Screenshots is a regular feature by Simon Groth, highlighting a project, app, or other resource of interest.

Gothic Body
by Eda Gunaydin

Published to the web by Australian literary journal Voiceworks, Gothic Body is divided into two parts. The first concerns itself with guilt and the author’s relationship with her mother, as well as the impact of that relationship on her body. The second part takes a wider view of the casual racism that infects everyday interactions in Australian life.

The piece consists of a series of images—family snapshots and scraps of handwritten messages—with accompanying text appearing on mouse over. It’s a simple application of technology that nevertheless creates a powerful effect, linking text and images inextricably and demanding the reader engage with both.

And with these elements, Gunaydin constructs a remarkable work of memoir so honest and unflinching, it has moments of real discomfort. The effect is like being given access to an intimate family album, images and thoughts that weren’t meant to be made public.

https://www.voiceworksmag.com.au/all/gothic-body

Screenshots is a regular feature by Simon Groth, highlighting a project, app, or other resource of interest.

A Dictionary of the Revolution
by Amira Hanafi

The text for A Dictionary of the Revolution is drawn from interviews with around 200 people recorded during the Egyptian revolution in 2014. Participants were asked to respond to cards, each containing words and phrases common in political rhetoric of the time.

The result is a remarkable piece of writing. Its 125 chapters—each gathered under one of the original interview prompts—provide glimpses of a world coming apart at the seams, infused with hints of violence and the melancholic sense that nothing can ever be the same again.

Its word-map navigation at once intuitive and innovative, suggesting connection between chapters and providing a semi-guided path through the text, rather than a random sampling of texts. What emerges is a kind of narrative, though one with no clear arc, no true beginning and definitely no end. Seems appropriate for a revolution.

http://qamosalthawra.com/en

Screenshots is a regular feature by Simon Groth, highlighting a project, app, or other resource of interest.

After the Storm
by Andrew Beck Grace

A beautiful example of online documentary, After the Storm recounts Andrew Grace’s first-hand experience with a vicious tornado that ripped through his hometown in Alabama. Its slick production courtesy of Moon Winx Films and Helios Design Labs pushes the boundaries of HTML5, layering text, video, images, and maps. But the power of this piece is in the heartfelt and reflective text, addressed to a ‘future disaster survivor’.

Most of the ‘interactivity’ here is of the simple scrolling-through variety and the writing is presented not as text, but rather is spoken by a narrator (presumably the author). Like many online documentaries, After the Storm might be considered simply a film posted online if not for its use of pagination, which allows the ‘reader’ to control the pace and flow of the narrative.

After the Storm was completed in 2015, making it positively ancient in internet terms. Not only is it gratifying to see the piece still online and functional in 2018, but also that its technology and design supporting the story is yet to feel dated.

After the Storm is available to experience online.