As stated in previous posts on this blog, I believe we are all coming to appreciate the limitless opportunities the digital age provides for us to create, develop and collaborate, both on an intellectual level, as well as socially. After finally finishing Moby Dick (I say finally, but 4 weeks was awfully fast to read that thing) I began to think about either the parallels this whale of a tale has with digital culture, or how it could possibly be used or expanded through digital culture. I came across a website put together by Peninsula Arts and Plymouth University, Moby-Dick Big Read.
Some of you may have stumbled across this already, but it's wonderful! It's founders, Angela Cockayne and Philip Hoare state, "Deeply subversive, in almost every way imaginable, Moby-Dick is a virtual, alternative bible-and as such, ripe for reinterpretation in this new world of new media. Out of Dominion was born its bastard child-or perhaps its immaculate conception-the Moby-Dick Big Read: an online version of Melville's magisterial tome: each of its 135 chapters read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online in a sequence of 135 chapters read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online in a sequence of 135 downloads, publicly and freely accessible."
The collaborative efforts available to us in this digital age is what makes this effort, and others like it, so unique and special. There have been artists, designers, scientists and story tellers around for ages. Yet rarely have people from these different backgrounds been enabled to collaborate on a common passion as random as Moby Dick. I hope to continue to discover and explore more collaborations similar to this, and to be able to contribute and become a part of a larger digital movement. For now though, experience your favorite chapter of Moby Dick!
Thanks for sharing the website, it presented some interesting views on Moby Dick.
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