How to Read Homecoming: Brief Hints

'Homecoming' is designed to be explored using the Graphical User Interface of a 'standard' home computer (ideally this notional machine should have the Macromedia Flash 8 plug-in, a standard Internet browser, a good set of speakers or headphones, an efficient mouse, a broadband connection and a CPU clock speed of about 1700 MHz or greater). This meditation has been provided with buttons (some obvious, some less-so), roll-over elements, links and other programmable elements that are discovered and evaluated as the reader-participant engages with the text. These design aims mean that 'Homecoming' has not been provided with 'help' instructions that explain in detail what is required of the reader-participant. For the most part this makes 'Homecoming' a surprizing and somewhat serendipitious reading experience. On occasions, however, this aim can make some of the meditations that make-up 'Homecoming' somewhat obscure (particularly if the reader-particiant is unfamiliar with this kind of work). It is not the design aim of 'Homecoming' to be deliberately arcane and so this page has been provided to give hints about how to get started with these meditations.

You can find a fuller account of the aesthetics of 'Homecoming' in my PhD thesis: 'A Homecoming Festival: The Application of the Dialogic Concepts of Addressivity and the Awareness of Participation to an Aesthetic of Computer-mediated Textual Art' (Stewart 2006).

 

Introduction

'Homecoming' begins with a quote from Mikhail Bakhtin. You are then faced with a question - 'Are you willing?'. Click on this text and the introduction/contents to 'Homecoming' will be displayed. You will see a purple image of a city with a series of shifting words on top of it. Each of these words is a button which provides a link to the individual meditations that make-up 'Homecoming'. Click on a word of your choice and proceed to the meditation. Should you wish to return to the introduction to read another meditation, then place your mouse over the word 'Homecoming' in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen and click. This link will bring you back to the introduction screen. However, should you wish to read another meditation in the series without returning to the introduction then place your mouse over the title of the meditation (e.g. the word 'Gross', 'Understanding' etc. at the bottom, in the middle of your screen) and click.

The Box

'The Box' begins with an image of a square box in the centre of the screen. The text 'To Move' is then revealed. Click and drag this text outside of the box to progress the reading. 'The Box' has also been designed to produce different readings depending on where the text 'To Move' is placed on the screen. You might like to experiment by dragging this text element to the left followed by dragging it to the right during the next reading.

Choreographer

'Choreographer' begins with an image of a ballet dancer and the question 'How Big is Your Soul?'. Click on this question and then click-and-drag the pink ball (marked with a question mark) to navigate the reading. You can also manipulate the background images and the colour of the dancer image by clicking on the 'frame' that surrounds the image of the dancer.

Gross

'Gross' begins with the sound of drinkers in the streets. 144 white squares (a gross) are displayed on the screen. Move you mouse over any one of these squares and click to reveal the text elements that make up this piece. 'Gross' is then investigated by clicking and dragging these text elements. Over time the text will mutate and become more rude and rowdy (a little bit like a night on the tiles).

Guidance Notes for a Young River

'Guidance Notes for a Young River' begins with the sound of dripping water and an image of an icicle. Click on the question about the oracle to reveal the main screen. Click on text button in the centre of the screen marked '1. The Hillside Stream'. The voice recording will now begin to loop. You can manipulate the aural aspects of this meditation by clicking on the other text buttons in the centre of the screen (these are marked - 2. The Meeting of Small Streams, 3. Out on the Plain, and 4. Coming to the Sea). You can further manipulate the visual and aural aspects of this meditation by manipulating the buttons provided at the side and bottom of the screen.

Moon Road

'Moon Road' begins with the sound of the sea and an image of the moon. A single word 'Goddess' is displayed on the screen. Move your mouse over this word and click on it to continue the reading. 'Moon Road' ends with a fade to black and the screen full of the names of goddesses of the moon. Move your mouse over these names and the screen will brighten and restart the reading (if you move your mouse quickly enough).

M/other

'M/other' begins with the sound and image of a baby crying and the question 'Can you help me?'. Click on this question. The main screen is then displayed. This shows a double ring in the centre of the screen. A voice recording then declares - "All is pain and you offer me...". You are provided with two text element buttons marked 'pain' and 'love' which complete this statement. Click on either of these buttons to proceed.

Underground

'Underground' begins with the sound of an underground train pulling into a station. It then reveals a map of an underground network. Move your mouse over the lines on this map and click on one or more of the lines to continue the reading. 'Underground' can be also investigated through the key to lines (in the bottom right hand corner). Move your mouse over the key and click on a line key to reveal the text elements that make up the line you have selected. 'Underground' can be further manipulated through the individual words displayed. Move your mouse over the word and click to remove a phrase from the reading.

Understanding

'Understanding' begins with the image of a downloader (which gradually reduces towards five percent). Move your mouse over the slider element of the downloader and drag it to the left or right to continue the reading. 'Understanding' can be also investigated through the words that flit across the screen. Move your mouse over one of these words. 'Understanding' can be further modified through the white squares ('my home in Atlantis' and 'white square = choice') that flash across the screen later in the reading. Move your mouse over one of these white squares to reveal a sub-meditation on the subject of understanding.

 

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