The Whole DOM's a Stage

Live Coding the Document Object Model for Visual Performanc

Abstract

This paper presents a lightweight JavaScript framework for live coding web browser pages directly via the developer tools console. By treating web elements as dynamic visual targets and CSS Web Animations as composable temporal primitives, the system transforms the web Document Object Model (DOM) into a real-time visual canvas. The architecture introduces a targeting state machine, continuous registry management, and composable keyframe animation pipelines. This practice is situated within media ecology and browser art history, connecting them to contemporary net art practices.