Editorial Introduction to A Byte of Creativity
CTRL+ALT+DH is a peer-reviewed student journal published by students in the University of Guelph's Digital Publishing class. At CTRL+ALT+DH, we highlight student work that critically engages with Digital Humanities and what it means to live in a digital world. The chosen theme for issue 3 of this year's student journal, A Byte of Creativity, explores creativity in digital spaces and invites students to consider how technology has influenced the creative process.
Digital spaces have become central to creative expression, reshaping the traditional concepts of authorship, originality, and value. As shown in the previous issue, Digital Dilemmas, technology can be framed negatively. However, it has been widely argued that digital platforms and tools
have opened new avenues for artistic expression and distribution.
For the CTRL+ALT+DH 3rd iteration, the journal aimed to do something different by incorporating new media and disciplines into the issue. CTRL+ALT+DH wanted to establish itself as a publication that prioritizes visual and digital storytelling mediums, through our theme of A Byte of Creativity. In this issue, our submissions include mapping data
visualizations, city landscape architecture, literary essays, twine game website prototypes, digital storytelling, and photography, blending disciplines to cater to the wide variety of focuses within the Digital Humanities field.
A Byte of Creativity has invited contributors to share their evolving perspectives on the relationship between technology and creativity. This year's issue features eleven pieces across a range of topics and formats. Emily Pham, Krish Jain, and Natasha Rees's project on AI and Landscape architecture, analyzing how Barcelona's SuperBlock urban design shapes Catalonian life using AI-powered tools to creatively explore its impacts on community, culture, and city circulation. Maximilienne Lalonde's essay argues that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein mirrors modern concerns about artificial intelligence, using the novel's parallels to prompt reflection on today's rapidly evolving technological landscape. Melissa Tuniewicz's website, Paws and Hearts, showcases the mental health and wellness benefits of pet ownership. Jack Hunter Buffington's project Bike.inc is an interactive Twine-based choose-your-own-adventure game that draws on the creator's bicycle knowledge to encourage players to think critically about building a bike brand and its broader personal and societal impacts. Lauren Curry's project explores how AI can serve as a creative collaborator in developing a children's book about the Easter story and reflecting on the collaboration in religious storytelling. Isabelle Viray's HTML based page of a digital self-portrait collage that critiques how surveillance, self-tracking, and online platforms shape and categorize identity, questioning what the "self" becomes when defined by data. Sara Jandrew's project on the anatomy of a corset, breaking down each material that goes into creating one and mapping where each material would have been made using an interactive Google Map. As seen in many online spaces, there has been a rise in overconsumption, Jasmeen Bhuller’s project examines overconsumption and addiction in surprise toy blind boxes. Lastly, Adrian Morra’s interview with curator Tristan Sauer discusses his exhibition on Soft Internet Theory, which frames “softness” as an aesthetic and political strategy for reclaiming human presence within mechanized systems.
To wrap up, we want to thank everyone who helped bring CTRL+ALT+DH Issue 3. To all our authors, thank you for your creativity, your hard work, and for trusting us with your projects. This issue wouldn’t exist without you.
We also extend our thanks to our sponsors, whose support helps make this publication possible and allows our work to reach a wider audience.
We’re also incredibly grateful to Dr. Chelsea Miya, whose guidance shaped this journal from the very beginning. Thank you for giving us both the direction and the freedom to imagine what this publication could become.
The journey wasn’t always perfect or linear, but we made it here, and we’re proud of what we’ve created together. A Byte of Creativity brought forward so many unique voices and perspectives; working on this issue has been an exciting and meaningful experience for our whole class.
We’re thrilled to finally share this issue with you, and we hope you enjoy reading it just as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
