Version 3 (in progress)
The third iteration of Drift Interruptions reexamines the shape of narrative. It envisions the narrative not as a linear path constantly departing from its former self, but instead as an undulating architectural form that folds onto itself. This visualization borrows the western notions of story as both a constructed form and a kind of textile that unfolds. Here story is structural, intentioned, but also as colloquial as spinning a yarn.
| In Progress... | Drafs | Concepts | References |
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The Visualization
Drift interruptions, Version 3, represent iteration on the theme of visualizing choice in narrative. Where Version 2 emphasized the path not taken, Version 3 moves toward emphasizing the chosen path’s shape and character.
In real time, the current narrative is drawn as an architectural ribbon. The ribbon winds toward its center, changing size based on the density of language in the spoken narrative. When the story being told changes, the color of these structures changes.
Three dimensional visualization was chosen because it affords for a few fundamental advantages when compared to two dimensions:
- Space is represented* as more than absence. In three dimensions space emphasizes distance and its relationship to space.
- Three dimensional representation* does not rely as heavily on abstractions and translation as 2D presentations. Where, for example, a 2D map of a terrain requires extrinsic knowledge of standards in color, hue, and flatland translation, the 3D presentation relies on intrinsic knowledge about the relationship of one object to another (often the space between them)
Version 3 departs from the narrative and choice as a river or road. Instead it emphasizes the structure of narrative, assuming a more literal representation of an individual narrative and obscuring the narrative's relationship to the choices an author made. Here I try to re-present the story in the terms it is traditionally consumed. But instead of the linear stages of 3 act structure, or the complete circle of a Hero's Journey, it is structure neither linear nor completely circular.
The Installation:
Version 3 revises the design as a large screen projects for public space, instead of a small private installation for museum audiences. This large screen projection will incorporate text into the projection to accommodate the acoustically more complex environment.
Version 3 continues to us ant interface which is motion driven. Narrative changes are created by detected movement.
The Narratives:
Where Version 2 relied on very short narratives of choice (1.5 minutes on average), Version 3 incorporates complete narratives of a wider variety. Version three short stories are read by a variety of people whose commonality is their choice to broadcast their reading. Where Version 2 relied on a single, intimate voice, the third iteration relies on recorded audio intended for wide public display.
Reference and Related Reading:
- Drift Interruptions Version 2 (.pdf)
- Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information
- Narratives of Space, Time, and Life Barbara Tversky
- Algorithmic Architecture : Images and Samples
- Natural Born CAAD Designers
Technical:
- My text to image transcriber (php) . . .
- A few simple algorithms I sketched for story plotting
A few places from which I derived motivation and ideas:
- GSAPP at NYU: Graduate School of Architecture
- http://www.enohenze.de/
Related:
- Extreme Textiles
- Punkmill: Data as material (virtual textile)
*Here emphasizing re-presentation or the projection of a sense of three-dimensions.