Maya Churi

Hi Maya,

I am intrigued but not clear on what you mean by "storied experiences." From that phrase, I get something akin to a fable, which I am all for (and personally gravitate towards myself).

I like the use of "doer" as opposed to audience, though, and it fits well with the proverb you cited. I'm eager to hear more on it.

I agree. "Storied experiences" is a very evocative phrase that speaks to something more inclusive than any single form... sounds a novelized narrative, a web-based exploration of space a la Forest Grove, a rollercoaster or even a hike through the mountains would qualify. The intent of your design is what sets it apart.

I think it's a very noble goal to try to create a sense of wonder and expansiveness in such interactive experiences. Do you think this goal might be at cross-purposes with the conscious development of a lexicon (which I read as "structured meaning")?

Thanks for these comments. They are really helpful in thinking this through. I see "Storied Experience" as something based in narrative (akin to a fable or any other genre) in which the doer or participant feels as though they were actually part of the story. It is definitely more inclusive than any single form (immersive museum installations, games, theatre and yes even a hike through a park). I used the word "storied" because of it's dual meanings - one being "Told in a story or history" as in "he had a storied past" - and the other being "layered" as in first story, second story etc. Also, what do I want the audience to get out of it - I want them to get their own story.

I had been playing with a few wordings of this. I've gone through lots of terms "Designing Story" or "Designing Experience" being the two that together encompass something close to what I mean. But then I started thinking about what do I really want to create here? Is it a story? Is it an experience? I know that it is not a story experience - that seems to shallow and focused on narrative. I kept asking, is there potential for something more and can that something be defined?

By lexicon I mean a set vocabulary or dictionary that can be used to reference ideas and processes that could be used to create the experiences.

As far as if the goal to create a sense of wonder and expansiveness in interactive experiences is at cross-purposes with the conscious development of a lexicon I think that if the experience - and the approach to the lexicon is presented as "How to manufacture X" (Disney for example) then yes it is at cross-purposes. But I want to approach it from a more organic place mostly because I want documentation of process and a vocabulary to be able to translate my ideas into words.

Thoughts?

I think one of the main things that strikes me about this is how much agency or impact the audience has on the experience. Is it really a linear narrative, but one that offers an illusion of impact? Is it completely dynamic and affected by player input? Is there a way to tie everyone's individual storied experience together to form a bigger piece? Are these stories to be shared with others in the audience?

Basically, who is/are the author(s)? Are you creating a narrative or a playground? It seems like you're looking for something in-between, which is fascinating and I look forward to more on it.

The idea of storied experiences reminds me of the way Norman Klein described the cityscapes of Los Angeles as "scripted spaces." His idea, generally speaking, was that our city was so infused with stories, narrative tropes and cinematic imagery that we could hardly pass along its streets without feeling that we were part of a Hollywood movie. I like that your kernel proceeds from experiences that seem more tied to the individual than the landscape; i.e., it is the experience, not the space, that is invested with narrative significance. This seems to me to have great potential for the grand set of goals that you articulate.

As you build greater specificity into your proposal, I will be interested to hear how you differentiate your desired immersive experience from that of the cinematic spectacle. Leni Riefenstahl used film to immerse spectators in a highly resonant narrative that was greater than any one individual (well, except Hitler, maybe), but I know you are aiming for something quite different. For me, the key to the project lies in the "lexicon for the methods, mechanisms and approaches" you mention. Hollywood has certainly developed its own algebra for cinematic experience that is easily codified and reproduced with certain interchangeable variables. Computational and database narratives recognize the recombinant structures of most story systems and experiment with algorithms for creating alternative narrative experiences. But your stated goal is to enhance human understanding, a complex and elusive outcome that is going to require more than a simple, algorithmic approach.

I think it might help focus the project goals to begin thinking about a range of specific outcomes or use-case scenarios. If the overall goal is greater human understanding, what are the components that begin to get you there? Is there a 5-minute outcome for casual doers (I like this term, by the way) that can still have significance? How much of the lexicon you are using to construct this experience should be visible to doers and what kind of pleasure might they take in it? Variations on this proverb are often referenced in educational contexts to justify project-based learning and learning by doing (IML, anyone?), which suggests a pedagogical system, with you teaching someone or leading your doers through a prescribed experience. So, to what extent will you control the parameters and predicates of this experience, or will your system be open for others to impact, resist, hack, reconfigure, or evolve?