Croaking

Writing here is a kind of relief when I am ill and my mind has gone hazy from medication. When I'm in such a state it's a terrible thing to do work, but writing down what I think comes a bit more naturally.

I have been reading a book about comic art and it talks about how to "control" time, how an artist can frame and compose each panel to create the tempo and time path for a reader to follow. This sets up a reading experience that requires the cooperation of the reader, like in a dance. On the other hand, video and film give the reader no such control, and requires no such cooperation beyond keeping his eyes open, in front of the projection screen.

It makes me think about the nature of perceptual experiences and a human being's control over their own memory, i.e. time + perceptual experiences. Being obsessed with a memory feels suffocating because more and more detail is lost every time you access the memory. All the subtlety fades away and you are left with a more and more ridiculous caricature in your mind. Cartoons.