Possible Lessnesses (formerly, Variations on Lessness) is the first of a series of web sites exploring the role of randomness in art. It is the result of cross-disciplinarian work between the Departments of English and Computer Science at Trinity College, Dublin. The web site is non-profit and its intention is to further interest in Beckett's work and be a useful tool for Beckett researchers.
An important consideration during our work on this site has been to stay as close to Beckett's original work as at all possible. The sources of the French and English versions of Lessness were the original editions published by Les Éditions de Minuit and Calder & Boyars in 1969 and 1970 respectively. We have tried to make the site as easy to use and as tasteful as possible and also, to the degree it was possible within the boundaries of web technology, attempted to recreate the feel of the original editions. In addition, we feel the use of atmospheric noise to generate the randomness used for the variations is somehow true to Beckett's work and constitutes an approach that he himself might have condoned.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the following:
Elizabeth Drew and Mads Haahr
Dublin, August 2000