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Codework: Non-Executable Code-Poetry

In simple terms, a codework is a form of creative writing influenced by computer languages (Electronic Literature Collection, Volume One).

Canadian author John Cayley identifies categories for classifying codeworks, including:

• “Code infecting or modulating language”—where the language functions, but the code is broken (p.311-312).

Cayley, J. (2006). Time code language: New media poetics and programmed signification.
In New Media Poetics: Contexts, Technotexts, and Theories, pp. 307-334.

The code-poetry (Fig.1) of Australian artist and poet Mez Breeze, particularly her Mezangelle style, exemplifies this category.

Her work is frequently described as non-functional code-poetry, or as I call it, non-executable code-poetry where the code is not broken but purposely design in a way that not necessarily has to be read by a computer.

Figure 1: Screenshot of Mez Breeze, 4-7 5-kc5, email from 7-11 email list, May 13, 1998.

🖼️ Image Description:

The image features a glitchy, terminal-style digital poem displayed in green text on a black background, resembling an old computer screen or hacker aesthetics. The text is arranged in an asymmetrical layout, with a mix of symbols, letters, and spaces that create a fragmented, non-linear poetic structure.

🔊 Listen to the Audio version:

Mezangelle is a non-functional programming language that poetically merges machine and human languages, reshaping English with code-inspired syntax. Mezangelle disrupts both code and English, blending them into a non-functional, unreadable form that challenges dominant language structures creating alternative ways of meaning and knowledge.

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🌟 Codework Activity: Writing Non-Executable Code-Poetry

🎯 Objective:

Explore the intersection of computer language syntax and poetry by crafting a non-executable code-poetry using/breaking CSS syntax.

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📌 Activity Overview:

1. Class Discussion: Understanding CSS Syntax & Structure (Whole Class, 10 min)
2. Codework Writing: Creating Your Code-Poetry (In Groups, 10 min)
3. Class Reflection: Sharing and Analyzing Class Code-Poetry Examples (Whole Class, 10 min)

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1️⃣ Class Discussion: Understanding CSS Syntax & Structure (10 min)

What is CSS?

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a computer language used to style web pages, controlling elements like fonts, colours, and layout.

Example: CSS syntax

body {
    background: black;
    font-family: "Raleway", sans-serif;
    color: green;
}

a:hover {
    content: "uncertainty";
    transition: fade-out 2s;
}

📢 Discussion Questions:

• What programming symbols do you notice?
• What words do you recognize?
• What similarities do you recognize in these two sections: body and a:hover?

💡 What if we repurpose this CSS example create poetry?

• If CSS controlled emotions instead of styles, what would you write?

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2️⃣ Codework Writing: Creating Your Code-Poetry (In Groups, 10 min)

📝 Task: Write a Short Code-Poem

1. Go to this online document: Dropbox link
2. In groups, create a code-inspired poem using CSS syntax as your foundation.

✅ Choose a theme (e.g., memory, glitch, loss, love, happiness).
✅ Use at least two elements from CSS (structure, symbols, keywords, values).
✅ Use other languages. You can write your code-poetry using a language other than English, or mixing words from different languages.
✅ Break the syntax if needed—remember this is a non-executable codework!

Examples Code Poetry (For Inspiration)

body {
    background: life;
    my-family: "forgotten", "lost";
    text-continues: justify;
    display: none;
}

soul {
    transition: fading 20y slowly-coming-and-growing;
}

/* and then */

love:active {
    transform-at-any-time: withLife(∞);
}

3️⃣ Class Reflection: Sharing Class Code-Poetry Examples (Whole Class, 10 min)

📢 Discussion Questions:

• What words and symbols does this code-poetry use?
• What themes emerge from the code-poetry?
• What challenges did you face when manipulating/breaking CSS syntax for creative expression?
• How would you read this code-poetry?

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🔄 Wrap-Up:

🔸 Codeworks is type of Electronic Literature because it integrates programming languages and code syntax into the fabric of literary expression.
🔸 Codeworks “breaks” both code syntax and language syntax for poetic & critical purposes.

Why is this relevant?:

🔸 Codeworks exemplify the intersection of computational thinking and creative expression.
🔸 Codeworks intersects with Speculative Design by challenging traditional narratives and exploring alternative ways to design computer languages and approach creative writing.
🔸 How can executable-programming syntax be structured poetically to imagine new linguistic and computational realities?

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