Feel the Ghosts Hanging around in the Shape of Love
Xr Immersive poemscape, 2023
Exhibited: Pratt Institute (HASTAC), New York, 2023
British Library, London, 2023
Performed:: ELO
About THE PROJECT
Immersive yourself in the poem
Feel the ghosts hanging around in the shape of love is an immersive webXR poetry experience accessible via their smartphone, from any location. The full navigable area is about 500 sq feet, but can be overlayed on any space. A walkthrough of the experience is recorded here.
the central text
The central text was composed during a residency in computational creativity at the Banff Centre . The text is computationally generated based on an archive of poems I've written over the past decade. Visuals were created using AI-image generation tools and for this version the AR components were built using Aero (a later version used 8th Wall).
context
The work involves co-creation with machines, combinatory poetics, and a navigable environment that emerged iteratively as I wrote, imported imagery, coded and reworked.
This queer feminist work reflects a broad commitment to creative practices and research-creation that challenges oppressive power structures and involves a critical exploration of extended reality (AR/VR/MR). The resulting work is surprising, erotic, makes new space for poetry in empty hallways, registration lines and hotel rooms, queering spaces by creating meaning at the intersection of real world conference locations and literary augmentation, remixing a lesbian poetry archive, overlaying spoken word and a visual world, co-created between poet and machine. The experience lasts about 5 minutes. Best with headphones.
excerpt
The girl’s body soft as oatmeal
And smelling like opium
at lunch I go to her with the eyes of a car.
diamonds move within us
Ancient. new Look: we made this.
This potent Deep dive into two people
fold enough of them together for a long staircase
Narrow and dirty might as well be fucking Ithaca.
standstillstandstillstandstill hands together, fragile,
Each other’s most beautiful and impossible pressure
Look: we made this.
Reach out, feel the ghosts hanging around in
The shape of love
A clear golden shot from my soul to your bed,
screaming your name.
Try it
