In the end, though, the DVD ROM can be seen as an expanded snapshot of a part of Bulgaria at a point in time when changes are particularly rapid.

One of the first things we tend to do when visiting a country is to take our preconceptions seriously, to examine them and explore where they come from. In fact, as the logbook text shows, we both knew relatively little about Bulgaria. This lack means that our account begins by dealing with cultural and mental baggage rather than traveller’s suitcases and onward connections. Thereafter the text is organised as a diary documenting not only the trips themselves but also the process of acquiring knowledge about the country as well as the organisation and responsibilities that EVN has in it — seen from our non-specialist point of view. Photos, videos and sound documents are integrated into the text and at times their use may be more associative than illustrative. It is worth remembering here that although the project was commissioned by the evn collection and shows various company sites, offices and activities, the viewpoints expressed here are our own and in no way reflect those of the company.

Although Lisl Ponger and I work together on shared ideas and interests the text takes the form of a logbook in the first person. This should be understood as a construct that enables it to be read as a private, multi-media diary providing a broader context for the photos, videos etc. — in contrast to the fully-captioned, quick-reference approach of the guide books. There are also some practical aids to orientation — a drop down list of diary-entry dates and places in the DVD ROM itself, sketch maps (in the booklet) and, since the presentation is based on the web browser, you can make bookmarks. In addition, clickable items (leading to more audio-visual pages) are marked with one or more icons. The key is as follows:

= photographs; = video; = found footage film; = sound.

aIn collecting the material for the we amassed over 1600 photographs, 22 hours of video, 8 hours of found footage and 12 hours of sound recording. In order to remain true to our metaphor of being tourists our equipment was all of consumer, rather than professional, quality.