The Ghost Machine

This is a collaborative project between Magda Tyżlik-Carver and Andrew Prior that explores notions of remediation and translation. We were invited to remix a conceptual novel Local Colour, by Derek Beaulieu; which in itself is ‘a page-by-page interpretation of Paul Auster’s 72–page novella Ghosts.’ (Beaulieu)

This is from his website:

Ghosts concerns itself with Blue, a private detective hired by a mysterious character named White to transcribe the actions of Black, a denizen of Brooklyn Heights. As Blue reports his findings, the reader becomes more aware of the intricate relationship between Black and White, and a tactile awareness of the role of colour spreads through the narrative.

Local Colour removes the entirety of Auster’s text, leaving only chromatic words—proper nouns or not—spread across the page as dollops of paint on a palette. What remains is the written equivalent of ambient music—words which are meant to seen but not read. The colours, through repetition, build a suspense and crescendo which is loosened from traditional narrative into a more pixellated construction.