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Critical Web Design Wiki

2.0 Context

Overview
In Chapter 2 readers will learn about copyleft practices and concrete poetry while reimagining a quote from a design manifesto for the browser using HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Following the prompts in Chapter 2, readers will choose a license for their manifesto/concrete poem and cite their source in the console.

Free Information

Section titled “Free Information”

This video highlights ideas presented in the Context portion of Chapter 2 View Source, originally made for students enrolled in Internet Studio 1 at UTD.

An image of The New York Times from the developer console. This ASCII art image of The New York Times logo can only be viewed by using developer features found in all web browsers. See more at https://omundy.github.io/console.love

A-side and B-side views of the tape. Dead Kennedys, “In God We Trust, Inc.” cassette tape. Side B of the Dead Kennedys’ 1981 album, “In God We Trust, Inc.” features the message “Home taping is killing record industry profits! We left this side blank so you can help.” This cassette tape encouraged sharing and free distribution before the rise of Napster and other digital sharing websites.

Case Study

Section titled “Case Study”

Screenshot of MSCHF’s The FREE Movie. MSCHF, web interface for crowdsourced drawing, The FREE Movie, 2019 (ongoing).

Chapter Prompt

Section titled “Chapter Prompt”

Poem Think After completing the exercises in this chapter you will create a work of expressive typography based on a manifesto of your choice.

Design Manifestos

Section titled “Design Manifestos”

A list of manifestos by artists, designers, and engineers:

Screenshot of Molleindustria’s BIG DATA. BIG DATA is a manifesto written and designed by Molleindustria https://molleindustria.org/files/BIG-DATA.html that mimics Tristan Tzara’s 1921 Dadaist manifesto design. See Tzara’s DADA soulève tout in the Museum of Modern Art’s online collection, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/184054.

Concrete Poetry

Section titled “Concrete Poetry”

Screenshot of Guillaume Apollinaire’s Calligrammes. Guillaume Apollinaire, Calligrammes book of concrete poetry, 1918. Courtesy of the Public Domain Review website.

Screenshot of the Getty Research Institute’s 2017 Concrete Poetry exhibit. Open (Abre), Augusto de Campos and Julio Plaza, Poemobiles 1968-1974, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (92-B21581).This work is featured in the Getty Research Institute’s 2017 exhibition, Concrete Poetry: Words and Sounds in Graphic Space. View this and additional works.

ASCII art of Tweety Bird cartoon with the phrase “Smash the Patriarchy” “SMASH THE PATRIARCHY” ASCII art found in DevTools console “What is Code?” by Paul Ford.

Animation frame, "BUST DOWN THE DOOR!" “BUST DOWN THE DOOR!” by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, 2000 animated text synched to a jazz soundtrack. https://www.yhchang.com/BUST_DOWN_THE_DOOR!_V.html