There’s a channel on Are.na called How do you describe Are.na at a party? Wonderfully self-reflexive, it’s also quite earnest. Here, a few descriptions I particularly like:

→ internet memory palace
→ random access memories
→ media without the social scramble
→ pattern recognition network
→ like del.icio.us, but better
→ research tumblr

Ten years into Are.na’s existence as a slow, considered social network of sorts, Charles Broskowski wrote a blog post, On Motivation, about why to keep going. His post is, naturally enough, illustrated with blocks from the site including this stunner by Bryce Wilner, called Plotter’s Tour (Spiral) (2017) [↓]:



To my eyes, this is a perfectly convincing picture of the process of design research. You will notice the lines are hand-drawn. You will notice that the dots that form the spiral are connected, but not in a route following the curve. You will notice the lines hop from dot to dot, connecting the parts in an ordered sequence which, only over time, reveals the big picture — in this case, a spiral. This is one in a sequence of works that Bryce describes in an interview with the Creative Independent.

We are at the end of the semester and I am guessing that each of your spirals has revealed itself. Today you will be showing your work in a 9-minute, scripted and precisely choreographed presentation. These will be recorded, collected, lightly edited, and posted back here on this website for the future to reconsider. 

I am very much looking forward.

Continues in class . . .