Join the Dots

I absolutely loved The 88 Constellations of Wittgenstein; it was so fascinating. For one thing, it continued with the broken up nature of what we have been reading lately, which is something I just realized, since it’s segmented into, obviously, the different constellations, and you can choose which ones you go to and in what order. 

More importantly, the stimulation of all the different aspects of each constellation was so interesting. Some of them were even interactive, (Pisces, for example), which made it that much cooler because you can be a part of it. I think that the way all of the information and material is presented makes it a lot easier to take in and manage because we are given visual representations to go along with what the narrator is saying. With this in mind, we are able to follow along and listen as well as watch what is happening without getting lost in the mix.

Some of the constellations were jarring and creepy the way that the author juxtaposed the elements of sound and image. Using this medium allows the author to play up which aspects need (or want) more emphasis. My favorite was Aquila (Psycho). It incorporated movement, sound, and images, elevating the creepiness and interest that I think it was trying to evoke.

Being able to use all of these things at once makes it so that we can see the interrelationships between things better, especially between the different constellations (the coffee cup image presented itself several times, the elephant/rhinoceros, etc.). I can't imagine how long it would take to gather all of the parts and then put it all together. If I could figure it all out (but I am inept with technology and computer-y stuff) and had the patience, it would be something really amazing to try to do because it achieves something that other collages and stories simply cannot.