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At the beginning of my career as a designer, I came to think that a website was simply that: a space within the network better known as the internet. A business card that did little more than announce your presence to the world, perhaps share a little about yourself and the things you were interested in, or even serve as a portal through which products could be sold.
Over time I discovered that the visual aspect that interested me so much back then was nothing more than one of the many aspects that made up the digital version of a personality and its brand.
Within this computerized reality, there is a universe of concepts, algorithms, and other kinds of robotic patterns, so limiting our idea of what a website can represent is to overlook its ability to transcend physicality.
A website can be a message.
A website can be a monument.
A website can be a legacy.
A website can be a work of art.
This way of reconsidering a website as an object — reducing its essence to its most basic components — is what led me to explore the creation of interactive digital zines, with “Warna-Warna: Los Colores de Bali” being my first complete publication of this kind, as part of my first photo exhibition spawned from upcoming book, Strange Visitations, with at least two more similar projects on the way.
Considering that, according to the Internet Archive, “38% of web pages that existed in 2013 are no longer accessible a decade later,” it is worth questioning their durability, management, and maintenance, in much the same way an oil painting would be preserved. But this is just one of the many challenges that will have to be overcome in order to take this kind of work to its fullest expression.
Another one that fascinates me is the variability of dimensions, formats, and devices from which a website can be accessed today. How do we prevent our websites from becoming obsolete, almost in the same way that floppy disks became relics practically overnight?
What other challenges can you see when it comes to the idea of a website as an object through which creativity can be expressed?
Write me your response by email, as I would love to hear more about your thoughts on this subject.
Sergio Camalich Morales
I am Mexican Graphic Designer, Photographer and Artist, writing about the underlying craziness of reality, and other stuff.
