Josh Weihnacht
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Text & Hypertext
Disney vs Debord

Disney vs Debord
Disney vs Debord:
Methods and Ideologies for Manipulating the Viewer through Space
Essay  |  Oct 1999


Guy Debord and the Situationists theorized about the psychological impact of space on the viewer. However, their work was mostly confined to writing, drawing, and architectural models. Walt Disney, although he did theorize about it, did build theme parks with spaces designed for their psychological effects on the viewer. However, while the Situationists believed that these spaces should be constantly altered by active inhabitants according to their needs and whims, Walt Disney's spaces sought to comfort and entertain their more passive inhabitants. These differing approaches to constructing physical spaces for psychological effect can suggest strategies for the design of interactive computer spaces.

The View as Art
The Viewer as Art Essay  |  Apr 1997


An essay about the art of Bruce Nauman in relation to Roland Barthes theory of the text. The idea of the "Death of the Author", in which the power to create meaning is transferred from the artist to the viewer, is explored along with techniques that again transfer this power to the work itself.

(dis)Embodiment
(dis)Embodiment Web Site  |  Apr 1998


This mediation on the multiplex cinema's combines images, theoretically writing, personal accounts, and text from the cineplex company. Each type of description appears in its own frame but links to content in another frame. By displaying both the source and destination of the link at the same time, connections between these modes of knowledge are emphasized.

The Transformers Museum
The Transformers Museum Web Site  |  Feb 1998

An investigation of the cultural values and crisis expressed in the TV show, The Transformers.
Diagram of the Web
Diagram of the Web Web Site  |  Dec 1997


A reflection on the interconnections between systems theory, emerging technology, life, and society. Each link highlights connections between disparate content and opens this new material in a different frame, facilitating the visualization of the the interconnections.