June 25, 2023 Spring 2023
Narrative Constellations: Exploring Choice, Time, and Location-based Storytelling was a ten-week class in Spring 2023 taught by April Soetarman with Lee Beckwith as assistant teacher. Part creative writing workshop and part interactive game design course, participants were invited to rethink the way we tell stories through a variety of prompts, projects, readings, and experiences.
Over the course of ten weeks, we explored the following questions: How can we play with the form of stories to create more immersive, meaningful experiences? How can we move beyond linear, climax-driven narratives? How can we center time and/or location as driving forces in our work?
To think through these questions, participants produced three main pieces of work. The first was a “hermit crab” short story, or a story that takes on a different container or “shell.” Some of the forms chosen included: a spiral, directions from Google Maps, a Zillow listing, a collection of while-you-were-out notes, Dr. Bronner’s soap packaging, and an automated email from the U.S. Department of State.
The next project was a time-based piece, or a piece where time is an essential mechanic of the narrative. Some examples include: a poem that is published over the course of 4 years, a 5-minute smoke break fantasy adventure, a daylight-savings inspired website, a pair of clocks that only tick when two people are looking at them.
The last project was a location-based experience. Some of these pieces invited participants to draw an alebrije at the Natural History Museum, partake in a divination ritual at their local Dunkin’ Donuts, or go on a walking tour of restaurants in Toronto that are now closed.
For their final projects, participants could choose to revisit a previous project or come up with something new. These projects are still being finalized and compiled into a showcase website, but here are some previews:
“Handle with Care” by Murphy Carter is a creative exercise that ties together the context and dream-text of gloves in archival settings to ask questions about how to handle something differently (or with more care), how to let go, and how to hold narrative for yourself, for loved ones, and for a wider community. The exercise includes steps and guidelines to create gloves that stitch together intention and attention for individuals who share personal experiences with a community-based archive.
ALT: A red, thin-lined sewing pattern for one glove takes up the majority of the image; scattered on top of the pattern there are 2 smaller pairs of pink/orange/red gloves and a lone red glove. The image alludes to a sewing pattern, still in development, that includes steps and guidelines to create gloves that stitch together intention and attention for individuals who share personal experiences with a community-based archive.“The Grimoire Garden” by Nasrah Omar is a website for an imaginary garden encompassing worlds within worlds that change seasonally as they inhabit a traversable ecosystem for visitors to heal, to feel a sense of awe, reconvene with ancestral links and discover resources for regeneration both online and in real life.
ALT: A screenshot of a page on the “Grimoire Garden” website. There is an abstract, black and white checkerboard hallway in the center, with neon-colored plants and fungi growing out of it. The whole image is slightly pixellated and “glitchy.” There are also butterflies, frogs, and hands holding candles scattered throughout the hallway. At the end of the hallway is a mushroom-shaped building with a door, windows, and fungal chimneys.“Your Local Superstore: A Travel Guide” by Keith S. Wilson is a brochure with a map and a collection of prompts inviting store-goers to gain new appreciation for their local superstore.
ALT: A pile of folded “Your Local Superstore: A Travel Guide” brochures, all on top of one another. The cover is dark blue with small white stars scattered throughout. The title is at the top of the brochure: the first part is in a white serif typeface and the second part is in an italicized orange sans serif typeface. There is a large orange five-sided asterisk below the title.
ALT: One of the “Your Local Superstore: A Travel Guide” brochures open on a table. The left two-thirds of the brochure are a subway-style map, with different departments such as “Toys” “Apparel” “Pets” and “Bakery” labeled as “stops.” There is an “Imaginary River” that flows through the center of the map. There are two compass-like arrows pointing in different directions, labeled as “Swampland? Mountains? Trees?” and “City? Farmland? Town?” On the right, there is an orange box with the heading “What is there to do?” Beneath the heading there is a bulleted list of things to do, which include “Jump the river. Fjord it. Find something that reminds you of your childhood. Place it next to something that reminds you of now. Take a picture. Put it all back.”; “What is a public good and what is a public need? Separate them on the map with dotted lines.”; and “Add something to the map that deserves to be there. The something can be a someone.”
“an android’s dream / eclectic sleep” by Ryan Loren Lee is an interactive fiction game set in a world where humans have replaced most of their body parts with prosthetics. The player attempts to uncover forgotten memories, rediscover existential dread, and gain a deeper understanding of the optics of sickness.
ALT: A screenshot of a concept document for the Twine game “an android’s dream / eclectic sleep.” The text reads: “Concept: A sci-fi Twine game set in the future with multiple endings. The player is an android, who struggles with Data Degenerative Arthropathy (DDR), an invisible chronic illness that has an opportunity cost tied to each decision. The gameplay is loopy with an element of frustration, so the player learns a pattern subconsciously and finally discovers how to complete the game to their desired ending. It is set in a world where humans have replaced most of their bodies with prosthetics (an android). The protagonist struggles with the Ship of Theseus paradox and sets out to find their lost memories in a scrapyard full of discarded body parts. Each part recovers them different memories. It is also possible to recover the memories of other individuals (ending C). Through a series of dream diary entries and decisions, the player attempts to exhume their human past to uncover forgotten memories, rediscover existential dread, and the optics of sickness.”
ALT: A screenshot of a concept document for the Twine game “an android’s dream / eclectic sleep.” At the top there is an image from the game NieR:Automata. The image’s focal point is a pile of old TV’s, some of which have illuminated white screens. The image as a whole is quite dark and there are other piles of waste around. The caption for the image is “Moodboard: scrapyard scene.” The text reads: “Setting: Year 3033, future, scrapyard. Game goals: Frustration, empathy. Multiple endings, replayable for different outcomes. Ideal audience? People who have no experience with an invisible chronic illness. Also, people hamstrung by choice and regret.”Stay tuned for the final showcase website!