this piece is concerned, the answer is very much open to debate and discussion.  The most basic setup for ownership and creation in this case, we feel, is as follows...

Seen Below: Sonny Rae Tempest

Credit: @SonnyRaeTempest

Taroko Gorge, though the creator of the code, is not the owner much like the original building planner for Ryan Homes is not the owner of all current Ryan Homes being built. The computer, or code, is responsible for piecing together the lyrics in a systematic, yet somehow entirely random, way.  This code, though, is made up of the works of Metallica over the near-entirety of their career.  Ownership of the words themselves, as stated by SRT in the previously shown image, belong solely and directly to Metallica.  The band, though, did not create this piece.  Again, much like the wood, steel, cement, and furniture companies utilized in the building of a home, their products add together to create the whole, though they themselves are not the owners of the final, complete product.  This leads to who we believe is the rightful owner of this specific piece: Sonny Rae Tempest.  Responsible for the overall idea and work, not its individual parts, SRT is the reason that this specific piece exists.  Built upon a code created by someone else, written by a band, and pieced together by a computer, SRT, in the eyes of the Bikini Bottom Bloggers, is the rightful owner of this piece of self-generating text.  Again though, this is very much a conversation up for debate, and rightfully so, as this field is relatively new and up for legal precedent in the (probably near) future.

Sean McCarney
Jack Shirk

Devan Orr

Devan Orr Before and After

Before

After

Mastodon: Emperor of Sand JPG File Corruption

Original .JPG

Corruption #1 .JPG

Corruption #2 .JPG

Sean McCarney

Sam Kolder JPG File Corruption

P.o.E.M.M.

P.o.E.M.M., a group of interactive applications created by Jason Edward Lewis & Bruno Nadeau, allow for iOS users to directly touch, create, and manipulate works of e-poetry. The first example, titled What They Speak When They Speak To Me, is a piece of e-poetry that unfolds before your eyes, though only by way of the user swiping around the display. As you move your finger, floating letters come to fruition and begin forming complete lines on the trail that your finger has left in its wake. In piecing together this poem, you see a story unfold. As stated on the P.o.E.M.M. site, "the interaction is designed to echo the text’s concern with the difficulty in establishing lines of communication then in a foreign place, and the necessity for intense concentration such efforts require".

Another example of this piece of e-poetry is The World That Surrounds You Wants Your Death. To better understand the basis of this piece, you must look at a quote by Paula Gunn Allen:

“When you’ve gone through five hundred years of genocidal experiences, when you know that the other world that surrounds you wants your death and that’s all it wants, you get bitter. And you don’t get over it. It starts getting passed on almost genetically. It makes for wit, for incredible wit. But under the wit there is a bite.”

According to the P.o.E.M.M. site, "The World That Surrounds You Wants Your Death takes its cue from Allen’s observation of what it means for a culture to live, generation after generation, in an environment that actively strives for that culture’s demise". In interacting with this poem, the user is presented with many moving lines of horizontal text. Upon swiping from left to right, or vice versa, and depending on the force with which you performed the action, the text will move accordingly with the motion you made. This piece is perhaps depressing to some, but invaluable within the context of e-poetry and human interaction.

See Below: Screenshot of The World That Surrounds You Watns Your Death via poemm.net

P.o.E.M.M. is an important and interesting piece of interactive e-poetry and both is and represents an example of how such literature and technological crossover(s) may not only coexist, but open the doorway to a much broader, more vast, and creative learning environment.

Sean McCarney

I Love You

As I started my E-Poetry search, I was not sure exactly what to expect. I wanted something that would make me feel some emotion towards the piece. "I Love You" by Lello Masucci gave me an interesting feeling I did not expect. This poem was made up of only one phrase, "I love you." However, "I love you" was not just written in English; this poem was written in many other languages. The phrase "I love you" in various languages was circulated in a 3D fashion with orange triangles mixed in between for dimension. The speed of the circulation can be controlled by the mouse as well. The words were in all different colors, leaving me in a state of wonder. I felt relaxed as I watched the screen come to life. "What languages were these?" I would ask myself, trying to remember anything from the Spanish classes I took in high school. Just watching my computer screen almost put me in a hypnotic state. I thought about love itself and people I cared about; I thought about all the relationships I have in my life. I also thought about what it means to show love and to give everyone love. The different languages represent different people, but the message is the same. I think Masucci did this to bring unity to people; everyone can love everyone, even if they do not speak the same language, do not have the same religion, or look differently. This powerful message is import today. The most important idea from this piece is to know that we are all people and we need to all show love to everyone. I think if everyone respected each other and showed more kindness, our world would be a much happier place.This poem is made up of only one phrase, "I love you," but that phrase is a spring board to other powerful messages.

Devan Orr

Faith Is Crazy.

"Faith" by Robert Kendall is a piece that at first absolutely boggled my easily distracted mind. So much so that I had to click through this piece twice. As I slowly comprehended the piece the second time, I began to think about what the word faith meant to me and what it meant to Robert Kendall and what he was trying to relay in his piece.

Then I realized this wasn't the point at all, well at least to me it wasn't. If you click through this piece you'll realize it has a lot going on and isn't always clear and easy to understand. Just as having faith in something isn't always clear and easy to understand. 

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." This is what I believe Robert Kendall was trying to convey in this piece. That faith is crazy, and its surely not always enjoyable and easy to stand by . To have true faith in something takes extreme discipline and willingness to understand that you could be potentially wrong or that your what you have put faith in could fail you. The creator throughout the piece uses so many different colors and words that all correlate and bounce of each other to form different sequences etc. To me it was just to show that having faith in something can lead you down so many different paths, good and bad, and be chaotic along the way. 

For example, if you look at the screenshot that I attached in tis post from the very end of this pice of e-poetry you'll notice how it is a jumbled mess. Also, notice how the last few words that are left floating above are, "just to sum up." This, in my opinion, is Robert Kendall saying that faith can be a monumental cluster of chaos but still carrying immense value. 

Overall, I believe faith is at times can be completely chaotic, especially misguided faith, but if used in the right situation, can be extremely rewarding. 

Jack Shirk