(This is one of a series of periodic explorations of the Indie Web via the Internet Phone Book project. I am on a personal exploration but also hope to lift the profile of sites I have found.)
In the Internet Phone Book, for an invitation to his website, Ryan T writes: “mudlark theory is an interdisciplinary labyrinth of art and information superimposed onto a blueprint of the metropolitan museum of art. yeah.”
Ok, then, I’m interested.
This site was built in Neocities (I notice quite a few sites in the book built on that platform) and it is indeed, designed as a floor plan of the MET, with links leading you off in various directions, each with the links randomized (based on curation by Ryan, if I understand his explanation), so in the “library,” you get led to pieces on the Internet about books, writing and literacy; the “poet’s read, every 2 am” room sends you off to a poem; and the “what the fuck” space brings posts with the word “fuck” to your door (One was written nearly like a piece from McSweeney’s).
As Ryan notes, though, there are a lot of dead links and forays into nothingness. That’s OK, though. I enjoyed the thinking behind the Mudlark Theory site, as an exploration space for his curation efforts, and I read a few poems, took in a piece about Joan Didion in the El Salvador airport, and saw John Waters give a commencement speech. I clicked on the Mrs. Who room button a few times, disappointed that no Wrinkle In Time rabbit hole appeared.
Safe travels back at ya, Ryan.
Peace (lost in the floor plans),
Kevin