Andy Campbell, Dreamingmethods.com

Here is an exceptional site in literary new media:
http://dreamingmethods.com by Andy Campbell from the UK.

I have yet to explore this site as thoroughly as I believe it deserves but
have, so far, spent about an hour perusing several works. They're the sort
of works that require multiple viewings/readings. You glimpse, initially.
And you're not quite sure what you're glimpsing.

The pieces are, in some sense, made of glimpses. They involve elements of
narrative but do not seem to have the full meal deal concerning story. They
glimpse into story. Are tantalizing in that one wonders what they add up to
and how deeply one can go in such directions.

These are works created, in part, with Flash. They are distinctively visual.
Somewhat cinematic. Interactive. Textual. Atmospherically sonic. Dark and
brooding.

"Surface" is described as "A matrix of memories, fragmented thoughts,
animated scribbles, poetry and narratives from a protagonist who has burned
every last one of his material belongings." The synopsis of another is this:
"Living alone and secluded, an elderly man keeps a surreal record of his
dreams as he is slowly poisoned by his gas fire leaking carbon monoxide."

I appreciate the way Campbell is working integrally with text, image, sound,
interactivity/interface, fiction, poetry, the cinematic, and the overall
notion of the site as literary work. Integrally and also centrally with
incompleteness. All of the pieces are fragmentary. Glimpsing.

Campbell himself describes the site like this:

"Dreaming Methods projects are created as an exploration into innovative new
approaches to writing. They use the unique potential of the internet and
multimedia to blend unusual, creative narratives with other art forms.
These works are not "e-books" or hypertext sites in the traditional sense,
nor do they adhere to the usual styles and standards incorporated into
"quality" Flash sites. The aim of Digital Fiction is to use Flash to create
interesting ways of telling stories and creating abstract narratives; to
offer a blend of challenging writing, entertainment and interaction."

"Digital Fiction as a reading experience offers a purposely, almost
naturally, fragmented narrative; sentences, happenings, cut off as though
erased, re-emerge elsewhere; complex text animations allow only random
fleeting glimpses of what is or what might be going on; the choice is yours
not only in which direction you click or scroll - but in which direction you
allow the narrative to take you. Or, in which direction you wish to take the
narrative."

ja