User:Kiara/Research/draft project proposal

Research Contents
General page
— Notes ——— Prototypes ——— Try Out Nights
— Project Proposal ——— Drafts ——— Final
— Thesis Outline ——— Drafts ——— Final
— (more or less) Rapid Prototypes ——— WebSpell Prototypes ——— Workshops

drafts

third draft [up to date]

1_ What do you want to make? Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models and fascism - ideologies that often (if not constantly) go hand in hand - are overly present in the (online) landscape nowadays. I would thus like to create a toolkit for resistance, that merges web practices, magic and connection to the body. I am not yet entirely sure how to involve the physical body into it, but I get some inspiration from Luna Maurer's work and from the way the act of coding relates to body gestures. The toolkit is meant for everyone who feels connected to the topic. It should reach both experienced practitioners and amateurs seeking how to enter the web without using big-tech platforms; and should invite for it to be shared, widespread. Mastodon post by Miriam Suzanne mentioning CSS rituals I understand magic as intuition, connection to our own feelings and emotions and intention. It has an impact on us and we can also influence it (e.g through intention). The investigation I am leading on how web languages connect to rituals and spell writing helps me define a relationship between magic and the web. Form-wise, I instinctively imagine a website, a zine, stickers,... to showcase tools, ideas, tips and examples on how to use the web as a magical means of resistance, and how we can (re)connect our bodies to web crafting. After attending the Internet Crash Course, where Luna Maurer mentioned Designing Friction, I am wondering: Can I shift my own practice of CSS-print towards making something that would encourage togetherness? How to encourage people to create, collaborate and interact with themselves, each other, the code, the computer? Questions that also relate to magic: magic circles and collective rituals. I would also like to allow for intuition, interpretation, subjectivity, searching and finding, wandering,... I have to corner the materiality and shape of the project a bit better. 2_ How do you plan to make it? So far I have been reading and web-browsing, gathering material. I also started some conversations with people leading committed web practices: ☼ Doriane Timmermans, artist and researcher, started the declarations research project about the poetic materiality of CSS and "its visual-political-cultural echoes on design-artistic practices and our daily lives"; ☼ Raphaël Bastide, multidisciplinary artist, works at making the web a more open and accessible place. His work involves web crafting, writing, music and performance; ☼ Miriam Suzanne, web developer and member of the W3C CSS working group, writes articles and code to promote the values of indie web and human collaboration, while making standards for building websites; ☼ Roos Groothuizen, digital artist part of the Telemagic collective, recently started hosting neocities code-a-thons at .zip in Rotterdam and initiated a Rotterdam-based webring from it. 3_ What is your time table? September-November Gathering hunches, observing, framing the subject Collecting and investigating November-December Writing the first chapter (!!!) January-April Keep on writing and prototyping the project April-June Designing the project Test runs 4_ Why do you want to make it? Control/Oppression -> Resistance/Collaboration/Counter-culture (magic) -> Appropriation -> Mainstream/Capitalisation -> Repeat The current stage of ultra-capitalism we witness is promoting and making all the space necessary for the rise of fascism and fake positivity; by feeding us on extracted and appropriated content, seamlessness and smoothness. Paraphrasing historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga, one of the first signs of rising fascism is the switch from playfulness to seriousness. In answer to that, I'll refer to melonking, a web crafter advocating for silliness in creation. > Objective n.1: for the sake of the messy, the chaotic, the playful we bear in ourselves as humans. Secondly, GenAI is called "the new magic", is dressed up as if and deceiving people into this idea with no effort. I strongly disagree with that, one reason being the paradox and the problems it bears: western history hints that magic is mostly tied to oppression, looked upon as harmful, negative, unaccepted or foolish (stage magicians, illusionists, etc.); it is a counter-culture. If magic is to be punished for, how come using GenAI is not? Ultra-capitalists glamorised GenAI through appropriation of a magic jargon for their own interests, that have actually nothing to do with magic. It is therefore important to act: magic relies on observation but demands action. > Objective n.2: taking a strong step into the resistance, reclaiming. 5_ Who can help you and how? ☼ Lídia Pereira & Manetta Berends: guidance through research and prototyping ☼ Miriam Suzanne: CSS wizard, had a chat with her regarding her relationship and views towards (CSS)web and magic ☼ Raphaël Bastide: his practice of code is quite atypical and creative, it seems very sketchy yet assertive. His projects often end up quite magical and very avant-garde in a way. ☼ Noémie A., my best friend, for the existential crisis times when I question the whole project ☼ Roos Groothuizen with the neocities code-a-thon and her input in conversations ☼ Kendal Beynon, doing a PhD on internet history and particularly DIY communities and digital folklore ☼ Charlie Muniken with the massive amount of references they share with me 6_ Relation to previous practice ☼ Interest for the unseen and the various manifestations and forms magic can take ☼ Website crafting and CSS-print practice, specifically: ☼ an idea I have to create: an Alice in Wonderland themed website - showcasing mazy/non-linear navigation, peculiar interactions and/or apparitions, etc.; ☼ Babel, a website based on Borges' short-story, enacting the intertwining and layering of the library into a "Terms of Use" mock-up (french only); ☼ Rêves Party, a playful hybrid publication. A collection of texts taken from French literature inviting to dream and wander; the texts are chosen for their relation to time, dreaming, travelling, wandering, escaping. The narration is non-linear: the texts are not sorted by their publication date but by a logical way in which they respond to one another. It lives both as a web interface and a printed booklet; ☼ Tumblr page building when I was a teenager ☼ Participation to the Indie Web Guide built by Wing Pang in 2024 ☼ Lost in Narration, a collective participatory installation built for Special Issue 25: Sounds of Making ☼ The Supervisual Hyperzine, an extensive image-only zine gathering visual experiments made with CSS during Special Issue 26: Display & Position 7_ Relation to a larger context As all those practices - resisting systemic oppression, aforementioned web practices, magic - are highly political as for instance they relate to everything that is at the heart of systemic oppression nowadays: sexuality, gender, ethnics, ethics, left-wing movements, etc. In addition, for years, since the beginning of what is called "web3.0", many web crafters have stated their belief that the web was dying and needed to be saved. More and more, we can read articles and essays about "indie web", "small web", "rebuilding the web" and other related topics. They more or less all prone a return to personal websites and a drift away from corporate-owned media. In this panel of actions, we also find projects tagged as "cyber witchraft" or such. In 2025, after the COVID pandemic and the rising of extremes as country-leaders, these practices are getting more and more numerous. I feel strongly connected to those beliefs and practices, this is my contribution to that virtuous circle. 8_ References ☼ Bastide, R. (2025) being a script ☼ Berners-Lee, T. (2025) This is for everyone, London Macmillan ☼ Breeze, M. (2001) Datableed ☼ Cardon, D. (2019) Culture Numérique, Paris Presses de Sciences-Po (Les petites humanités) ☼ Dukes, R. (2000) SSOTBME Revised: An Essay on Magic, Great-Britain El-Cheapo Books ☼ Gryllaki, A. (2020) Syster Papyri Magicae, Rotterdam Piet Zwart Institute ☼ Haute, L. O. (2016) Cyberwitches manifesto ☼ Maudet, N.; Beignon, A. and Thibault, T. (2025) Imposing AI: Deceptive design patterns against sustainability ☼ Maurer, L. (2024) Luna not Luna ☼ Sutcliffe, J. (2021) MAGIC, London Whitechapel Gallery ☼ Timmermans, D. (since 2023) declarations ☼ Tisselli, E. (2005) De-generative ☼ van Gemert, V. (2025) The web you want (2025)

second draft [deprecated]

Read it >>>

1_ What do you want to make?

In the video game jargon, a DLC (downloadable content) is an extension to a game that comes in addition to a game, often (but not always) for an additional cost. A DLC enhances the gaming experience and can provide a story-line focusing on a specific character for example. In that way, the project here described poses as a DLC, an extension for the thesis (that will not induce payment). The project is a website aiming to further investigate the key concepts outlined in the thesis. The thesis aims to investigate the intricate relationship between the magic and the web. It does so by observing and analyzing some practices, as well as the core functioning of the web. This website will thus extend that investigation by providing a live example. As I specialize in hybrid publication, conveying this message and illustrating the statement will be done through 2 main aspects: a/ Form Form is shape. Magic as a concept deals with metamorphosis and shape-shifting, which is a key aspect in building this website. The interactions, visitor (user) experience and architecture of the website will be depicting this. Keywords such as treasure hunt, randomness/randomization, in/visible, easter eggs ((meta) references hidden in plain sight, meant to be found but not too easily, in a playful way), maze, wandering or non-linearity are at play here. b/ Content Content is the readable, legible way through which the statement will be made clear, understandable, accessible. It relies on the research and the study of the subject, rendered accessible through a collection of (cross-)references, personal input, examples and even maybe the prototypes I'll be making throughout the year. In a nutshell, the content of the website will also be hybrid and versatile: extracts of conversations, short writings, links to external resources, snapshots of a personal practice linked to the research here conducted. It is a subtle maze of textual and visual content, connected by the power of hyperlink. The web is a powerful tool used by all political wings over the world, the project will bear that political aspect as well. The magic is formed by intuition and the way this intuition gets validated or not through observation and personal experience. This personal statement of mine is very relevant in the context of this project as the need to validate an intuition is transformed into action by the intentions we (humans) put into it. Simply put, one has an intuition (feeling, hunch, etc.); to validate the accuracy of that intuition, one will put intention into observation, actions towards that answer. Those actions can be very internalized and unconscious, yet they are very much present. Intention being the key word here, it connects the magic to the political side of the web, because politics is about intentions. In that bearing of intention, this project will be highly political, antifascist, anti-bot, anti-AI, anti-capitalistic, etc. It will be an ode to minorities, an ode to the feminine/yin energies of the world. It will be poetic, mystical, playful and just the right amount of disturbing. It is meant to raise questions, not to be agreed with blindly. It is a tool (maybe not the right word) for empowerment and resistance. [how? why?]

2_ How do you plan to make it?

Writing the thesis will provide content for the website: text extracts, interviews, analysis, etc. While researching and writing for the thesis, I will create a database of web pages and their associated links (<a>). It will also include extra content, views; additional content, a DLC in a way. Once the content is laid down, the thesis will be handed over to the examination jury and thus will begin the designing part: interactions, randomization, easter-eggs, hyperlinks and the visual interface. (Maybe there will be a CSS-print function, but that is not a key feature.)

3_ What is your timetable?

September-April

Reading, discussing and writing the thesis: Gathering references, reading, investigating, listening to audio/video content, running interviews and analysis Selecting and laying out content into the thesis Mapping the website (the architecture of the hyperlinks) Selecting and adding content to the website (plain HTML)

April-June

Designing the website: Graphics & visual interface (CSS) Navigation; interactions (CSS + JS)

4_ Why do you want to make it?

This project has a multiple intentions: Resistance: magic is political, the web is political so this whole research project (including thesis) is obviously political. When extreme political power rise, the first layers of society they impeach are human rights (specifically those of wxmen and minorities) and culture. Both magic and web are spaces/practices deeply rooted into culture and/or feminity, as well as activism and providing safe online spaces and communities to the oppressed. Thus the website here described aims to be a tool against rising -isms (particularly fascism right now). Poetry and beauty: beside being political matters, the web and magic are also very poetic. This will be further documented in the thesis, providing examples, but a few can be listed here as appetizers --- De-generative / Cyberwitches Manifesto / Library of Babel / Code-Poetry / Datableed (mezangelle) / Dasha Ilina's website / Youpron / Mac Garden Themes Archive ... Expanding the thesis: the character limit is quite short, so to illustrate further my point, I am practicing it. Hacking the grading system by expanding the thesis' content into the project itself.

5_ Who can help you and how?

☼ Marloes de Valk and Lídia Pereira: broader context, writing help and references, tutoring ☼ Doriane Timmermans: we share research interests and practices + her research project declarations is closely linked and nourishing my own research ☼ Rosa Schuurmans, Louisa Teichmann and Roos Groothuizen in the context of prikbord.page; and relation to XPUB as well as indie web? ☼ Isabelle Cargol: conversations about magic flows and energies, unseen/invisible manifestations, etc. ☼ Lucile Haute: her work is quite inspiring, I would love to chat with her as she is an experienced (cyber)witch ☼ Miriam Suzanne: CSS wizard, she wrote about CSS rituals, would also love to have a chat with her regarding her relationship and views towards (CSS)web and magic ☼ Raphaël Bastide: his practice of code is quite atypical and creative, it seems very assertive in its sketchiness. His project often end up quite magical and very avant-garde in a way. He also wrote this that relates a lot to my topic ☼ Noémie A., my best friend, for the existential crisis times when I question the whole project

6_ Relation to previous practice

☼ Tarot readings, tarot designing (trial), interest for the invisible and the various manifestations and forms magic can take ☼ Basically website crafting and CSS-print practice since 4 years now, specifically: ☼ an idea I haven't developed yet, for an Alice in Wonderland themed website - showcasing mazy/non-linear navigation, peculiar interactions and/or apparitions, etc. Very inspired from this zine I made a few years ago; ☼ Babel, a website based on Borges' short-story, enacting the intertwining and layering of the library into a "Terms of Use" mock-up (french only); ☼ Rêves Party (2021 grad project) is a playful hybrid publication. A collection of texts taken from French literature inviting to dream and wander; the texts are chosen for their relation to time, dreaming, traveling, wandering, escaping. The narration is obviously non-linear as the texts are not sorted by their publication date but by a logical way in which the texts respond to one another. Since 2021, the book has gained 4 texts, rising the total up to 8, and I plan on making an English version, based on British/American literature. It lives both as a web interface and a printed booklet; ☼ Lilas Prose's website who's work is rooted in poetry, femininity, re/up-cycling and repurposing. Key concepts that are conveyed by her website pertaining to the indie web. ☼ Participation to the Indie Web Guide built by Wing Pang in 2024

7_ Relation to a larger context This project falls into the realm of magic and esoterism and alchemy (transforming, shaping); the realm of hyperlinks, interconnections, sharing networks and energies. It is tied to the indie web, web-making as a craft, web languages as a form of poetry - and expression. It also relates to various practices around online community building, blogging, archiving, highlighting, forecasting the unseen, but also practices such as (re)building the web, shaping the web we want, online resistance and algorithmic sabotage. It is also cuddling with the notions of hacking and hacktivism.

8_ References/bibliography

1. Previous XPUB works ☼ Syster Papyri Magicae, Artemis Gryllaki, 2020 ☼ Let's Talk About Unspeakable Things, Angeliki Diakrousi, 2019 ☼ Unlearning the Rules of Collectivity, Giulia de Giovanelli, 2018 2. About non-linearity, browsing, investigating and poetic/contemplating navigation/exploration ☼ Outer Wilds ☼ De-generative ☼ Cyberwitches Manifesto ☼ Library of Babel ☼ Code-Poetry ☼ Datableed (mezangelle) ☼ Dasha Ilina's website ☼ Youpron ☼ Mac Garden Themes Archive ... 3. About magic in general ☼ An essay on magic, Ramsey Dukes (2000) ☼ Cyberwitches manifesto, Lucile Olympe Haute (2016) ☼ XPUB SI 26 with Doriane and especially the stylesheet we wrote on octomode (2025) ☼ Witch, BBC radio podcast (2023) 4. About the web ☼ This is for everyone, Tim Berners-Lee (2025)

first draft [deprecated]

Read it >>>

1_ What do you want to make?

Something that is poetic and maybe a bit mystical, that highlights the links between wxmen, magic, community building and the internet as an intertwined network of links. Probably a web interface offering a non-linear browsing experience. ((hyperlink ~~ hyperfeminine))

2_ How do you plan to make it?

The elements listed below might very well end up being a prototype, this one in particular ☼ Collecting — Through readings, for now the idea is to collect and showcase a collection of ideas and principles revolving around the concepts and ideas highlighted in this draft. ☼ Reflecting — After gathering those collections, I will add on them: connecting them and adding my own thoughts. ☼ Connecting: fiction — An idea that may or may not be implemented is to insert narration, to create a journey, guided by themes interconnecting the topics and thus creating a non-linear travel through them.

3_ What is your timetable?

September-November — Reading, discussing and getting a more precise idea of the thesis outline November-December — Getting to the core of the actual project, precising prototypes, precising the project proposal From January on — Keeping Jean-Claude in perfect balance between writing and making

4_ Why do you want to make it?

One reason is quite obviously to highlight the statements of the thesis Highlighting the magic of the web(?)

5_ Who can help you and how?

☼ Marloes de Valk and Lídia Pereira for broader context, writing help and references ☼ Doriane Timmermans for collaborative creation and community building ☼ Zineb Ammar, my friend, and the whole GoLibreGirls collective we are building together ☼ Rosa Schuurmans, Louisa Teichmann and Roos Groothuizen in the context of prikbord.page; and relation to XPUB as well as indie web? ☼ Isabelle Cargol with conversations on reconnecting to our inner strength, the power of the Earth and the cosmos, the sacred feminine and unseen/invisible manifestations ☼ Lucile Haute ☼ Miriam Suzanne

6_ Relation to previous practice

☼ This past year, I have been building Lilas Prose's website. Her work is rooted in poetry, femininity, recycling and repurposing, so for her website we worked in tied collaboration, and the website is now available, in a temporary shape until I can safely transfer it into a CMS so Lilas can use and modify it by herself and thus gain full autonomy on it. ☼ My graduation project in 2021, Rêves Party, is a collection of texts taken from French literature, inviting to dream and wander. The texts are chosen for their relation to time, dreaming, traveling, wandering, escaping. The narration is obviously non-linear as the texts are not sorted by their publication date but by a logical way in which the texts respond to one another. Since 2021, the book has gained 4 texts, one being from Lilas Prose, and I plan on making an English version, based on British/American literature.

7_ Relation to a larger context Relates to magic and esoterism and alchemy (transforming, shaping), hyperlinks, interconnections, sharing networks and energies.

Previous notes on research topics that could very much end up feeding the global picture ☼ Patience | Learning. Making puzzles. Coding and debugging (links to the Handmade Web text by JR Carpenter and her praising of smallness and slowness as key points of the handmade web). Designing. Writing. Reading. Relationships. Activism. Making a change. Taking part/Taking action. Maintaining. It is all around us. Zoning out. Attention deficit. Daydreaming. How they communicate, intertwine, fail. Automation. Tricks. Hacks. Getting around the issues? --- [About slowness - discussion on Executing Micro-Temporality] if the throbber appears I'm just closing the page, I'm not going to wait for that! and our relationship towards instantaneous against patience/taking the time ☼ Femininity and magic | something I considered researching at first was the symbols of the sacred and the invisible. This rose by reading Brigitte Pietzark's book, in which she transcribes conversations she has with entities from the invisible world. This relationship to the unseen and the realm of souls is deeply tied to magic representations such as witches, but also deeply rooted in the feminine. 8_ References/bibliography 1. Previous XPUB works ☼ Syster Papyri Magicae, Artemis Gryllaki, 2020 ☼ Let's Talk About Unspeakable Things, Angeliki Diakrousi, 2019 ☼ Unlearning the Rules of Collectivity, Giulia de Giovanelli, 2018 2. About non-linearity, browsing, investigating and poetic/contemplating navigation/exploration ☼ Outer Wilds ☼ 3. About magic in general ☼ An essay on magic, Ramsey Dukes (2000) ☼ Cyberwitches manifesto, Lucile Olympe Haute (2016) ☼ XPUB SI 26 with Doriane and especially the stylesheet we wrote on octomode (2025) ☼ Witch, BBC radio podcast (2023) 4. About the web ☼ This is for everyone, Tim Berners-Lee (2025)