You are here
Words and Cobwebs:An Illuminated Text of John Gardner's Grendel
This is an incredible presentation where the words turn to webs - very well done and thoughtful.
My Name is Alma
This is an Illuminated Text by Michael Kenny and Graham Behlow, with text taken from The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. This sequence encompasses most of the last chapter of the book, when Alma Singer and Leo Gursky meet after a whole book of their intertwining narratives. It's an extremely powerful chapter, not only in the sense of the outcome of the story, but in the formatting and constant shifts in narration, as it describes the same situation from two simultaneous and alternating perspectives.The text is set to the song "What Do You Go Home To?" by Explosions in the Sky. [There is so much to like in this presentation: The text becomes transparent - while "Alma" stays on the screen - the scene on the bench between Alma and Leo is wonderfully portrayed - a large circle engulfs them both and the words cover them in an epiphany of understanding. JRS]
There Exists a Longing Between Species an illuminated text by Alyssa Bivins from The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Rosa, is a vibrant young woman, and Zvi is a reserved older man. Their love is ageless. [When our class watched this Illuminated Text there was a series of ooo's and ahhhsss. Our appreciation was both for the technical skills that were displayed in creating this fantastic presentation, but for the ideas, and humanity that were present as well. There is an approciability to this presentation - which at times plays like a beautifully animated cartoon - that draws the viewer in. It is an incredible and sustained piece of work. JRS]
At the Bottom of his Heart: A Flash Illuminated Text on Voltaire's Candide
Ashley Doruelo and Carmen Au takes the viewer on Candide's search for Lady Cunegonde. It begins as Candide's and Cunegonde's "lips met, their eyes flashed..." As both the journey and the Illuminated Text progresses, the students showcase new Flash techniques that neither had previously attempted. They conclude the search by revealing what lingers at the bottom of Candide's heart.
Free as a Bird: An Illuminated Text of The History of Love
Created with Flash, this Illuminated text focuses on the role of Alma's brother Bird in The History of Love.
When I go it will be my heart an Illuminated Text of Julia Krauss's The History of Love
What Leo knows of Truth is his love for Alma (“the only thing I knew”) and he tries to materialize this love through his writing. In The History of Love, organs come to represent the physical manifestation of feelings. Yet, even though the various organs are failing, there still exists a permanence in Leo’s love for Alma: Everything is not dying. [Great inclusion of wonderful lines, like "The eyes that's how I knew her. There are also 100's of different versions of the the word "Alma" - Another line quotes that Leo's "hands fought to tell him everything." This Illuminated Text wonderfully does the same. JRS]
Best of Possible Worlds
Basically shows the harshness of the world that Candide encounters in the beginning chapters, which go against the ideology that we live in "the best of possible worlds."
Laughing & Crying & Writing & Waiting: An Illuminated Text on The History of Love
[Wow! To keep their focus where they want it - the font is blue - love is in red and beats like a heart. All of the text and font choices not only explicate what is going on - they are simply beautiful. The word "writing" becomes a pen and as their presentation says, "without Alma there is no book." The entire presentation is touching without being sentimental - an outstanding presentation. The wonderful thing (one of them) about these projects is that students - when they want to present an effect (like the pen writing) - teach themselves (or goto YouTube where 100's of lessons on Flash are available) how to do it. JRS]
What sort of a world is this?
A boy who loved a girl: An Illuminated Text of Nicole Krauss's The History of Love
This Illuminated Text shows one wonderful way to use a static image in the background: in this case - a heart in the corner. Like the heart that Leo keeps for Alma - always there - always in the back. All of the wonderful action that takes place here occurs in front of that heart. Two animated lovers act and react - the boy gives the girl a heart - and then turns into a man who ultimately tells Leo's side of the story. This is truly an incredible and inspir
Angel: an Illuminated Text on Nicole Krauss' The History of Love
A presentation of an Angel's discovery of man's misery. The text follows the path of a man who comes upon an Angel and in disbelief demands proof. After failing to give evidence that the man would believe, the Angel is sent off plunging into the dark water beneath a pier.
Once upon a time there was a boy
[There is so much in this incredible Illuminated Text that watching it may make you giddy - giddy with the joy of art that went into creating it; giddy with the appreciation of the artist, Monica Villegas, who created it (not to mention the original text, The History of Love, from which it was derived). Again, it is interesting to see the entire genre of Illuminated Text so influenced by one presentation - here pictures and animation are essential to the message of the Illuminated
Searching for Forever
Candide spends the whole novel searching for something better - is it ever enough? Will he ever find "the best of all possible worlds"? We used many different quotes to illustrate the search Candide takes on in this novel, as well as some interesting effects. Set to Pachelbel's Canon in D.
Rocket Pen
We took a new approach focusing on the space aspect as shown by the NASA pen Alma recieved. The pen was a key componet that re appears multiple times in our text. [If you want to see your students react to an Illuminated Text - this is a good choice. While it is quite serious in a larger sense - it also has a wonderful sense of humor. The pen, in question, takes off like a rocket - it writes out much of the story that is portrayed in the Illuminated Text - and yet the story of Alma and Leo and their meeting at the end of the novel ends up being quite serious - and the presentation ends at Leo's tapping out his message. Bittersweet. JRS]
Once upon a Time: An Illuminated Text of Nicole Krauss's History of Love
The word boy turns into an animation of a boy - a girl moves across the screen. These two authors create the perfect fairy tale to illustrate their specific thesis from The History of Love. The boy cries and the years tick off. There is so much that is wonderful and good about this Illuminated Text - when we watched it in class it wowed the entire audience - and it does exactly what a good presentation shoud do - it shows us something that we may not have caught in our first reading and has us see it in a new light.
