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=== Context ===
=== What do you want to make? ===
==== What will the text be about? ====
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. <br>
Through this research I want to investigate how, via their shared political involvement, magic and the web intertwine, communicate, connect and can thus be used as leverage for resistance in a globalised context of rising fascism and way-too-fast adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models, such as large language models or image generation<ref>eg.: ChatGPT, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, but also the AI "assistant" implemented in office or design software and in web search</ref>. <br>
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<ref>https://declarations.style/texts/2025-10-27_words.html#css-as-a-shift-from-gestures-to-words</ref>. <br>
The idea is to find answer(s) to the question: (how) are magic practices and web practices connected and (how) can we use those bridges to build an online resistance to GenAi and fascism, by involving more sensibility? <br>
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.
I hope to be extensive enough in this search, keeping in mind that my hunch might be wrong.
[[File:css-rituals.png|thumb|<small>Mastodon post by Miriam Suzanne mentioning CSS rituals</small>|center|409x409px]]


'''1/ What do I refer to as "magic"?'''<br>
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).<br>
I understand magic as intuition and intention, connection to our own feelings and emotions. As a mystery that is greater than us, which has an impact on us but which we can also influence (e.g through intention). I do not wish to focus on specific practices (as in fortune-telling, illusions, spells or potions and invocations) but will mention some of those practices as they appear as web-magic practices, like cyber-witchcraft. I will however mention spells and incantations as a mode of writing, to investigate the connections they might share with web languages. I also wish to refer to magic as a (folk)lore.
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.


'''2/ What do I mean by "the web"?'''<br>
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. <br>
The web here will be observed both as practices (web design, community building, etc.) and for its core (programming languages, intentions of Tim Berners-Lee (TimBL), its creator). I will also describe some specific practices such as online activism, digital folklore and GenAI to illustrate my investigation.
After attending the [https://v2.nl/events/crash-course-2025/ Internet Crash Course], where Luna Maurer mentioned [https://designingfriction.com/ 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.


=== How will that story be told? (form and mode of address) ===
=== How do you plan to make it? ===
The text should reflect detective investigation and sort-of-sociological approach without falling in an academic "take my word for a fact" tone.
So far I have been reading and web-browsing, gathering material. I also started some conversations with people leading committed web practices: <br>
☼ Doriane Timmermans, artist and researcher, started the [https://declarations.style declarations] research project about the poetic materiality of CSS and "its visual-political-cultural echoes on design-artistic practices and our daily lives"; <br>
☼ Raphaël Bastide, multidisciplinary artist, works at making the web a more open and accessible place. His work involves web crafting, writing, music and performance; <br>
☼ 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; <br>
☼ Roos Groothuizen, digital artist part of the [https://telemagic.online/About-Us Telemagic collective], recently started hosting [https://zipspace.nl/agenda neocities code-a-thons] at .zip in Rotterdam and initiated a Rotterdam-based webring from it.


One inspiration on the relationship form/content is Objet Papier's ''OP007 Print-it, à la découverte d’Internet !'': combining small essays to games such as crosswords and horoscopes, all linked to the theme of the zine. I like that playful aspect and would like to use it, nuanced enough so that the importance (seriousness) of the topic is not diluted into some kind of joke.
=== What is your time table? ===
<span style="background-color: lavender; padding: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align:center;">September-November</span> <br>
: Gathering hunches, observing, framing the subject
: Collecting and investigating
: [[User:Kiara/Research/workshops.log/XPUB_Magical_Webring|First workshop]]


I would also want to reflect some sort of non-linearity, as I see both the web and magic as unbound by the laws of chronology or order: if some magic practices deal with numbers and physical objects, it seems that they rarely rely on time itself as a precise unit of measurement<ref>One might argue that astrology and rituals to the Sun and Moon are time-bound, yes, but not precisely (as in accurate detail precision)!</ref>. They also don't seem to particularly advocate for chronology or logic (scientific/mathematical logic, opposed to intuition/instinct). Regarding the web, Kendal Beynon highlights how hard it is to date precisely what was born online. The only "time" constraint that I can think of relating to the web is the way JavaScript is linearly read and interpreted by browsers. Moreover, the concept of hyperlinks itself is challenging time: a constant back and forth, visiting and revisiting pages, linking to the past or to a possible future.
<span style="background-color: lavender; padding: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align:center;">December</span> <br>
: '''01 December: Try Out #1 - still in investigation phase'''
: Sort out the references from my cross-ref index (in obsidian) to order sources and quotes
: Start writing the thesis


Some keywords: playful, instructive, pedagogical, hybrid.
<span style="background-color: lavender; padding: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align:center;">January-Feb 13th</span> <br>
: Polish the writing
: Conduct more conversations (eg: Kendal Beynon) to focus on practices and frame the project
: Second workshop


Further ideas:  
<span style="background-color: lavender; padding: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align:center;">March-April</span> <br>
* ritual/spell writing: dig deeper into that to validate if it fits my imaginary vision of them and, more importantly, the topics
: Finish writing and wrap it up
* the manifesto format: a bit overused but it also is a hybrid format that fits both the magical (ritual, manifesting) and the web (see [https://wiki.melonland.net/manifestos melonking's manifestos archive]) aspects
:: '''17 April: Final thesis deadline'''
* maybe a collection of different forms of writing combined together as a single chimera publication...
: Produce a working project prototype
:: '''16 March: Try Out #2 - test the prototype'''


=== Key Issues ===
<span style="background-color: lavender; padding: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align:center;">April-June</span> <br>
(titles are temporary)
: Enter production for final project based on feedback from Try Out #2 and follow up discussions
==== Introduction: what are we talking about? (1000) ====
: Work on Grad Show scenography
This will mostly be definitions: defining magic as mentioned earlier (better formulated and sourced by some concrete examples, e.g the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft wikipedia witchcraft article]); defining the web by quoting TimBL's book ''This is for everyone'' (2025) and maybe some screenshots of code for the web languages focus that the definition will include (not super sure about that, let's see); outlining the current socio-political context I'm focusing on: rising fascism, ultra-capitalism, individualism, accelerated adoption of GenAI, the need for more sensibility, collaboration<ref>as highlighted by Miriam Suzanne, CSS working group member in a conversation that took place on 07-11-2025)</ref> and to reconnect to our bodies and what surrounds us<ref>this idea is supported in a performance that took place at V2_ Rotterdam on 11-11-2025, by Luna Maurer</ref>.
:: '''22-23 June - Final Assessment'''
:: '''July - Grad Show'''


==== 1. The web is not dying, its alchemy is just in the wrong hands (1500) ====
=== Why do you want to make it? ===
To start off, I intend to look into the similarities I personally find between alchemy and the web. <br>
[[File:IMG_20251112_151919.jpg|left|thumb|299x299px|<small>Control/Oppression -> Resistance/Collaboration/Counter-culture (magic) -> Appropriation -> Mainstream/Capitalisation -> Repeat</small>]]
In a nutshell alchemy is a transmutation-focused form of magic<ref>[https://www.themystica.com/alchemy/ themystica.org] mentions: "Aristotle said all matter was made from a basic substance that could appear as fire, air, water, or earth. Alchemists thought that by changing these elements, they could change one substance into another." <br> Merriam Webster defines alchemy as: "a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way" and "an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting". <br> In the manga ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', the characters explain that alchemy needs to be an equivalent exchange: if you are trying to create something using alchemy, you must give something equally valuable (like, in a very shortcut way, "an eye for eye").</ref>, requiring high focus and intention. <br>
The current stage of ultra-capitalism we witness is promoting and making all the space necessary for the rise of fascism and "fake positivity"<ref>from Luna Maurer's performance at V2_ (11-11-2025) where she describes our current society "being in awe of positivity, a positivity that doesn't bring resistance and enforces the 'like'"</ref>; by feeding us on extracted and appropriated content, seamlessness and smoothness. <br>
Similarly, the web is constantly shape-shifting in the hands of its users/actors, creating a website demands attention and intention. I plan on digging deeper into that similarity to draw a proper connection between alchemy and the mutations of the web. For that, I will dive into Kendal Beynon's research work, take examples from Dominique Cardon's ''Culture Numérique'' (2019) and quote some excerpts from my conversation with Miriam Suzanne (member of the CSS working group) about magic and the web. <br>
Paraphrasing historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_Ludens</ref>, one of the first signs of rising fascism is the switch from playfulness to seriousness. In answer to that, I'll refer to melonking<ref>https://melonking.net/</ref>, a web crafter advocating for silliness in creation. <br>
I'd also like to verify the possible correspondence(s) between hyperlinks and sigils (magic symbols).
> '''Objective n.1: for the sake of the messy, the chaotic, the playful we bear in ourselves as humans.'''


==== 2. The descent into <del>oblivion</del> seamlessness (2000) ====
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 largely tied to oppression, tagged as harmful, negative, unacceptable or foolish (stage magicians, illusionists, etc.); some even might call it a counter-culture. I'd like to dig into that: 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. <br>
First, I will turn towards cultural appropriation and glamorisation: the way through which power leaders turn alternative practices into "the norm" by erasing the struggles leading to those practices. That is also a way to make the original practitioners lose their resisting power. <br>
> '''Objective n.2: taking a strong step into the resistance, reclaiming.'''
Glamorisation leads to the idea of seamlessness, both in the web (smoothing user interfaces, preventing user intervention on the functioning, etc.) and in magic (creation of aesthetics and trends<ref>cinematographic examples have a special spot here, they also allowed for online trends on TikTok or Instagram/Pinterest</ref>).
[[File:Interrelations.png|center|thumb|740x740px|<small>Left: a correlation drawn by Kendal Beynon on how aesthetics are instrumentalised by capitalistic systems. Right: a correlation I draw on how alternative practices (magic) are instrumentalised by capitalistic systems.</small>]]
For that, I will focus on GenAI as the main example of that seamless glamorisation; using a metaphor of GenAI as a stage magician.


===== 2.1 AI is the new ''stage'' magic =====
=== Who can help you and how? ===
A focus on GenAI as "the new magic" and why it is a problem: western history hints that magic is mostly tied to oppression (only men magicians wouldn't be chased and banished for it, but praised - see image), yet when GenAI is dressed up as a magical entity it seems to be looked upon as a good thing, while solely being magical in that we cannot quite grasp what it does and how it works. Leaving behind any reference to intention, intuition, emotion and most importantly oneself<ref>see Limites Numériques' [https://limitesnumeriques.fr/travaux-productions/ai-forcing article (french)] or this Institute of Diagram Studies' [https://www.are.na/institute-of-diagram-studies/ai-the-new-aesthetics-of-fascism Arena channel]</ref>.
☼ Lídia Pereira &amp; Manetta Berends: guidance through research and prototyping <br>
[[File:witchVSwizard.png|center|thumb|<small>witch VS wizard: the term witch itself derives from a meaning that bears negativity, wickedness and evil. On the contrary, wizards "might" be evil but are mostly good and wise. In fact, the definition here proposed for witch does not give much matter to understand what a witch is, and doesn't even link to the wiki page of witchcraft... While the definition for wizard is more complete and example oriented.</small>|770x770px]]
☼ Miriam Suzanne: CSS wizard, had a chat with her regarding her relationship and views towards (CSS)web and magic <br>
☼ 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. <br>
☼ Noémie A., my best friend, for the existential crisis times when I question the whole project <br>
☼ Roos Groothuizen with the neocities code-a-thon and her input in conversations <br>
☼ Kendal Beynon, doing a PhD on internet history and particularly DIY communities and digital folklore <br>
☼ Charlie Muniken with the massive amount of references they share with me


==== 3. Take the power back (2000) ====
=== Relation to previous practice ===
This last part will focus on shifting the paradigm by highlighting practices. <br>
☼ Interest for the unseen and the various manifestations and forms magic can take <br>
In response to web3, the web witnessed the rise of indie web, small web, CSS rituals, Do It With Others (DIWO), etc. as part of an island in the online activism archipelago. <br>
☼ Website crafting and CSS-print practice, specifically: <br>
I'd like to investigate how those practices and tactics connect to those of magic when it comes to resistance. It is probably here that "online magic" will mostly be cited, with projects like Lucile Haute's [https://lucilehaute.fr/cyberwitches-manifesto/index.html Cyberwitches Manifesto]. <br>
:☼ an idea I have to create: an ''Alice in Wonderland'' themed website - showcasing mazy/non-linear navigation, peculiar interactions and/or apparitions, etc.; <br>
That part should also relate to body and physical acts.
:☼ ''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); <br>
:☼ ''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; <br>
☼ Tumblr page building when I was a teenager <br>
☼ Participation to the [https://indieweb.guide/ ''Indie Web Guide''] built by Wing Pang in 2024 <br>
☼ [https://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/Lost_in_Narration ''Lost in Narration''], a collective participatory installation built for ''Special Issue 25: Sounds of Making''<br>
☼ The ''Supervisual Hyperzine'', an extensive image-only zine gathering visual experiments made with CSS during ''Special Issue 26: Display &amp; Position''


==== Conclusion (1000) ====
=== Relation to a larger context ===
The conclusion will sum up web practices that can be looked upon as magic, as they share similar features and modes of action. In that sense, we can claim the magic back to fight systemic oppression, rising extremes and AI reign by reconnecting to ourselves, our bodies.
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. <br>
In addition, for years, since the beginning of what is called "web3.0"<ref>"Web3 (also known as Web 3.0 is an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, tokenomics, and privacy-enhancing technologies." From the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web3 web3 wiki article]</ref>, many web crafters have been stating their belief that the web was dying and needed to be saved (e.g. Pain, T. (2025) [https://www.akpain.net/blog/the-modern-web-sucks/ The Modern Web Sucks]). More and more, we can read articles and essays about "indie web<ref>"The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the “corporate web”. from [https://indieweb.org/ https://indieweb.org]+ The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IndieWeb IndieWeb wiki article]</ref>", "small web<ref>"The Small Web is for people (not startups, enterprises, or governments). It is also made by people and small, independent organisations (not startups, enterprises, or governments). On the Small Web, you (and only you) own and control your own home (or homes)." From [https://ar.al/2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/ Aral Balkan's website]</ref>", "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. <br>
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.


=== References ===
☼ Bastide, R. (2025) [https://raphaelbastide.com/etre-script/en.html ''being a script''] <br>
☼ Berners-Lee, T. (2025) ''This is for everyone'', London Macmillan <br>
☼ Breeze, M. (2001) [http://netwurkerz.de/mez/datableed/complete/index.htm Datableed] <br>
☼ Cardon, D. (2019) ''Culture Numérique'', Paris Presses de Sciences-Po (Les petites humanités) <br>
☼ Dukes, R. (2000) ''SSOTBME Revised: An Essay on Magic'', Great-Britain El-Cheapo Books <br>
☼ Gryllaki, A. (2020) [https://hub.xpub.nl/systers/ ''Syster Papyri Magicae''], Rotterdam Piet Zwart Institute <br>
☼ Haute, L. O. (2016) [https://lucilehaute.fr/cyberwitches-manifesto/index.html ''Cyberwitches manifesto''] <br>
☼ Maudet, N.; Beignon, A. and Thibault, T. (2025) [https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.08672 ''Imposing AI: Deceptive design patterns against sustainability''] <br>
☼ Maurer, L. (2024) [https://lunamaurer.com/ ''Luna not Luna''] <br>
☼ Sutcliffe, J. (2021) ''MAGIC'', London Whitechapel Gallery <br>
☼ Timmermans, D. (since 2023) [https://declarations.style/ declarations] <br>
☼ Tisselli, E. (2005) [https://www.motorhueso.net/degenerative/ De-generative] <br>
☼ van Gemert, V. (2025) [https://the-web-you-want.org/ The web you want] <br>
☼ White, M. (2024) [https://www.citationneeded.news/fighting-for-our-web/ Fighting for our web (talk)]<br>


-----
-----
<small><references /></small>
<small><references /></small>
=== References ===
* Bartoli, M and Moussard, C. (2019) [https://objetpapier.fr/op-release/op007-print-it ''OP007 Print-it, à la découverte d’Internet !'']
* Berners-Lee, T. (2025) ''This is for everyone'', London Macmillan
* 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
* Haute, L. O. (2016) [https://lucilehaute.fr/cyberwitches-manifesto/index.html ''Cyberwitches manifesto'']
* Maudet, N.; Beignon, A. and Thibault, T. (2025) [https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.08672 ''Imposing AI: Deceptive design patterns against sustainability'']
=== Selected bibliography ===
* Bastide, R. (2025) [https://raphaelbastide.com/etre-script/en.html ''being a script'']
* Berners-Lee, T. (2025) ''This is for everyone'', London Macmillan
* Dukes, R. (2000) ''SSOTBME Revised: An Essay on Magic'', Great-Britain El-Cheapo Books
* Haute, L. O. (2016) [https://lucilehaute.fr/cyberwitches-manifesto/index.html ''Cyberwitches manifesto'']
=== Extras ===
==== Random notes ====
cherish the hunch<br>
emotion/feeling is the magic<br>
forms of magic: practice | folklore<br>
: > Doriane Timmermans ([https://pad.xpub.nl/p/magie-feminitee-css pad of our meeting, in franglish])
: > Raphaël Bastide ([https://pad.xpub.nl/p/28102025 pad of our meeting, in french])
: > Miriam Suzanne ([https://pad.xpub.nl/p/css-rituals pad of our meeting])
==== References to explore ====
- [https://sigil-seance.diagram.institute/about/ Sigil Séance] from the Institute of Diagram Studies
: > Participate to one
- Magics
: > [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil#Chaos_magic Sigil & Chaos Magic]
: > [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft Witchcraft]
==== People to chat with ====
: > Lucile Haute (email sent)
: > Kendal Beynon (email to send)
</div>
</div> <!-- this is the end of the page -->

Latest revision as of 12:53, 9 December 2025

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

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[1].
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.

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.

What is your time table?

September-November

Gathering hunches, observing, framing the subject
Collecting and investigating
First workshop

December

01 December: Try Out #1 - still in investigation phase
Sort out the references from my cross-ref index (in obsidian) to order sources and quotes
Start writing the thesis

January-Feb 13th

Polish the writing
Conduct more conversations (eg: Kendal Beynon) to focus on practices and frame the project
Second workshop

March-April

Finish writing and wrap it up
17 April: Final thesis deadline
Produce a working project prototype
16 March: Try Out #2 - test the prototype

April-June

Enter production for final project based on feedback from Try Out #2 and follow up discussions
Work on Grad Show scenography
22-23 June - Final Assessment
July - Grad Show

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"[2]; by feeding us on extracted and appropriated content, seamlessness and smoothness.
Paraphrasing historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga[3], one of the first signs of rising fascism is the switch from playfulness to seriousness. In answer to that, I'll refer to melonking[4], 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 largely tied to oppression, tagged as harmful, negative, unacceptable or foolish (stage magicians, illusionists, etc.); some even might call it a counter-culture. I'd like to dig into that: 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.

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

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

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"[5], many web crafters have been stating their belief that the web was dying and needed to be saved (e.g. Pain, T. (2025) The Modern Web Sucks). More and more, we can read articles and essays about "indie web[6]", "small web[7]", "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.

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
☼ White, M. (2024) Fighting for our web (talk)

  1. ↑ https://declarations.style/texts/2025-10-27_words.html#css-as-a-shift-from-gestures-to-words
  2. ↑ from Luna Maurer's performance at V2_ (11-11-2025) where she describes our current society "being in awe of positivity, a positivity that doesn't bring resistance and enforces the 'like'"
  3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_Ludens
  4. ↑ https://melonking.net/
  5. ↑ "Web3 (also known as Web 3.0 is an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, tokenomics, and privacy-enhancing technologies." From the web3 wiki article
  6. ↑ "The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the “corporate web”. from https://indieweb.org+ The IndieWeb wiki article
  7. ↑ "The Small Web is for people (not startups, enterprises, or governments). It is also made by people and small, independent organisations (not startups, enterprises, or governments). On the Small Web, you (and only you) own and control your own home (or homes)." From Aral Balkan's website
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