I went to the GIS Mapping event at the Digital Scholarship Lab with Andrew Sluyter. I initially attended because I wanted to work in different medium (sound, visual, etc.) when it comes to my poetry, and exploring these different visual tools has been part of that process.
I think the mapping system could be really interesting in making interactive poetry landscapes. I want to take into account temporal and spacial elements, as I believe this connects poetry to history, and the historical implication of poetic development.
As the presentation progressed, I learned about the different data entry methods, and how to generate various mapping systems based off that input. I think this would be cool for location poetry: creating maps with data and then implanting poetry in certain locals. I’m thinking specifically of a map which might input different legislation related to disability access: where it was enacted, what types of rulings, etc. Or articles which commented on that legislation, such as those about the ADA. And then ,I can have poems implanted in the visual output of that data-set, set poems as part of that product, to give them context in a larger dialogue.
My poetry automatically has it’s space in this conversation. I think about the time my mother got the school to buy me a one handed keyboard, and the violin extension so I could play. About the 504 plan she signed me up for without my knowledge, which I then found out about from a teacher. My life has been impacted by this “data”, and so now I want to impact it back. Literally, physically. Put my person narrative on the larger system, give it context, and shape.
This is only preliminary thinking. I’d be interested in any other ideas people may have about how to enact this type of project.
Note: It might be interesting if others can also implant their own narratives on this poetry landscape. As far as I know, that wasn’t an option with the GIS Mapping System, where others could interact with the tool on the same level as the original contributor. I think this project would require the interaction of various DH tools if it were to come about, and I’d be interested if anyone saw any working parts which could be combined together to make a creative whole.