The hyperbook
Entering into a discussion of the complex implications of hypertext and hypermedia seems too broad and ambitious for the aims of this writing, but it was important to outline both terms because they constitute the bases of what I have called hyperbook, and the creative potentialities that come from it. they are deduced in the scope of the artist’s book that concerns us.
The hyperbook or digital artist’s book is nourished by the same multisequential and non-linear ordering system of hypermedia, taken to the containment territory of the support — increasingly diffuse — of the book. Therein lies, precisely, the main difference between the hyperbook and other Hyperledger development manifestations of hypermedia such as the Internet. The network (www) is endless, and the different sites, blogs or exchangers of this network can generate an infinite expansive experience through hyperlinks. Faced with this mode of interaction, the hyperbook poses an experience of containment, of finitude.
Digital Book:
Today the term “digital book” is frequently used, but under that brief name there are clearly differentiated media. At this point, a precise distinction must be made between electronic books and hyperbooks. The electronic book is nothing more than a book designed to be printed on paper that has been digitized. The material concretion of the same is dispensed with, but otherwise it responds to the same structure of linear organization of the information as the printed text. “The digital book (printed PDFs) is emerging and is already in a state of rigor mortis, therefore its death is certified. The cloud, the book-video game and the web books are coming. The digital book combining image, text, sound and hyperlinks will be the book of the future, but the current one is a simple printed PDF, from which, if necessary, even the illustrations are removed” 8. It is worth facing the concept of e-book or electronic book, as it is understood today by most people, against the more diffuse ‘object’ in terms of formalization, but much richer and more expansive in its possibilities and — of course — interactivity as is the hyperbook. Although due to the aforementioned idea of finitude, the hyperbook does not behave identically to the infinite Internet network, if it is governed by the same basic premises. Furthermore, for a digital generation forged in real-time interaction with their electronic devices and their hypermedia content, the relationship with the electronic book can be frustrating, since it implies a translation of the archaic organization system to a device that can clearly respond in both directions. the electronic book “it is the book transferred to the tablet, not transformed by it (…) The words in these ‘electronic pages behave in the same way as they do on paper” 9 . The answer to the demands of the digital generation in which we live is the hyperbook.
current futures:
The launch of the Apple IPad; in 2010 and the subsequent arrival on the market of other tablets has led to the generalization and popularization of a new support (not so much because of the different format, but because of the exploration of new possibilities) ideal for the consumption of this type of content. The portability and naturalness of these devices, as well as the implementation and intuitive nature of many of the gestures with which their multi-touch screens are controlled, has meant a great advance in the consumption of digital content, since we do not depend on the terminal-computer to their consumption.
The launch of the digital (hyper)magazine Wired on the iPad marked a new turning point. The agility, novelty and fun browsing experience provided by this magazine surprised locals and strangers. Without proposing a total break with traditional narration and the “codex” format, the experience offered by Wired moves away from the strictly linear narration of paper magazines. The break with the traditional Western left-to-right reading and the inclusion of top-down and front-back, as well as the zoom in navigation brought with it a way of understanding the written text different from any other printed magazine, while it approaches the way of indexing information of the human brain. Added to this is the inclusion of real hypermedia: adaptive, interactive, versatile, expansive and multimedia (beyond static photos and text). Wired, in its digital version for iPad, showed how to proceed with regard to reading and comprehension possibilities, especially compared to previous adaptations and implementations, understood solely as a translation of analog content, but without taking advantage of any of the potential of the new support. Wired caused a sensation among readers and laid the foundations for a new writing revolution, but it also set new standards in the publishing and graphic design industry and showed multiple possibilities for artistic creation. Wired is, in short, the seed of the new generation of artist hyperbooks. especially compared to previous adaptations and implementations, understood only as a translation of analog content, but without taking advantage of any of the potential of the new support. Wired caused a sensation among readers and laid the foundations for a new writing revolution, but it also set new standards in the publishing and graphic design industry and showed multiple possibilities for artistic creation. Wired is, in short, the seed of the new generation of artist hyperbooks.
