Stephanie Strickland

Ringing the Changes Stephanie Strickland

Poetry. Stephanie Strickland's RINGING THE CHANGES takes as its master metaphor the embodied practices of English bell ringing, in which seven different bells are rung in highly organized permutations that are mathematically precise. Programmed in Python, her coded work calculates various combinations based on the mathematical group theory that underlies the methods of bell ringing. Her 'ringing' then creates hypertextual juxtapositions citing passages from works on mathematics, particle physics, computational theory, environmental awareness, and the science and art of bell ringing (among many other topics) to gesture toward the larger changes that the new millennium is bringing about. What gradually emerges is a rich medley of changes in the ways we think about what being human means, both in traditional and contemporary contexts. This work, combining the science of permutations with the art of brilliantly crafted selections, showcases the unique gifts that make Strickland's work both powerfully suggestive and wonderfully illuminating.--N. Katherine Hayles