Hypertext News
Inspirations for a Media Chair
When I was originally asked to design the Hypertext 2007 Website, I sought as my inspiration the works of
L. S. Lowry, a
Manchester based artist who painted
urban landscapes populated with "match-stick" human figures depicting life in an industrialised city.
After all,
Hypertext 2007 is being held in
Manchester and it seemed appropriate to have a theme that reflected its industrial heritage.
However, while Lowry accurately represented the host city of the conference, he didn't capture the essence of hypertext, which for me is the browsing of information linked together by nothing more than the thoughts and associations of the author.
The real beauty of hypertext is not only the exploration and acquisition of knowledge, but also the joy and surprise of discovering the new; found through following
a link to an unfamiliar piece of information that you had never before associated with the piece of information you are currently looking at.
In many ways this mirrors real life. How often have colleagues made associations between two concepts that initially seem bizarre but after some thought seem perfectly logical? Or how many times have friends suggested places to visit that you have never before considered but then upon going, wonder why you have never been before? It was one of these seemingly strange associations that led me to taking the photograph that was the basis for the picture that sits at the top of every page on this Website.
A friend was visiting from Sweden and so we did all the tourist stuff. We walked around the city, poked around the Roman Ruins in Castlefield and then spent the afternoon sat in a pub. As we were sat there, my Swedish companion made an association between UK fashions and winter, which I had never before considered. This link led us on a trip to a popular department store, which by coincidence was hosting a free food & drink sampling session. And, it was whilst tasting our fragments of Goat's Cheese and New Zealand Chardonnay that we looked out of the window and saw the vista that sits above this page.
In a similar fashion that following links and trails of thoughts in hyperspace brings us the thrill of stumbling upon new and mysterious views of knowledge, so too following the links and trails of a visiting friend brought an unexpected view of Manchester.
As a native of Greater Manchester I feel that I should not only welcome you to Hypertext 2007 but also to The City. HT07 promises to be a diverse fusion of research, people and art. Manchester too is a thriving multicultural metropolis with a reputation for academia, the arts and sports. In this respect both HT07 and Manchester compliment each other quite nicely.
Labels: HT07, Hypertext 2007, Links, Lowry, Manchester, Website Design
posted by: Media Chair on Thursday, March 01, 2007
