A lab for research, teaching, and creative production. The Trope Tank is directed by Prof. Nick Montfort and located in the Massachusets Institute of Technology in room 14N-233. To see what we've been up to lately, read the 2012-2013 Trope Tank Annual Report.

Prof. Nick Montfort in the Trope Tank · Photo by Steve McLaughlin

Mission

To develop new poetic practices and new understandings of digital media by focusing on the material, formal, and historical aspects of computation and language.

People

• Prof. Nick Montfort, director
• Prof. Clara Fernández-Vara, visiting scholar, 2012–August 2013

Trope Tank in-house researchers from semesters past:

• Prof. Rafael Pérez y Pérez, visiting scholar, Fall 2012
• Liz Hernandez, undergraduate researcher, Summer 2012
• Dr. Natalia Fedorova, visiting scholar & Fulbright Fellow, 2011–2012
• Robert Long, undergraduate researcher, Summer 2011
• Dr. Zuzana Husarova, visiting scholar & Fulbright Fellow, Spring 2011

Slant collaborators, 2013–

• Prof. Rafael Pérez y Pérez
• Prof. D. Fox Harrell
• Andrew Campana

The Deletionist collaborators, 2011–

• Prof. Amaranth Borsuk
• Prof. Jesper Juul

Racing the Beam and Platform Studies series collaborator, 2007–

• Prof. Ian Bogost

10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 collaborators, 2010-2013

• Dr. Patsy Baudoin
• Prof. John Bell
• Prof. Ian Bogost
• Prof. Jeremy Douglass
• Prof. Mark C. Marino
• Prof. Michael Mateas
• Prof. Casey Reas
• Prof. Mark Sample
• Dr. Noah Vawter

Tools for the Telling collaborators, 2007-2008

• Prof. Clara Fernández-Vara
• Prof. Alex Mitchell

Purple Blurb guest organizers:

• Dr. Gretchen Henderson, Spring 2013
• Prof. Amaranth Borsuk, 2011–2012

"Trope Report" Series of Technical Reports

1. TROPE-12-01 - The Trivial Program "yes" (Nick Montfort)
2. TROPE-12-02 - XS, S, M, XL: Creative Text Generators of Different Scales (Nick Montfort)
3. TROPE-12-03 - Creative Material Computing in a Laboratory Context (Nick Montfort and Natalia Fedorova)
4. TROPE-12-04 - Carrying across Language and Code (Nick Montfort and Natalia Fedorova)
5. TROPE-13-01 - Electronic Literature for All: Performance in Exhibits and Public Readings (Clara Fernández-Vara)

Activities

The Trope Tank hosts postdoctoral and undergraduate researchers, student visits from various classes, codefests, and other sorts of events and collaborations. The facility hosts the monthly meetings of the People's Republic of Interactive Fiction. The Trope Tank is also an overflow area for the Electronic Literature Organization across the hall, serving as a meeting space. The Purple Blurb series of presentations of digital writing, now established as an official part of MIT's Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, originated in the modest space of the Trope Tank.

Collection

Researchers interested in computer and video games, electronic literature (including interactive fiction, hypertext fiction, and digital poetry), home computing and hobbyist programming, or related topics are welcome to contact Nick for access to the collection of materials, computers, and video game systems that is housed in the Trope Tank.

Address

The Trope Tank, MIT
77 Massachusetts Ave, Room 14N-233
Cambridge, MA 02139

Directions

The Trope Tank is at MIT in Building 14, the same building that is the home of the Hayden Library. The room number is 14N-233; this is in the north wing on the second floor. After finding building 14, come in — the entrance on the northeast side, next to the large black steel Calder sculpture, is the closest one to the Trope Tank. Once inside, take the stairs or elevator up to the second floor. The Trope Tank is not inside the library; it is in the wing across the courtyard from it.