“The Art and Science of Hypertext” highlights the way in which hypertext was envisioned and articulated from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The exhibit features scholarly articles published in ACM Hypertext book of proceedings to hypertext fiction to software and user’s manuals for authoring systems, to the very computers that showcased works, and many other artifacts in an effort to show the deep connection between theory and practice that gave way to innovation and a new form of art.
Special Note: All materials are part of the Electronic Literature Lab’s permanent collection, unless noted otherwise.
Materials Exhibited:
Left Cabinet: The Art of Hypertext
Top Shelf:
Macintosh Classic, 1991
Framed information about the computer
2ndShelf:
HyperCard User’s Guide
Folio of Stuart Moulthrop’s Victory Gardenand accompanying 3.5-inch floppy disk
Getting Started with Storyspace, manual published by Eastgate Systems, Inc.
Two 3.5-inch floppy disks
3rdShelf:
Folio of Diane Greco’s Cyborg: Engineering the Body Electric
Folded promotional poster from Eastgate Systems, Inc., entitled “Serious Hypertext,” Spring 1996
Framed print-out of the ELO’s Awards for Fiction and Poetry, copyrighted 1999-2000
4thShelf:
Newsletter from Eastgate Systems, Inc., entitled “The Active Link,“ Summer 1995
Five 3.5-inch floppy disks containing Mac OS 7.5
Right Cabinet: The Science of Hypertext
Top Shelf:
Macintosh SE (FDHD), 1988
Framed information about the computer
Copy of the Apple Corporation’s Macintosh Horizons, September 1988, featuring articles, “The Perseus Project,” 
“Hypermedia Hits the Mac,” “Desktop Publishing Dreams,” and “Visionary Presentations.”
2ndShelf:
Macintosh mouse. Circa 1990s
Macintosh Plus, 1988
Framed information about the computer
Two 3.5-inch floppy disks
3rdShelf:
ACM Hypertext Proceedings, 1997-2004. The David Kolb Collection
ACM Hypertext Program, 2001 and 2002. The David Kolb Collection
ACM Hypertext Demonstrations and Poster Proceedings, 2004. The David Kolb Collection
ACM Hypertext 2005 Proceedings on CD-ROM. The David Kolb Collection
4thShelf:
Plastic organizer for 5.25-inch floppy disks
Sigweb Newsletter, Volume 7 Number 3 October 1998. The David Kolb Collection
Macintosh keyboard, circa 1900s