The ever-interesting bloggers/developers over at 37signals have posted about an interesting book created using a technique similar to one of my favorite methods, the cut-up. In an effort to force creativity, the famous beat writer William Burroughs was fond of taking pages out of books, cutting them vertically down the center, taping them together and then scanning the word junctions down the center-line to spur his creative process and encourage the usage of entirely new words.
In the example blogged about over at 37signals, a writer by the name of Tom Phillips picked up an old Victorian novel and then altered the text by painting over large portions of it, exposing an old work in an entirely new light. The effect is both visually-pleasing and interesting, adding mystery as much of the old work becomes lost. It’s an exercise in exceeding limitations and a great way to kickstart your own creativity.
Check out the humument website to view images of the wonderful pages:
You can also purchase the book outright at Amazon.com:
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