OK, continuing the "ephemerality in execution verses the pain-staking time in preparation" theme i mentioned in the previous post, the new Guinness advert sprang to mind. It utilizes the domino cause and effect scheme with objects other than just dominoes, from books to flaming hay bails. This sequential process expresses the above idea perfectly, it takes a single, simple motion from the user to trigger a chain reaction that would have taken days, weeks and possibly months of planning and setting up on the authors behalf.
Honda had a very similar ad a few years back which uses car equipment for exactly the same purpose. I prefer this Honda version of the domino effect because it is mechanized and therefore more in keeping with the feel of the brief. In addition it is also a more intricate setup and so more elaborate once executed.
A second theme i have been exploring is the idea that interactivity is a subtle means of manipulation. I think i would like to exploit this point in my project manifestation. Rather than the user controlling the work, it is the text itself that is actually operating the reader and directing them to an overall goal, all the while the reader believing they are acting independently and of their own accord. The Lev Manovich text "The Myth of Interactivity" was an excellent read in regards to this concept. His arguement that hyperlinks, which form the basis of online interactivity, are pre-determined paths through information and therefore equating the user to follow someone elses thought process, rather than making their own natural associations, fascinated me and has a lot of scope for expansion.
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