Laboratory NT2 is a research group based in Quebec that hosts a database of more than 4000 works of electronic literature with an emphasis on Francophone works.[1] [2] The full name is Laboratories de recherche sur les arts et les littératures numériques, or in English, the laboratory for research into digital arts and literatures.
The NT2 is both a physical space, a research laboratory at UQAM, and a virtual space, the NT2 website, which is a hub for hypermedia literature and art.[3] Their mission is to promote the study, understanding, creation, and archiving of new forms of hypermedia literature and art. Its main focus is the assessment and promotion of new expressions of cyberculture, as well as the development of novel strategies for ongoing research relating to new forms of art or text.[4]
As such, the NT2 pursues three overarching research objectives:[5]
Their main interests are hypermedia art (often known as Internet Art or net.art), new media and electronic literature. The archiving of these relatively new forms, thus allowing for long-term study, is central in the NT2's range of activities.
Through ongoing projects and collaborations NT2 focuses on promoting a community of interest and a network of researchers. This revolves around the study of contemporary imaginaries, and the exploration of novel research methodologies, adapted to contemporary contexts and technologies.
The NT2's main project has been the creation of the Hypermedia Art and Literature (HAL) Directory, which began in 2006. An index and showcase of hypermedia works, the database was created in response to the inadequacy of established tools of description for literature, cinema and art, as well as the lack of a substantial repertory for the institutionalisation and collection of these new works.
The Directory was created using the open source content management system, Drupal. It is populated by hypertext and hypermedia literary and art works, with a particular emphasis on French language works. For each piece, an entry presents bibliographic information and a description of the work or site, including a classification based on the nature of the piece, its type of interactivity, and its general format. Certain cases also include research or technical notes and navigation screenshots.
The directory presents comprehensive reviews of each creative work.[7] The HAL Directory lists works that have mainly been presented on the internet, as well as some available on CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and, for older pieces, on diskette. In October 2015, the Directory included over 4,100 works, ranging from some closer to literature and others incorporating cinematographic, artistic and theatrical expression as well as animation, cartooning, graffiti, and video games.
According to an article written by Figura's director Bertrand Gervais in 2009, three main challenges that arose whilst developing the HAL Directory were:[8]