The Hourglass

As the game is an hour long I have been thinking of how to show the players time running out. I came up with the hour glass - known as the hour glass as it was difficult to make one that could go on longer then an hour! Weirdly after a bit of research they were actually invented the same time as the mecanical clock. They can only be used as a basic means of telling the time. If you were to mark off five minutes on the hourglass each time you ran it, it would be slightly different. They can only tell you when the hour is up.

"Two technologies, one simple, one complex, running side by side -- the clock making a continuum of time, the hourglass segmenting it -- the clock speaking of timelessness, the hourglass showing us finality -- the clock evoking things celestial, the hourglass reminding us of base earth. They are Yin and Yang"


The hourglass, whose sands run out, was a thing of this base earth. It became a metaphor for the running-out-of-sands we all inevitably face. It became, and it remains, a universal symbol of death. This is interesting because I've been thinking of using one in the mechanical heart also. The persons life expectancy dependent on your class, IQ etc is all set when the heart is first placed inside the person. This can be terminated at any time - a simple flick of a switch and thats it your gone. Within our story the rebals have infiltrated there hearts they are no longer on the system.

Drawing of the mechanical heart - research

Am currently trying to design the mechanical heart. I envisage cogs, hammers, levers pulleys some sort of clock work or maybe an hour glass? Victorian obviously! Would like to animate it in Flash to have as part of the introduction while the GPS is loading. Really need to have the narrative now to be able to start properly.... Designing when you don;t fully know what your designing for is tricky. But I can work on aspects of the animation which I know will be in there. Have started on the logo design as well as the general design. The characters will have to be done at a later date when the narrative is fully constructed and the relevant parts are split up into their relevant sections. How many drawings will there be? How many animations? How much written text? How much video? How much will need to be on one page or screen? Audio how much written text will images go with this also - will they be imperative the story or merely an extra should the viewer take the time to find them? Hidden parts? Extra bits of information for the more enquisative? The website? How much back information? The list is endless....

Neptune/Poseidon

Prehistory

In Greek mythology, Poseidon (Greek: Ποσειδών) was the god of the sea, as well as horsesearthquakes. He figured as Rodon in Illyrian, Nethuns in Etruscan, and Neptune in Roman mythology. and, as "Earth-Shaker", of

In Mycenean culture, Poseidon's importance was greater than that of Zeus. At Pylos he is the chief god, if surviving Linear B clay tablets can be trusted; the name PO-SE-DA-WO-NE (Poseidon) occurs with greater frequency than does DI-U-JA (Zeus). A feminine variant, PO-SE-DE-IA, is also found, indicating the existence of a now-forgotten consort goddess. Tablets from Pylos record sacrificial goods destined for "the Two Queens and Poseidon" and to "the Two Queens and the King". The most obvious identification for the "Two Queens" is with Demeter and Persephone, or their precursors, goddesses who were not associated with Poseidon in later periods. Poseidon is already identified as "Earth-Shaker"— E-NE-SI-DA-O-NE— in Mycenaean Knossos ^[1], a powerful attribute where earthquakes had accompanied the collapse of the Minoan palace-culture. In the heavily sea-dependent Mycenean culture, no connection between Poseidon and the sea has yet surfaced; among the Olympians it was determined by lot that he should rule over the sea (Hesiod, Theogony 456): the god preceded his realm.

Demeter and Poseidon's names are linked in one Pylos tablet, where they appear as PO-SE-DA-WO-NE and DA-referred to by the epithets Enosichthon, Seischthon and Ennosigaios, all meaning "earth-shaker" and referring to his role in causing earthquakes. Poseidon was a major civic god of several cities: in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance; while in Corinth and many cities of Magna Graecia he was the chief god of the polis.

According to Pausanias, Poseidon was one of the caretakers of the Oracle at Delphi before Olympian Apollo took it over. Apollo and Poseidon worked closely in many realms: in colonization, for example, Apollo provided the authorization to go out and settle from Delphi, while Poseidon watched over the colonists on their way, and provided the lustral water for the foundation-sacrifice. Xenophon's Anabasis describes a groups of Spartan soldiers singing to Poseidon a paean - a kind of hymn normally sung for Apollo.

Like Dionysus and the Maenads, Poseidon also caused certain forms of mental disturbance. One Hippocratic text says that he was blamed for certain types of epilepsy.^[2]

Homeric Hymn to Poseidon

The hymn to Poseidon included among the Homeric Hymns is a brief invocation, a seven-line introduction that addresses the god as both "mover of the earth and barren sea, god of the deep who is also lord of Helicon and wide Aegae^[3], and specificies his two-fold nature as an Olympian: "a tamer of horses and a saviour of ships."

Role in society

Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage, sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice. In his benign aspect, Poseidon created new islands and offered calm seas. When offended or ignored, he struck the ground with his trident and caused chaotic springs, earthquakes, drownings and shipwrecks.

In art

Poseidon's chariot was pulled by a hippocampus or horses that could ride on the sea. He was associated with dolphins and three-pronged fish spears (tridents).

He lived in a palace on the ocean floor, made of coral and gems.

In Rome

Neptune was worshiped by the Romans primarily as a horse god, Neptune Equester, patron of horse-racing. He had a temple near the race tracks in Rome (built in 25 BC), the Circus Flaminius, as well as one in the Campus Martius, where on July 23, the Neptunalia was observed

Have been doing some research on Neptune. Am currently working on the logo, and design of the piece. Wanted to know what he was excitly. Obviousy taken from Wikipeda so not the most reliable but its somewhere to start.

Images will be posed soon

I'm not shallow

Thought I should mention what I intend this thing to look like. It being my main concern.
So Victorian. Maybe a bit of Edward Gorey thrown in, in that I mean maybe keep traditional dress or some aspects of tradictional dress so I could have a skateboarder drawn in a victorian style with a cap on but still keep aspects of Victorian-ness.

I want to look into Victorian typography and also there graphics. Due to my interest of books this is where I started.



The black and white line drawing that cunjures Victorian in mind was mainly down to the cost of producing in colour. "As printing developed from a hand craft to a technology during the Victorian era, so book illustration also changed to satisfy the demands of a growing readership eager for 'thousands of copies to be multiplied without any deterioration'." Images in books became a central feature of Victorian culture, and today we still learn from there typography and design. They were at once prestigious and popular, a kind of entertainment, but also a place for pondering fundamental questions about history, geography, language, time, commerce, design, and vision itself.



By the late nineteenth century the process relief line block could achieve a deeper black and purer white than any obtainable previously in the hand press era. Its often easy to forget the different styles that they used. The problem is, is that I want people to instantly recognise that it is Victorian. It will play a large part in setting the scene for the game - Victorian England, Fog, Haze, Smoke, Industry, Slavery, The Rich vs the Poor etc.

"Start at the beginning"

Right need to start doing something first off we need to decide what needs to be done and then in what order, will be making a Gant chart as instructed, but this is different if you don't know where to begin.
Things to be done}
GAME:-
Narrative
Interactivity
Interface
Design
Gaming
Codes/puzzles
Location
IPAQS
Sensors, GPS, RFID, Infa Red
Speech

WEBSITE:-

Design
Structure
Content
Separate puzzles?
Links to games
Databases/HML
Flash?
Interactivity
Video?
Speech?

After talking through things today we've got to start on the structure. Once we have this we can move onto the other parts. Obviously my concern is the narrative. Breaking it up so that it works. One thing were thinking of is IF statements. However I kind of feel that this cheating. This isn't working out the interactivity, its simply programming to make it all work. The structure works in triangles. Each point of the triangle is a part of the narrative or a clue. You have to make up the triangles in order to make the final shape. The viewer will be shown there path as they walk around. This will become clearer once I post the map with the triangles on it. The problem were having is that depending on your path you might complete three or four triangles at the same time. This will mean that your bombarded with narrative and clues. We don't want this.

Notes to start things off

Right things are going to be differ rent this year. No point thinking that this blog can be used to show my research mainly, and politely because people don't have time to read it..... So it will be used for me to write on and get my ideas across to myself. This way I can cut and paste when I need something for my sketch book, or essays or reports. Also to keep websites that have been and will be again useful. Will also keep notes to myself on it, rather then sticky notes which fall off things and get stuck to the bottom of my shoe, and generally get ignored, or my diary which again gets ignored..... Or my various "Things to do" notebooks.... Or my Calender......

Conversation between Me and I

So what have you been thinking about?
I've been thinking about the problems that a joint project might create

In what way?
The problem of basically creating 2 separate projects essentially from one. I'm worried that were both be doing the same things.... It will get messy and will be hard for us to prove or differentiate which parts or sections that we personally have done.

Any ideas on how to get around this?
Well, I need to talk this through with some people, but I'm thinking that Tom gives me a brief. I'm basically being Sub-contracted. The project is Tom's idea - I will be visualizing the idea.

So you won't come up with any ideas?
No, this is the problem. I've got ideas to help with the narrative. I've studied interactive narrative/modular narrative/non linear narrative/ hypertext narrative. It is in fact my primary interest and reasons for doing this MA

So why aren't you doing an interactive narrative then!?!
Well there's a reason for that! I did an interactive narrative for my first year project which I thoroughly enjoyed. However I'm no writer... I used fairytales last time which really worked.. What I'd like to do is use the work of Madeleine De Scubery but what with it being about 72 volumes, in French and only available at the Bodleian Library this can't happen not at the moment anyways. But going back to this project I want to feel like I've accomplished more then a website essentially. Combining narrative and a new technology is exciting and will stretch me more then a website could.

So why this project?
I can combine narrative, illustration, design, web-design yet stretch myself on a technical level using databases, GPS and IPAQS.

So why not do the project yourself, in that I mean on your own?
I consider myself a designer I'm interested in aesthetics. When I started this course this was my aim - to work on a joint project, let someone else worry about the nitty gritty and I can draw and illustrate things! This way I get to use an interesting technology, learn how to design for a new medium but not let my slight lack of technical skills hold me back. I always find with new technology's that there made purely to use a new technology, they have great ideas but to put it simply look crap.... As I mentioned on a review on the bath abbey exerpition the idea was great you walked in front of screens and videos would play - the characters would turn and look at you etc. This was all very well but the design was awful, The idea behind these videos was awful, in sort the whole concept of the project was.. Awful. We want to make something which yes is playing around with a relatively new process and medium but how it looks will be just as important.

Starting things off - 2nd year final project.

Neptune’s Trident: The project title
Brief Overview: 120 years ago inventor Moses Nebo (anagram) invented a time machine which went wrong. Splitting reality into three. A group in the other reality is trying to bind ours. This would lead to our reality slowing down, stopping, and then running backwards. There are spies in our reality, but also a group of us in the other. There are 1 hour windows to communicate/ help. Clues, puzzles, anagrams feature heavily.
Group Project: Myself and Tom Bennet
What it is and Aims: To create a fully functioning interactive game to last for one hour/or series of one hour games to be played in the centre of Bristol on IPAQS. Also to create a website/interactive novel linked to the game.

Websites

Never- ending story

Assignment six:

Make a proposal for the future development of your practise in which you identify the following:

Key themes and interests.
An articulation of the domain in which you are working with reference to selected practitioners.
Proposed strategies for the development of your work
Bibliography


"A book is more than a verbal structure or series of verbal structures; it is the dialogue it establishes with its reader and the intonation it imposes upon his voice and the changing and durable images it leaves in his memory. A book is not an isolated being: it is a relationship, an axis of innumerable relationships."

Borges -- Essay: "A Note on (toward) Bernard Shaw"


“One of my key interests is what happens to texts when they are put on the Internet and “The effect of new media on the transmission of various narrative forms.” For example Fairy Tales, Comics, and ghost stories - the list is endless. Within narrative, the Internet represents a return to the manuscript style (or even oral culture) where the reader is expected to interact rather then just be a passive recipient. The examples I gave previously are all forms of storytelling that require a certain level of interactivity, for example when reading comics you navigate your way through them, in an almost intuitive way. Fairy Tales and Ghost Stories started as an oral form of storytelling and weren’t in fact recorded until the late 18th century when obviously their style, and therefore meaning, were changed and subverted. New Media and the enhanced ability to interact with the piece in front of you has again changed meaning and context, and imposes questions on whether these ‘new’ versions have dramatically changed these examples as well as questions on the best way in which to demonstrate and transcribe these narrative and illustrated texts.”

This was and is my proposal for future research and practise. Along the way I have researched various practitioners in the field of narrative, immersion, hypertext, digital storytelling, and illustration with symbolism. Narrative has been my key field of interest for reasons I’m going to illustrate.

At the start of this project I set myself the afore-mentioned question: “The effect of new media on the transmission of various narrative forms” in particular fairytales, and it was from here that I branched out and tried to see what other subsections I would need to examine in order to answer this question. These became my five criteria and have moderately stayed the same. These are: Narrative, Immersion, Illustration, Navigation, and Design. These five criteria are very diverse and it was hard to focus on one without forgetting the others. As this evaluation is intended to review what I have been pursuing in the last few months, I feel it important to state my dissatisfaction at having to create these criteria. Within all of these words that I have chosen there are sub categories leading off into other categories having their own sub categories.

My first port of call was narrative, this being the densest of my criteria as well as my working practise, one of the subcategories being non-linear narrative or modular narrative or, per say, “normal” narrative. I’ve always found the art of constructing a good narrative a hard one. Maybe, not being a writer, I find it quite overwhelming how people manage to achieve this successfully. To add into the mix a non-linear narrative is particularly difficult and a hard thing to get one’s head around. Writers I have looked at include theorists as well as practitioners including Madeleine De Scuderie, Hester Pulter, Borges, Edgar Ellan Poe, Scott McCloud, with theorists such as Murrey, Manovich, Miller, Hillman Curtis, Susan Miller, Racheal Greene, James Elkins and Christiane Paul. Most of these were just for the non-linear narratives, interesting narratives, and theories on narrative not just non-linear ones, and how to get narrative onto the web, although some were reused for my other criteria. I also had to examine specifically fairytale writers and theorists to help me with my actual working practise. These include: Basile (including various translators of his work), Grimm, Perrault, Angela Carter, Apuleus, Kenneth Graham, Arthur Conan Doyle, Brian Froud his writings, theorists; Marina Warner, Vladimir Propp, and Max Luthi. As you can see, there are numerous writers’ and critics’ works explored, and as all of these have been mentioned throughout my research journal, I do not feel that it is imperative to discuss them here. I will include specifically the artefacts and writings that I looked at in my bibliography, along with any practitioners that I have neglected to mention here.

For my project of creating an interactive fairytale, I used the work of Basile fairly extensively. I looked at various translations of his work, leading me to my navigation and narrative structure. I found four translations of Basiles work, all of them very different in content and meaning. I derived my narrative structure by using a linear narrative combining multiple versions as the way in which the user gets from start to finish. The idea is that you still travel in a linear fashion, however by navigating yourself through the various versions yourself, almost editing the text according to how you feel you would like the story to progress. For example, you might start at a grittier Basile version of a fairytale, and then decide you want something a bit lighter for a while and travel down the Grimms’ version of events. Towards the end of the narrative you might wish for a bit more fantasy and imagination so you travel into Perrault’s version. As you are creating the same fairytale, the beginning is always the beginning and the end is always the end, how you get there is your choice. From reading theorists’ work, as well as reading every single fairytale that I could get my hands on, I began notice the apparent migration of characters from one fairytale to another. For example, the wicked stepmother originally started off as a wicked wife. In the original Perrault version of Sleeping Beauty it does not end when the heroine wakes up but the story continues, with the evil step-mother of the prince trying to kill her to reclaim her son. However, in the preceding Basile version (which is the one Perrault, Grimm, Walt Disney etc. use) it is in fact the wife of the prince who tries to kill her. It is plausible that in later versions it was deemed too risky to have bigamy within these tales, and so this character was changed to a step-mother. But it gets more complicated then that! In the Grimm version we do not see this chain of events as it ends before all of this can happen. But Grimm, liking this ‘evil step-mother’ character decided to put her into Cinderella, in which the original Basile version does not contain. FOOTNOTE: SOURCE

The central idea of the project became to combine Vladimir Propp’s observations on character and storyline, while showing the migrating characters from the various versions. So, you could have all versions of all the fairytales. All the narratives could be based on the characters, where a character changes or metamorphoses into a different one, the current fairytale would change. I decided against this due to its prohibitive complexity but it is an idea I would like to go back to and extend. Not necessarily just within fairytales, but as an idea for another type of interactive narrative. The idea that an interactive narrative can still have a linear structure and be successful is what I am most pleased with, and this idea I will take with me for my concluding practical project, and is what I have gained from this module personally.

I’ve continually looked at what is available on the web in terms of interactive narrative and one thing struck me: the type of narrative that is used. Writers in this genre often (and I say this with caution, as not always) use a very ‘poetic’ type of prose, (this could lead me on to a discussion of whether poetry is narrative - something which has always been a bone of contention amongst theorists - but I will resist). The prose can be obscure and/or very confusing (I sometimes suspect, in a hope to make you not notice the bad narrative flow!) and, using a terrible expression, “airy fairy”. I do not like this type of prose (not in books, never mind on the web) and this was something I wanted to work against. I like fantasy, I like to escape, and this was my reason for choosing fairytales, even if it would give me problems later on.

How I am going to progress with this I am as yet unsure. As I have mentioned previously in this journal, Madelaine De Scuderies ideas on narrative are what I really want to research, explore and ultimately “copy”. She used fantasy, and the relationships between the chapters that you decided to read was what led you to your own personal ending. This really fascinates me and if the funding was available, I would like to get hold of a copy to put on the web. Unfortunately, I do not think that this is possible.

Next I looked at “navigation” and I will combine this with my “design” criteria, and as I have already mentioned this I will be brief. The navigation of my piece comes from the narrative, which is how it should be. By researching fairytales, and reading a great deal of them, I came up with my navigation system. Although I am not completely happy with it, and as of yet am not sure if it really works, it has certainly led me into how I will complete my next project. The design came from the structure, generally speaking. I wanted the navigational design to be part of the piece. I didn’t want the way the user interacts with the piece to be an after thought from the design point of view. Again from reading, researching, and looking I noticed that navigation structures were often on the outside of the image or words. In contrast, I wanted and I feel that I have achieved, the design of the navigation to fit with the rest of the illustrations and text. It is an integral part of the piece.

For future study I will go back and look at more ways in which to design navigation, specifically looking at Scott McCloud, whose ideas on interactive comics I did not fully explore. I want to spend time going through his online comics and working out the parts that really work and the parts that don’t. Although he has written a book, which I have read, outlining his theories and ideas, I feel that the only way to implement his ideas into my own projects is by experimenting with what works and what doesn’t. Like Vladimir Propp’s writings on structure, some ideas work in practice and some don’t and I don’t wish to use an idea just because it has been written down: sometimes these ideas work in theory but not in practice. By using these ideas I will be able to see how to progress my own ideas on navigation, design, and navigational design.

Illustration is quite a small part of my research conducted so far. I have looked at artists such as Paula Rego, who specifically looked at fairytales for a series of portraits. I like her rather “dirty” analysis of them, they’re modern yet still true to the tale she is wishing to depict. This was something which I wanted to do on my own illustrations and it was interesting to see how she achieved this through body language and expression. Other artists such as Kiki Smith, Terry Winderling, Brian Froud and Alan Lee also look at myth and fairytales.
Immersion is also a key part of my research, and something which I am going to continue to develop;

Hypertext systems should take about 1/4 second to move from one place to another. If the delay is longer, people may be distracted; if the delay is much longer, people will stop using the system. If the delay is much shorter, people may not realize that the display has changed
Arkinsons Law.

As you can see there is a very fine line in keeping the user stimulated and happy. Came across Arkinsons Law quite late on in my project, and although it was written in 1993 which is terrably out of date I still think its important to look at in more detail. I think this gives me a reason to learn databases and how to impliment them into Flash. Databases can carry much more imformation, and allow you to have a quicker retrieval of the information. At the moment my interactive fairytale runs much too slow and I wouldn’t even wait for it. This is my key problem which has to be addressed for my final project.

My proposed strategies are as follows:-

(1.) To Learn HML and Databases.
(2.) To read more theory on navigational design, as well as experimenting with some of Scott McClouds theorys and ideas.
(3.) Completely finish my interactive fairytale and get it published at the “Eastgate Serious Hypertext” website
(4.) Start to write my own narrative based on ideas by Madeleine De Scuderie and Vladimir Propp.
(5.) Research Mobile technologys and the implications that this will have on the general design of the page.


Bibliography: Key texts and articles that I have looked at. Throughout my online journal I have also stated other sources and images.

Books:

(1.) “The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm”(Norton Critical Editions). Jack Zipes.
(2.) “From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers.” Marina Warner.
(3.) “The Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticism” (Norton Critical Editions). Maria M. Tatar.
(4.) “The Blue Fairy Book” (Dover Storybooks for Children). Complied by Andrew Lang
(5.) “The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales”. Brothers Grimm
(6.) “Faeries” (25th Anniversary Edition). by Brian Froud (Illustrator), Alan Lee (Illustrator)
(7.) “Paula Rego” (Paperback). John McEwen.
(8.) “Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace” (Paperback). Janet Murrey
(9.) “Digital Storytelling : A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment.” Carolyn Handler Miller.
(10.) “Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling” Chris Crawford
(11.) “Interactive Storytelling: Techniques for 21st Century Fiction”
Andrew Glassner
(12.) “Digital Art (World of Art).” Christine Paul
(13.) “Complete Tales & Poems (Vintage)”: Edgar Allan Poe


Websites:

New Media Lab:- http//nml.ru.ac.za
Wikipedia:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Fad interest:- http://www.fadresearch.com/about.html
Interactivity pdf:- http://dag.idi.ntnu.no/interactivity.pdf
Scott McCloud:- http://www.scottmccloud.com
A 24 hour digital comic:- http://castlezzt.net/24hourcomic.cfm
A 24 hour digital comic:- http://members.aol.com/opheliab/24hour1.html
Online comics:- http://www.webcomicsnation.com
Fairytales:- http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/index.html
Word Power:- http://www.word-power.co.uk/catalogue/0748617701
Illustrated Borges:- http://www.themodernword.com/borges/kernan/kernan.html
Serious hypertext:- http://www.eastgate.com/Guidelines.html
Flash help:- http://www.flashkit.com/index.shtml
Ernest W Adams:- http://www.designersnotebook.com/
Paula Rego:- http://library.thinkquest.org/17016/frames.htm
Janet Murrey Links:- http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~murray/
Neil Gaimon:- http://www.neilgaimon.com
Madeleine de Scudery’s:- http://www.femspec.org/samples/salon.html
Lev Manovich:- http://www.manovich.com
Kiki Smith:- http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2003/kikismith/
Mark Stephan Meadows:- http://bore.com/
Ed Rusca:- http://www.crownpoint.com/html/home.html
Edward Gorey:- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/gorey.html
Vladimir Propp:- http://www.brown.edu/Courses/FR0133/Fairytale_Generator/propp.html
Borges:- http://www.themodernword.com/borges/
Virginia Woolf:- http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1455/is_200505/ai_n15061943
Doris Lessing:- http://lessing.redmood.com/
Dave McKean:- http://www.mckean-art.co.uk/
Brian Froud:- http://www.worldoffroud.com/index.html
Terri Winderling:- http://www.endicott-studio.com/bios/bioterri.html
Marina Warner:- http://www.marinawarner.com/stories.html
Ted Nelson:- http://xanadu.com.au/ted/
Alan Key:- http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/GASCH.KAY.HTML
HML help:- http://www.3schools.com/index.asp
Databases help:- http://www.oreilly.com/
Macromedia:- http://www.macromedia.com
Six principles of narrative:- http://www.kleene-star.net/sixprinciples/authorship/index.html
Use of narrative in interactive design:- http://www.kleene-star.net/sixprinciples/authorship/index.html
Interactive narrative podcast a look at technology:- http://www.odeo.com/channel/6803/view
The book is dead:- http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/0472111140-01.pdf
Authoring tool for non linear narratives:- http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/0472111140-01.pdf
Bad hypertext novel:- http://www.unknownhypertext.com/trip.htm
Network performance:- http://www.maryflanagan.com/articles/navigatingnarrative.pdf
Database of virtual art:- http://www.virtualart.at/common/recentDocument.do
IN-DUCE, INTRO-DUCE:- http://www.in-duce.net/intro/
Designer:- http://www.soulbath.com/main.html
Designer:- http://www.hardcandymovie.com/experience/
The dark crystal official comics adaptation:- http://www.lauraknauth.com/MovieCollectibles/Marvel.html
Fairytale narratives:- http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Elhagge/newpage3.htm
The Endicott studio journal:- http://www.endicott-studio.com/
Fairytale research:- http://www.skyehidesigns.com/mainbook.html
Tate gallery:- http://www.skyehidesigns.com/mainbook.htmlBasile fairytales:- http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pentamerone/index.html

Force of totality revisited

Have previously mentioned Poes force of totality but I found this extract of the article particually interesting:


Here then the poem may be said to have had its beginning- at the end where all works of art should begin- for it was here at this point of my preconsiderations that I first put pen to paper in the composition of the stanza:

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil- prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore- Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

I composed this stanza, at this point, first that, by establishing the climax, I might the better vary and graduate, as regards seriousness and importance, the preceding queries of the lover, and secondly, that I might definitely settle the rhythm, the metre, and the length and general arrangement of the stanza, as well as graduate the stanzas which were to precede, so that none of them might surpass this in rhythmical effect. Had I been able in the subsequent composition to construct more vigorous stanzas I should without scruple have purposely enfeebled them so as not to interfere with the climacteric effect.

RESEARCH MODULE: plans for the future

Where will I take this research and my plans for the future

I am not completely sure where I will go in the future. I'm still interested in interactive narratives- mainly because I see that anything, in anything I mean websites, online portfolios, etc would benefit from a bit of narrative. Why should a website be so informative? Websites are generally there to sell things, whether that be a person, a product, a book, a CD, a company etc ( obviously there are some exceptions online banking being one) advertisements on the television usually have a plot, a short story, a narrative flow why should websites be any different?

Over the summer I plan to completely finish my interactive fairytale and try and get it published on the web, as well as creating a new online portfolio that has a narrative. A narrative about me. You will go on a journey- see various pieces of work along the way and navigate yourself around my working practice. I want to make my portfolio an experience, you might miss some of my work on a first visit but it will be there for you later, should you come back. I'm going to go back and look at Scott Mclouds ideas on interface design.

My final project next year will again be a interactive narrative using mobile devices and GPS. I also want to include XML databases mainly so I can learn how to integrate this into Flash. This project has been a tester, its made me see what I need to concentrate on, as well as testing them as I go through, something I lacked during the last few months. I also want to include speech- I spend a lot of time listening to audio tapes and podcasts something which I love to do. Have been thinking of making an audio story combining interactivity, image, animation and text. You can spend your time sat on the bus listening and watching a story on your phone. Maybe this is only something I am interested in but I think it has scope. As I have previously mentioned I would love to transcribe a 17th century authors work Madelaine DeScubareys work- her novels and salon plays are far to long for anyone to read and as I have already mentioned they are perfect for the web. I don't think this is plausible for a eight month project its simply too large maybe for a PHD in later life! I do plan to go to Oxfords Bodlian Library and see some of her work in the flesh. I would like to use a famous authors work for this type of project, Terry Prachatt has a lot of audio material, and as fantasy is my preferred choice of genre he is perfect, maybe I can get him to write me an interactive story!!!! That is where I have got for next year we will have to see..........

Brain ticking over and Akscyn's law.....

Have been working hard the last few days and it would appear that however well prepared you are, something always comes alongs and bites you in the back or your foot or your armpit- somewhere unexpected.

Hypertext systems should take about 1/4 second to move from one place to another. If the delay is longer, people may be distracted; if the delay is much longer, people will stop using the system. If the delay is much shorter, people may not realize that the display has changed

As you can see there is a fine line- a very fine line..............................

DESIGN:Back to the design a few more problems have come along. It all takes far to long to load. At this late stage there is very little I can do, however this is something which I have to address on my next project. Another problem which has presented itself- which I was aware of but have been ignoring is that there is simply too much text on each page. If we go back and look at my navigation structure you can vagly see that there are 6 sections to each narrative strand- anymore and the text doesn't corralate. This is fine for some of the strands but others have got two pages worth of text that all have to fit on a page. As I have mentioned was going to have text coming up as the reader reads but I didn't really want to have to include this. I can read much quicker then these techniques ever cater for and on the other side of the coin some people might not be even to read a really slow driven one. I came a cross a wonderful website for which I can't find now in which it went completly on how you clicked ie sometimes people are quite clicking mad and click adhock, other people are more restrained. Sorry that goes off the point... The point is maybe you could click on the text to get to the next part of text?????????? This is making it more complicated though for the reader to get there heads around??? Would you need to be able to navigate back on yourself? I didn't want this to happen.... Might have to do the text appearing thing damn really didn't want to do that..... more later on this subject when its done.

Two More Characters

Wise Man

The Great Lord

Can't find the illustrators name, I found them in an old book thats gone slightly moldy but thought they were beautiful. Such definition of line and style.

Don't know who there by

Sleeping Beauty- Paula Rego style.

Signs

Typography

The art of book making...

For the Illustrations:

(!) Character Assassinations (!)

Prince Charming:

By anyone’s standards a rather despicable character. Bigamist, Rapist and as the name overtly suggests rather a charmer. I want to depict a rather slimy, man about town, larger lout.

Queen Mother:

I’ve gone for an older woman, mainly due to her taking so long to get pregnant as well as using spells to conceive. Rather drab, grey spiteful women who lacks life and vitality. Main interest is reading Mills and Boom- plans to write one.

King/ Lord:

Again I’ve opted for an older man. I’m thinking much more approachable in mannerisms, loud and pompous with an almost manic, drunken smiling expression. I think he’s verging on alcoholic and narcotic tendencies, as well as having a Freudian view of his daughter.

Sleeping Beauty + Thalia:

A bit of a slut even aged 13, virginity still in tact doubtful. Brassy, loud, spoilt and beautiful in a cheap kind of way, lots of red lipstick. Sexual to the extreme, manipulator and strangely large thighs….

Evil Fairy:

An ancient, arthritic, hacking hag could be three hundred or nine hundred. A 50 a day habit and skin to match. Preferred drink is Gin. Good sense of humour. On benefits, makes a bit of money on the side organizing Frog racing.

Good fairy:

Very slight, elfish, rather plain- nothing to write home about. Middle to late twenties, a terrible suck up with an irritating high pitched soprano voice. She blends into the background and has terrible clothes sense.

Children/ Sun and Moon:

Over-weight children, rather charming and boisterous.

Evil Wife/ Step-mother:

Evil which is what one imagines! Thin lipped, common in appearance- lots of nylon, smokes thin cigars and addicted to valium.

Ticking over

As you can see I’ve rather neglected this blog the last few weeks. Have been concentrating on sketches and the final images although the time is now to sit back and reflect on what is working and what isn’t….

First off notes on a discussion recently had: DESIGN: I feel I’ve rather neglected this part of the project the biggest issue at this point of the course is narrative. How to successfully create an interactive, immersive and satisfying narrative that…In simple terms “Works”. Although I’m pleased with the images that I’ve already created this is not a graphic novel, comic, book this is supposed to be a different experience combining movement- organic movement ( which was what I originally wanted) progression of design and simple graphical animation. I sometimes feel that I look at this project in a traditional print way I need to find new ways to apply traditional strategies of appreciation. Form, Balance, colour, light, surface, space, iconography, representation these and other components are our customary understanding of art and design. I need to think of these and other elements to create a successful digital piece of design. Not sure if that makes sense but it does in my head. I can see what I want but how to accomplish this is proving most difficult. As was pointed out this is a prototype and all these issues do not have to be resolved right now. I think what I’m finding most difficult is working on the illustrations and then putting it all together with the moving text, various pages, the “organic” navigation system, the zoom and drag function and now I’m writing this the actually design in flash. One such question is when you zoom into the page and then drag yourself around does the navigation system disappear so the user has to zoom out to be able to progress to the next section of narrative? Will this effect immersion? Will people understand this? Should I just not bother with the zoom and drag? (While were on this its very difficult designing in Photoshop and thinking of the grander scheme while doing it. Very difficult indeed. I have been doing tests with the zooming- to which point does the illustration look crap- and therefore how big does the hidden images have to be? (Again I’m not happy with my results) All of these questions should have already been resolved however they haven’t. I’ve reached a point where I don’t know what to do. I’ve decided against drawing the images in flash mainly because I know I can do this- but it takes time, too much time as well as limiting what the piece can look like. For my final project I will have to come back to this issue.

I have come to terms with this project not being that aesthetically pleasing- something which grates to someone who’s main concern in anything and everything (rather shamefully) is the design. I’ve also come to the conclusion that I am not going to be able to complete all strands of the narrative. I’ve chosen two and specifically four illustrations that will use movement and action script. As long as I can give a basic idea of what I want to achieve I feel this is plausible.

Navigation: A stroke of genius came my way one evening whilst hanging up a picture: A gallery. The navigation is a gallery- multiple sized picture frames with sections of the illustration that comes with its specific segment of narrative. As I’ve already mentioned and illustrated the navigation is on a grid like structure you as the participant goes from left to right- the normal order of westerners reading. However I wanted to jazz this up a bit- going back to my first project I thought of mirrors and then came up with the gallery idea. The reason this is good is that I want to the navigation to move and change depending on what page you are on. I wanted the navigation to blend in with the design and look like it was meant to be there, not just plonked to the side or bottom of the page. It is in fact an integral part of the design and I wanted to illustrate this. This gallery will change shape and size depending on which page you are at. The image or frame that you choose will “grow” and take up much of the page, the remainder space will have the rest of the navigation, other illsutations and some of the text. This does present problems though- as the frames will be all different sizes and shapes from experimentation it’s sometimes difficult to see which the next frame is, that you’re supposed to look at. Have thought about blending out the images that you can’t look at, but this feels like too many constraints for the viewer. Although I am in charge of the narrative, I’m in control, through constraints I’ve manage to make this text resemble something of a narrative, but I didn’t want to have to spell it out quite so blatantly to the viewer. I think at this late stage I’ve just got to decide something and go with it; however this will be my first question asked when I start my final project. Even as I write this is a few more problems has presented themselves as well as a few answered. My original idea was to have the navigation system the design of the page but I seemed to have lost this idea through the process and it has answered a few of the problems stated here. I don’t need to design the illustrations with the text. This is separate- in a frame…. The text will mostly be outside of the frame. More on this later I will go and see if this helps!

Review

“Hosts” is an exciting project shown at the prestigious and famous Bath Abbey, and has been inspired by the ladder motif on the west front of the abbey. Martin Rieser, professor of Digital Arts at Bath Spa University, has hung five giant screens at strategic points of the abbey space. Wearing special ultrasound-emitting badges and wireless earphones the participants in Hosts trigger the presence of a variety of characters. These "hosts" are a wide range of ages, gender, social types and races, and always appear singly to the participant.




The general premise is a 3D audio landscape of footsteps, tonal voices and breathing sounds which accompany the visitor between the screens and form a tangible changing audio landscape. If a visitor stands for more than a few seconds in front of a particular screen, the figure will turn in the direction of the viewer and return the visitors stare. The video’s character look’s the visitor up and down, or turns away in distraction. The characters then speak a series of poetic phrases, also seen as animated text on the screen. A character follows you around so to speak, you move the character moves which give the viewer a real feeling of authorship- or a feeling of being involved in what is happening.



All of this can be as interesting for a spectator who has not purchased the electrical devices as those who has; although you will not have the ability to hear the speech just watching other people, watching the characters on the screen and the movement that is generated, can be just as interesting and strangly hypnotic. People wondering around a Cathdral with there eyes pointing upwards to the heavens is surely something that can be experianced everyday!

On the last screen of the installation, which is always there, is pictured two vertical ladders, placed on opposite sides of the space, and disappearing beyond the screen edges. On one ladder the characters are continuously climbing upwards and vanishing. On the second ladder they are climbing downwards from the top of the frame and walking off screen. Personally this was the most interesting part. Although the technologies used for this section of the space, are at its most basic, simple video and audio, on such a scale and such a setting, it is the most poignant and resonant part of the whole installation.

Sounds impressive? It certainly looks impressive; the large screens are overwhelming, towering up between the arches to monstrous proportions. The audio sounds coming from the headphones are loud, and uncompromising. This piece screams look at me, listen to me, and for that reason alone deserves a seeing.

I did find the content of the piece rather grating after a while, and as with all new media pieces there is a certain element of using technology for the sake of it. Should technology dictate what the artworks looks like? Or should the artwork dictate which technologies should be applied? Rather like the Chicken and the egg, there is always this question. I suspect that the technologies here dictated what the artwork looked like.

Although not completely successful in its attempt; it is an enjoyable, interesting experience. This exhibition shows us what to expect in the future, if you think of it, if you will as a practice, give this genre another ten years and the results will be spectacular. An engaging, multi sensory experience which defies your imagination, and expectations.

Horoscopes

Illustration????????????????

I'm abit stuck..... Have started the illustrations but I'm worried there going to take far too long. I could spend the next 2 months doing them and still not be happy. It seems its going to have to be quantity over quality. I am beginning to think that I might have to just concentrate on two of the chosen narratives. Thsi way I will be able to show how the piece will look without having to sacrifice design and style.
I want to include multiple illustrations in my peice but these all need researching as I'm looking at symbolism. The previous mentioned observations on sleeping beauty hold a lot of weight however there very difficult to "show". Have been looking at horoscopes and "The book of hours"- a book designed to help its owner with pious devotions at different times of day. The introduction was always a calender, usually illustrated to show activities appropriate for each month.

Board Games

Came across a Victorian board game book in Clifton's Oxfam the other day. It was interesting to look at the narratives and how the player navigated themselves around the board. Found this interesting blog on board games. One could say that interactive narratives a different type of board game- your trying to get from A to B (usually), there's a narrative (usually), if you miss something you have to go back (usually). Haven't really thought this through but I think its something to look into.

First Plan:( Click on it for a more detailed view)

You travel from left to right. The actual navigation design will look very different but so I know the exact plan. As you can see there are problems in the Grimm version. I did anticipate this. I think I will just have images in the two vacant pages, however the rest of the stories aren’t going to fit with the ending of Grimms. Not sure what to do about this yet? It too late to start trying to find another version, as well I think it is important to have a Grimm version within the piece...

Symbolism in sleeping beauty

"More than a fancifully stylized love story that portrays a young maidens retreat into herself and the breaking of the spell by a youth in love; ... The tale depicts the endowing, threatening, paralyzing, and redeeming of not only some girl or other but of mankind in general"

- Max Luthi

Have finally started the illustrations and so have been looking at symbolism, like I have mentioned previously I would like to include some of this using imagery and text (hidden within the images). This link I have included is especially good as it looks at all the versions that I have decided to use. Obviously you cannot take every thought as gospel and some of the ideas seem quite extreme- I have been trying to find text that was written by the authors on there tales but this seems to be impossible. I think I will take some ideas that I like and disregard others.
Observations On Grimm:

• Since the curse is one of the dominant features of the tale, it is reasonable that many psycho-analytical symbolisms have been drawn from it. The most reasonable of these metaphors is that the curse represent new restrictions imposed on a female at puberty. Thirteen, the age of Brier Rose in some of the versions, was traditionally the age when menstruation started, so it can be seen as the beginning of womanhood. This line of thought leads to another of the symbolisms. The underlying cause for the curse results from the realization that Brier Rose has the potential for becoming an object of desire. Her potential sexuality threatens men and makes women jealous. Because of jealousy, the old/evil fairy wishes to stop Brier Rose from ever taking her place as a woman and to die before she can experience the "joys of courting and marriage."

• The frog's proclamation is supposed to represent that wishing alone can cause a pregnancy. While this reasoning is weak, the other symbolic interpretation of this event in the story is even weaker. Some scholars see the proclamation as a manifestation of the King's desire for a daughter but his reluctance to sleep with his wife.In several of the Grimms' tales, Bettelheim sees frogs and toads as symbols of sex. In this particular instance, that metaphor is more precisely defined to represent conception. Water is also included in this metaphor.

• The curse itself has another intriguing symbolic meaning. It can be interpreted as the onset of menstruation. Bettelheim elaborates on this metaphor. The thirteen good fairies represent the thirteen months of the lunar calendar. The twelve that are good also represent the twelve months in the traditional calendar. The thirteenth fairy, since there is no thirteenth month in traditional calendars, represents menstruation. In addition, since the curse came from an old woman, there is the added significance of the "curse" being passed from woman to woman and originating with the oldest woman, Eve.- This might be interesting to illustrate could have a calendar or a watch. The sun and Moon= Time passing. Could have the light changing through certain pages, symbolizing time passing.
  

• Another analysis suggested other motifs behind the Father's action. By banning spindles, he can prevent Brier Rose from ever having to engage in onerous tasks not "befitting a princess." (McGlathery, p 98) The King also takes away Brier Rose's chance to dream, since spinning is associated with dreams- This is interesting as it was an observation I made myself. Like I have mentioned I wondered at the choice of "evil object"not just in Grimms but in all versions.
  

• Spinning has several general symbolisms. Spinning, and especially the spindle itself, is associated with dreams of "building romantic castles in the air," (McGlathery, p 98) which in Brier Rose's case are taken away by the King's ban on spindles. It is also seen as a passage to sexual adulthood. The spindle, according to Bruno Jockel, can also be a male symbol directly implying sex. Appearing to following the same line of thought, Bettelheim interprets the distaff, the part of the spindle which rotates and collects the thread, as a penis. Weaving and spinning are also commonly associated with women

• Bettelheim, in one of his non-sexual interpretations, also focuses on the absence of Brier Rose's parents when she pricks her finger. He claims this represents the parents inability to help children through the various trials of growing-up.
  

• The interpretation of Brier Rose's long sleep has progressed along two lines. The first is sexual, like most psychoanalytical interpretations of this fairy tale, and comes from Bettelheim. Its reasoning is based on the assumption that the sleep is symbolic of the wait for sexual fulfillment. It comes at the end of childhood and is a way to prepare Brier Rose for a later "sexual union." (Bettelheim, p 232) She spends these years withdrawn and in inner reflection. The sleep may delay her eventual sexual maturity, but in the end, it will happen and with as much glory as ever.

  Bettelheim also asserts that this long sleep is the only way to avoid change and development. McGlathery adds that it allows Brier Rose to remain a maiden for a hundred years. She is also reduced to passivity since she can not actively persue a prince while she is sleeping. Bettelheim does add that this shutting out of the world is unhealthy and that it must be broken by the transformation of the girl into the woman.- Have been wondering how I can show the princess sleeping, she must have dreamt- and I would like to include imagery of her dreams.
  

• Several interpretations see the Prince as a father substitute since in many versions the Prince arrives in the story only after the Father leaves it. McGlathery goes on to say that the Prince's actions are what the Father would like to do, but is prevent from by incest taboos.

  The Prince's arrival at the appropriate moment marks Brier Rose's sexual awakening and/or the birth of the higher ego, according to Bettelheim. The Prince also makes a "more appropriate object of curiosity and desire" (McGlathery, p 118) than the spinning wheel which is what fascinated Brier Rose when she fell asleep. Bettelheim sees two significances in the transformation. The first is that Brier Rose is finally ready for a sexual encounter. The other, which is actually not sexual, is a general life lesson. Do not worry about a seemingly "impossible problem." (Bettelheim, p 233) When the time is right, it will solve itself.

• If one assumes that the curse is symbolic of menstruation or bleeding during sexual intercourse, then Brier Rose's awakening carries a very reassuring connotation. Although this bleeding must be taken seriously, which might be represented by the heroine's hundred year sleep, one should not be frightened of it. It "does have the happiest consequences." (Bettelheim, p 235)
  

Am finding it difficult to find critical analysis on my other versions: Am going to re-read Marina Warners pages on Sleeping Beauty to see if I have missed something there. One problem is that I planned to use two versions of Basiles- but these will have the same symbolisms which means the illustrations will be very similar. More on this at a later date.......

Arthur Conon Doyle- you have to laugh

Arthur Conon Doyle not only accepted these photos as genuine, he even wrote two pamphlets and a book attesting the genuineness of these photos, and including much additional fairy lore. His book, The Coming of the Fairies, and some people still believe the photos are authentic. Doyle's books make very interesting reading even today. Doyle's belief in spiritualism, convinced many people that the creator of Sherlock Holmes was not as bright as his fictional creation.

Some thought Conan Doyle crazy, but he defended the reality of fairies with all the evidence he could find. He counters the arguments of the disbelievers eloquently and at great length. Over the years the mystery persisted. Only a few die-hards believed the photos were of real fairies, but the mystery of the details of how (and why) they were made continued to fascinate serious students of hoaxes, frauds and deceptions. When the girls (as adults) were interviewed, their responses were evasive. In a BBC broadcast interview in 1975 Elsie said: "I've told you that they're photographs of figments of our imagination and that's what I'm sticking to."

Edgar Allan Poe

"FORCE OF TOTALITY"

More research- Flash

I am finally going to start the final images on Thursday which I am rather looking forward to. Have been continuing with my research in all areas especially on design and flash design. Would love to make this project animated or at least include some movement however I worry that this again is slightly ambitious. Good use of motion graphics- Hillmancurtis webdesigners

Narrative:~
Have been going through in my head how it is going to work and one problem that has presented itself is the text. Some of the narratives there is nearly two pages of text on others there is only a short paragraph. This presents problems for the design- So I've come up with an idea of having changing text- you read a bit and then more text appears. I would like to have changing illustrations with the text but as the brain cannot process images and read text this seems slightly pointless. Have been reading James Elkins book "Why are out pictures puzzles? On the modern origins of pictorial complexity" To give myself a base in which to use image, illustration, design to represent thoughts and ideas- as well it has been useful in understanding certain aspects of fairytales. Fairytales often use everyday objects and then good or evil is projected onto them ie The needle, the glass slipper, a basket, a sword, a mirror (Narcisstic reflections on self reflection??!!) The list is endless. I want to know why a piece of flex or in the changed versions a spinning needle was used as the object to cause harm. There must be some reason for this??? These are all types of things that I want to include in the graphics. I hope that each page, as well as the original narrative that goes with it, will have at least four other parts of text explaining things etc. But I need to find what to explain first!

Navigation:~
Again more problems with this aspect of the project. Although I have the basic outline of the structure I'm still not convinced that its going to be obvious and that people will understand what they are doing. Have been thinking of having a short animation detailing the rules, so to speak, showing examples of the paths you can take etc. But again not convinced by this. Its seems like that is giving the reader too many constraints- were going into authorship here will write more on this at a later date.