2013 ELO Conference Abstract

R. Lyle Skains
Lecturer in Writing
School of Creative Studies & Media
Bangor University, UK
r.l.skains@bangor.ac.uk
Title:
The Materiality of the Intangible: Literary Metaphor in Multimodal Texts
Abstract:
The materiality of fiction narratives is, ironically, a rather intangible concept, particularly as the
notion of materiality traditionally relates to specifically tangible tools of creation such as the
painters brush or the sculptors clay. The materiality of digital artifacts lies only superficially in the
haptic hardware of screens, keyboards, and mice; the materiality of modes, navigation, and interaction
must also be explored for their effects on metaphor and meaning. Bouchardon & Heckman identify
three levels of materiality in digital literary works: the figure of a semiotic form, the grasp required to
physically interact with the work, and the memory of the work its whole compiled from the parts of
code, hardware, and user/reader experience that form meaning (2012, n.p.). In presenting her theory of
the technotext, however, Katherine Hayles argues that it is the conjunction of the physical embodiment
of technotexts (whether semi-tangible in digital form, or as fully physical as a book) with their
embedded verbal signifiers that constructs both plurimodal meaning and an implicit construct of the
user/reader (2002, 130-1). This paper seeks to examine the dynamic on the other side of technotexts:
that of the creator and the text. Specifically, this paper examines how the materiality of digital media
contributes to a layered metaphor that delivers meaning, reflects on the cognitive processes (the writer's
and the reader's) of navigation, and generates a dynamic narrative structure through user interaction.
Often such an understanding is not a conscious process many writers and artists engage with
their chosen medium through an instinctive understanding of the materials at hand, gained through
exposure to others' works and through their own experiences. In other words, the explicit study of the
materiality of a medium is not always required for artistic success, however that may be judged. By
examining multimodal works ranging from film (Ridley Scotts 1982 Blade Runner) to print texts (the
Frankenfont project) to born-digital texts (Andy Campbells 2009 Nightingales Playground, as well as
the authors own practice) this paper argues that digital media have a significant effect on the outcome
of the artifact itself; awareness of these effects, their variations according to hardware and software,
and the affordances of these various materials offers the digital writer greater insight and capability to
craft his/her texts for the desired metaphorical meaning.
Format of Presentation:
Presentation will be a conference paper presentation, using a projector to display relevant websites,
works in Adobe Flash, video (including audio), and interactive fiction (no particular software required).
If possible, attachment for my own Macbook Pro to the projector and internet access would be
preferred.

References:
Blade Runner: Final Cut, 1982. DVD. Directed by Ridley Scott. USA: Warner Brothers.
Bouchardon, S. & Heckman, D., 2012. Digital Manipulability and Digital Literature. Electronic Book
Review. Available at: http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/electropoetics/heuristic
[Accessed 30 Aug 2012].
Campbell, A., 2009. Consensus Trance, Part 1. Nightingales Playground. Available at:
http://www.nightingalesplayground.com/flash/consensustrance/index.html [Accessed 26 Mar
2012].
Frankenfont Project, 2011. [Online] fathom.info. Available at: http://fathom.info/frankenfont/
[Accessed 31 Dec 2012].
Hayles, N.K., 2002. Writing Machines, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Biography:
My research is in Creative Writing and Digital Media, exploring multimodal creativity. The purpose of
my research is to develop practice-based creative writing theory on the process of creating stories for
multiple media, specifically exploring how writing for different media affects the writers process and
perspective with regard to story, and to develop a method for creating stories to co-exist in print and
digital media. I have a BA in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico, and an MFA in
Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. I am a Lecturer in the School of
Creative Studies and Media, Bangor University, and I am also a current editor of the Electronic
Literature Directory.