Cloud Reader

Cloud Reader pulls poetry from jumbled words.

Cloud Reader creates a generative animation of text passages, determining an appropriate cadence using word length, punctuation and line endings. The words initially appear in a jumbled, wafting cloud until each of them, in turn, zoom forward towards the reader, displayed as originally written.

This project explores the nature of words and language – individual words are made meaningful in a context provided by other words.

The first version of this application uses poems by David St. John, Ellen Bass and Marie Howe. The input can be any text; animations have also been created from the text of the US Constitution and Presidential Debates.

The iPod-compatible video: David St. John’s poem “Hush”, Marie Howe’s “Reunion”

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This project was originally created for the 2×2 class at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunication Program. In this class we explored the design considerations for creating media for mobile devices. More class work is available on the class blog.