I have some frustrations regarding nonlinear processing, and nonlinear narrative in particular.
I’ve done some experiments in 3D nonlinear storytelling. I’ve done online writing that requires a bit further expanded border than what most of us have in our narrative experience.
Most of my artistic work, in fact, involves multi-media, multi-modes, and a lot of requirements on the artistic consumer to do some puzzle solving.
People like regular puzzles, right? (I actually don’t. I can’t work on a old-fashioned puzzle for more than 3 minutes.)
Part of the problem is the exponential increase in freedom for interpretation when dealing with work like this. There are big holes, and you fill those holes with your experience. That’s kinda the point, actually. (I’m going to contradict myself later, just FYI. Well, not really but it’s going to sound like it.)
My frustration is, people don’t want holes. They don’t want to work. They don’t want to think about their art.
They want to be entertained. They want to be told. Just give them the soundbyte. The elevator pitch. They’re busy. They’ve got friends waiting. They’ve got more to consume.
» Previously mentioned Rob and the Dancer: the original required the users to click through on an unmarked link onto a page that consisted entirely of an imagemap. The image was/is of a text, and various names contain/ed mailto: links. Emails sent to each of these gave clues as to how to continue. Two of them responded regardless of what you said in your email. One of those two hinted at what text was required in the third email in order to receive a response. That third email reponse gave a link to a hidden directory which contained all sorts of materials which fleshed out the story some more, but in few ways brought any closure to the story. If anything, it expanded it by connecting it to other work I had already published on the web.
This was a bit too much apparently. One or two people pinged the automated email replies, but none got the critical third email reply.
I’ve made it easier since recently republishing Rob and the Dancer. No one has yet to ping the emails.
» Artifacts was an installation I did for IR Gallery’s opening. Few people got it. None have requested the password for the website devoted to the installation and its story.
» I like dionaea-house, I really do. But it was laid out right in front of ppl. Yes all the different modes (although all websites) were brilliant. But the rabbit trail was damn well worn.
Check the archives here for other stories and games on the net that have very interesting rabbit trails.
Just tonight I overheard art professionals judging the merit of narrative work (in this case photographic) based primarily on aesthetics. When they did consider the narrative element of the work, they considered it only from their own point of view, superimposing their own autobiographies and expectations overtop of the story being told, as opposed to “reading” the story the artist was “writing.”
Wild tangent: this is my main issue with the way most Christians read the Bible.
Stories are living things.
…perhaps because they come from living humans…and as with humans, treading anyway but carefully upon them will cause instant karma to getcha.
Sorry for the personal, rambling post.
No I’m not.
![][6]
[6]: