Mark Vargo, junior in FAA, using Grand Text Auto interactive exhibit at Krannert Art Museum. Photo by Rebekah Nelson.

As you enter the Grand Text Auto exhibit on the lower level of the Krannert Art Museum (KAM), it feels slightly as if you are creeping into someone’s secret technological workshop ­— the lights are dim, there are unidentified voices drifting on the air and several machines quietly hum as they methodically emit words, pictures and sounds. You lurk around a little, curiously observing these devices, both old and new, wanting to tinker with them to better understand what they do. As you near a computer that is not only displaying pictures and text but also has a voice attached to it, you notice a mouse begging for your hand; that’s when you realize — you can tinker with them.

The Grand Text Auto exhibit is the physical and interactive manifestation of the extensive computer blog by the same title that consists of posts on anything you ever wanted to know about the history of computer and video gaming, interspersed with ideas on and reactions to virtual art and literature. The exhibit and blog alike are the ongoing project of six artists dedicated to working on the cutting edge of electronic literature and gaming: Mary Flanagan, Michael Mateas, Nick Montfort, Scott Rettberg, Andrew Stern and Noah Wardrip-Fruin.

The works provided in the KAM are meant to be seen, read and played. For example, the Perl Poetry Generator is two computer screens that display constant sets of rhymes that are derived using a simple statistical model of frequency encoded into the programming language, Perl. “It builds up the words from the letters on up and then builds patterns out of those, much like how an infant learns to talk by first babbling and then shaping those sounds into word-like sounds,” Damon Baker, curator of the exhibit, explained via email. Another curious piece is “The Unknown,” a hypertext novel that invites the reader to click on the underlined words on a page, taking them to another page that defines or contextualizes the reference on the previous page. The game “Façade,” another interactive piece, projects the characters as life-size on the wall to offer the player a unique experience that would be impossible while playing the game online.

Baker, a personal acquaintance of several of the artists, writes, “My goal with the show here at KAM was to make an inviting introduction to their work and provide points of entry for further investigation online ... Mostly I want [visitors] to get a glimpse into an area of contemporary art practice that doesn’t get shown in museums very often, mainly electronic literature.” Although the exhibit is certainly intriguing, some of the pieces are difficult to understand without knowing a bit about computers, while others are just more fun when played with a friend.