A Guide to the Interactive Mandala

These Story-WordSound-Maps may be thought of as suggestive scores. A specific code is contained in the graphical layouts of each story that is intended to invite Creative Engagers to imagine sound treatments while reading the words. In this way, you may be stimulated to imagine a phantom bubble opera no-opera (or not) as you traverse the text.

Each story has an “Arising” part, one or several “Being” parts and a “Passing” part. These modules of text may be rearranged and recombined to make alternative pathways through the stories making new stories. Multiple story lines may be found webbing through the AH! Story-WordSound-Maps.

The color coding is as follows:

Green = Arising part

Blue and sometimes other colors = Being(s) part(s), sometimes multiples, sometimes overlapping

Light Yellow = Passing part

Texts bracketed by chevrons << >> = linking lines, lines linked to corresponding lines in different stories to which one may travel making new stories. This is another way to follow multiple pathways and storylines through the AH! Story-WordSound-Maps.

Words in black with no color field background, often in parentheses ( ) = interpretations, descriptions, directions and labels that are not part of the main text.

Plain text in color field background = the primary text delivery method and sound style chosen for a particular story, often in response to interpretive directions.

Text in square brackets [ ] usually indented = a change in sound treatment or a secondary sound style.

Text in parentheses inside square brackets [( )] = a subtle change within a change in sound treatment or a tertiary style.

Text in square brackets inside others [...[...[ ]...]...] = changes within changes that may be of greater degree than with parentheses inside brackets.

Nested curly brackets, brackets and parentheses {...[..( )...]...} = nested changes within changes, perhaps hierarchically related sound forms or groupings.

Underlining of single words = emphasis within a sound treatment.

Underlining or underlining in bold of word sequences = words that might be extracted from the main text to create secondary word sequences.

All caps = accent, particularly in a rhythmic sequence.

Various forms of indenting or justification = sections to be articulated in some way through sound treatments, ensemble groupings, chorus responses, or other means.