The goal of this performance was to take on the role of a historian presenting the historical importance that was the prohibition of keyboards as a result of a culture heavily invested in the benefits of copy and paste as a method for creation. The presentation is given after prohibition has been lifted. However, much like the prohibition of alcohol, once the ban was lifted, regulatory measures were put in place to maintain a level of control.

I first wrote the history that resulted in the justified elimination of keyboards. This lead me to a series of questions about how different aspects of the culture would react if copy and paste were the standard mode of writing, by law, as apposed to being viewed, by some, as an illegal method of creation. The performance of the presentation became the method in which to deliver this story. The development of the presentation as narrative performance was also an exploration of writing. In order to develop an informative presentation, I needed to fabricate the artifacts that were used to make my character’s case. This included several pages of the bill that was accepted into law (which can be viewed here… and should be read very closely), fake office party pictures, videos shot from “old machines back at the lab” that were the only machines to display the files we’ve pieced back together, and even signs from the everyday in order to show the mundane residual impacts of such a system change. I also tried to use actual items, unaltered, from the current day but wrap them in a different story to further the discussion about how this could and is impacting a cultural exchange.

The project raises questions about several issues. The main issue is that of the continued pervasiveness of sample or remix culture. However, I also wanted to use this framework to mention other issues that we will face in the future. This includes the implication of direct literacy divisions within a particular culture, issues of water availability, the impact technology can have on education, and the ridiculousness  brought about by current MEdia.