The Hard Way

To the GalleryThe Hard Way is a game. Here’s how to play: Once you’ve read the project outline, proceed to the page called “The Watchers.” There you will find several icons appearing and disappearing. These are the symbols of “The Watchers”–characters in The Hard Way. When you click on a colored icon or one outlined in gray (as opposed to merely outlined in black), you will be taken to a page introducing the character with which each shape is associated. That page will contain a “periodical symbol” for the character; click on that, and you will be shown a brief narrative describing the character. Next, click on the underlined portion of the narrative found at the end. That will take you to a painting. Hidden deep inside each painting is a link, but you must patiently explore the painting with your cursor to find it. There are seven Watchers, each with a different story. This artwork is best viewed in Internet Explorer 3 or Netscape. To download Internet Explorer 3, click here. This artwork was designed and curated for SLATE by äda ‘web, which helps artists explore the possibilities of the World Wide Web. The site takes its name from Lady Augusta Ada Lovelace, daughter of the 19th-century Romantic poet Lord Byron and author of the first computer program.