"SpecLab" argues that humanists must actively design models of knowledge for the digital age, shaping how culture functions, by using critical practices and aesthetic principles to challenge technology's authority. The book presents projects from the University of Virginia's SpecLab, a digital humanities laboratory that undertakes ambitious, experimental endeavors. These projects, inspired by graphic arts, experimental literature, and computation, aim to expose the structures underlying interpretation and create new possibilities for the future.
Drucker uses these case studies to illustrate how humanistic inquiry can intersect with computing. The book highlights the importance of embracing "risky projects with serious aims" to develop digital knowledge models that are not solely based on analytic frameworks but also incorporate aesthetic and critical perspectives. Readers gain insight into specific experiments and the broader implications for cultural and intellectual development in a technologically driven world.
Key concepts
- Speculative computing — Computing that allows for risky projects with serious aims, pushing the boundaries of technology and humanistic inquiry.
- Subjective Meteorology — An experimental project undertaken by SpecLab focusing on non-analytic approaches to understanding phenomena.
- Artists’ Books Online — A project from SpecLab that explores the intersection of art, literature, and digital dissemination.
- ’Patacritical Demon — An unrealized interactive tool designed to expose interpretive structures within texts.
- Models of knowledge for the digital age — Frameworks for understanding and organizing information that humanists play a role in designing to shape future culture.