"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"

Secret Images:- Unpublished Borgesian photos by Sean Kernan. Really beautiful imagery. Have been researching styles in particular using photographs. Need to cut down the amount of time I'm spending in illustrator and photoshop so thought as well as including illustration I will also use photos. Want to create a really colorful mix of imagery taken from a range of disciplines. I like his use of books. The idea of showing imagery of books on a computer screen particually in the context of a hypertext novel makes me feel somewhat sad, maybe sad is the wrong word, uneasy? No thats a even worse word, unsettled.

The death of the book is not yet here, but one day it might become extinct.

thinking

Have been researching getting my interactive narrative onto the web and here is somewhere that might be a possibility.

Vladimir Propp

An idea intitally put to one side, has come back around and made itself relevant. One of my first ideas was to use the devised structure of a fairytale by Vladimir Propp, to use as my own structure for the narrative. I put this idea to one side thinking it was to complicated and due to the fact that most of Propps theories seem to not work in the real world, or at the very least seem to have small flaws within them, that make the whole idea unusable. But recently I seemed to have got drawn back to them.

Vladimir Propps observations on Fairytales:

1.	Functions of characters serve as stable, constant elements in a tale, independently of how and by whom they are fulfilled. They constitute the fundamental components of a tale.
2.	The numbers of functions to the fairy tale is limited. Freedom with this sequence is restricted by very narrow limits which can be exactly formulated.
3.	The sequences of functions is always identical. Since we are studying tales according to the functions of their dramatis personae, the accumulation of material can be suspended as soon as it becomes apparent that the new tales considered present no new functions.
4.	All fairy tales are one type in regard to their structures.

You can see from this the obvious link between Propps theories and what I am trying to do. To create a database of paragraphs that go with each other, or in better terms have paragraphs of a fairytale that match up with the linear structures of other tales. Using Propps ideas, or functions you can split the narrative into 31 sections. Each section corresponds with the same section in a different fairytale.

Another idea I was thinking of using was his Dramatis personae (Seven roles which any character might assume in the story)

1. The Villain: Who struggles with the hero;
2. The Donor: who prepares and/or provides hero with magical agent;
3. The Helper: who assists, rescues, solves and/or transfigured the hero;
4. The Princess: a sought-for person (and/or her father) who exists as goal and often recognizes and marries hero and/or punishes villain;
5. The Dispatcher: who sends the hero off;
6. The Hero: who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds at end;
7. The false Hero: who claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like A real hero.

My idea was use these seven roles and split the narrative accordingly. So there would be seven sections for each narrative strand, the interaction would come by choosing a certain character. I have been put off this idea as I don't believe that a generated narrative of this nature will give me the complete narrative that I am looking to produce, I like to feel closure in narratives I don't think this will give me that.

However, like I mentioned I seem to be coming back to ideas by accident almost, so it seems relevant to read through his theories and find out more why they don't quite seem to work. Found this site which generates narrative structures using Propps theories. In some of the cases they work, in others they don't. I think by looking at his theories and the pitfalls within them I can learn more about why my own ideas can't and won't work in a grander scheme.

Have started to read Morphology of the folktale by Propp to further my understanding.

Ask it any question

Wonderful website: Flash Kit- to help with Flash and Action script.

Recap

Thought I should recap on whats been happening so far. Have just been reading through this blog and I don't think its very clear...

So the general idea: An interactive narrative based on the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, combining multiple versions, which the viewer has control over. So for example someone might be happily going through Perraults versions and then decide that they want something a bit more gritty and swop to Basiles version, and then if they want a happy ending, end on Grimms. I think of it kind of like an editors version of a fairy tale. You edit the narrative yourself. I think that's clear??? What I would like to include is where characters have migrated within the original texts, you as the viewer could move fairy tale with your chosen character. ( Example: The wicked Stepmother originally started off as a wicked wife (Basile) in that the prince was already married, but it was decided to shorten Sleeping Beauty so the ending was when she woke up, so the wicked Stepmother was no longer needed, it was decided to plonk her into Cinderella) However I think that might be making the project slightly ambitious for the time allowed as well as making everything else ie programming, design, navigation eight times harder then its already going to be.
Navigation: Have finally come up with a navigational structure that I'm happy with. Have settled on a grid of circles. You travel from left to right choosing your circle. Will post some diagrams of the new structure with notes on how it is going to work. Have figured out how to program it all in Flash, the navigation will be the main page, depending on what circle you press that will load in the background image. I want to use Photoshop and Illustrator for the designs instead of my proposed use of the Flash drawing tools. This has meant I've had to re-think the structure of the piece. People won't wait for something to load, it needs to be quick and seamless. Hopefully my new idea will enable this.
Design: Have come up with a design that I'm happy with. I am going to keep the same style, however use different colours to indicate which authors version you are on. Like I previously mentioned the navigation system will be on the page at all times, with the text and images fitted in around the outside. The navigation system will always be on a layer above the main image, so the background behind the navigation system will change also. To make this project relevant not just for this module but also my own development using Flash I would like to include a zoom in/out function as well as the ability to "drag" yourself around the screen. In this I mean you will be able to move around the screen yourself. This will be needed for some aspects of the design. I would like to include quotes as well as meanings that are not relevant to the narrative, but should the viewer wish to learn more about the background of the narrative strand they are on, they can. This will mean the viewer will have to zoom in and out and really hunt for the text. Should they not want to, they can take the page at face value and continue onto the next chosen narrative section.

Why databases.

Article from Eastgate: Explains my need for databases- Speed is of the essence. If not in this project but for the next.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Research Methods

Create a set of five criteria which you feel could be used to describe the nature of your practice.
(Not sure if I've done these right. But these are the things that I feel are my interests and therefore my criteria.)


Narrative- Interactive Media

The Internet and the possibilities of narrative

Artists/Illustrators/Graphics

Designing interactive pieces.

Using your set of criteria, research a long list of at least 20 practitioners whose work meets at least three of your five criteria.

Have included links for web pages. These might not necessarily be the best links for them in general, but they have been useful to me. They are in no order simply as my mind remembered them. For a more indepth look at these practioners read the rest of my blog, where most have been mentioned.

Ernest Adams:His work includes original design, game analysis, creative writing. Am interested in him because of his interactive writing.

Scott Mcloud: theorist/comic writer who has written comics on how to make comics. Also examines interactive comics and the approaches needed.

Paula Rego: Artist who explores narrative through her paintings.

Janet Murrey: Theorist, among other topics, looks at narrative and the internet in general. She is also an interactive designer.

Neil Gaimon: Writer. Writes novels and comics. Good to look at as his graphic novels which are obviously illustrated. Makes me see who narrative can be made into images.

Madeleine De Scuderie: 16th Century Writer. Explored interactive narrative for books
Hester Pulter: Another 16th Century Writer.Like Madeleine wrote interactive novels in book form.

Lev Manovich: Theorist among other things. Looks at narrative and the internet in general.

Kiki Smith: Artist who again explores narrative with painting.

Mark Stephan Meadows: A theorist, and interactive artist. Good to look at as he implements his theories into his work.

Ed Ruscha: Artist. My particular interest in him, is his graphic prints of words. He takes a word any word and trys to illustrate it and show meaning, just using the typography

Edward Gorey: Illustrator, writer, again meaning through image.

Vladimir Propp: extended the Russian Formalist approach to narratology (the study of narrative structure). Where, in the Formalist approach, sentence structures had been broken down into analyzable elements - morphemes - Propp used this method by analogy to analyze folk tales.

Borges: Writer. Interesting narratives as well as descriptive writing. (Creatures etc)

Virginia Woolf: Writer. Her novels like to explore memory and uses different linear approaches. Not my favorite author but good for her use of narrative structure.

Doris Lessing: Writer. Like Virginia she explores narrative structures in her novels.

Dave Mckeen: Illustrator, Designer. I find his work very descriptive even without the text that comes with his work. My favorite illustrator.

Brian Froud: Illustrator. Good to look at for mystically and fantasy art work. Another of my favorite illustrators

Terri Windling: Artist. Again explores fantasy and myth

Marina Warner: Writer and theorist (Feminist) Has studied the fairy tale.

Ted Nelson:Theorist.

Alan Key: Theorist.

Having selected the longlist, make a shortlist of five whose work closely reflects the spirit of the criteria you identified.

This is really tricky. I would not say that there are five people that fit my criteria. Mainly because my criterias are very different to each other. These are simply people that inspire me, or help to inspire me. Again in no order:

Dave Mckeen

Brian Froud

Scott Mcloud

Vladimir Propp

Mark Stephan Meadows

Random thought patterns

Have been reading through the requirements of a "journal" and I don't think I have been very good at organizing my thought patterns. Now unfortunately my thought patterns aren't terribly organized ether, things come to me and random times of the day, at random places not necessarily in the order in which a project will/should/does develop. For example I already know how I am going to structure the actually Flash document in that I plan to load in the different elements of the page, thus keeping down download time, as well as that I plan to transfer the template into a blog-mainly because I cannot afford more web space and secondly because I want to try to make blogger work in this way. It will allow viewers to leave comments and maybe information that they know about that I have not included. (Although it might not let me and this therefore will have to be changed). Now I've written this down I really don't think that it will work. Unless its specifically set up right- which is against bloggers rules. But that is another post surely!

They want us to personally record our journey through our research and project, including all the hurdles and negative thoughts.... I have a lot of negative thoughts in general never mind on work that I'm doing but I will try to express them as I go along from now on.

more on this later....

XML and Flash (8)

• THE XML STUFF
• Components:
• XML Connector:
• Drag onto to the screen:
• Parameters- define whats going in and whats going out.
• Schema-define the XML file
• Action Script-Trigger the XML file: select the frame:Behaviours:Data:Trigger Data Source: Select the data XML connecter.
• THE INTERFACE:an example for a simple interface (One box for menu, one text box for text, one loader for picture.)
• User Interface:Combo box:name it
• Select the XML component
• Binding:link the combo with the XML
• Select the properties that you want:Direction ie out:bound to ie the xml file:formatter:rearrange fields:formatter options
• Componets:Text area:drag to screen:name it:
• Select XML connecter:add another binding:formatter options
• For more then one option you need to set the index:Combo:change relivant sections
• Componets:Loader:Drag to screen:Bindings:choose:

XML

Links for XML and databases:
www.3schools.com
www.oreilly.com
www.macromedia.com: Look at Flash/Data Intergration: Bike Trips Sample is a good one!
XML: Displaying XML Data in Web pages.

More links

I am trying to be really good and write/link all the websites that I have been looking at for this project. However I keep forgetting, and then I lose that post it note that was stuck on the back of the toilet door (For some unknown reason) and then its lost forever.... Never destined to be used in the bibliography. So here is some more (There all very obvious links but you have to start somewhere):

• Site on the "Six principles of interactive narrative"
• Site on the "Use of narrative in interactive design"
• Site "Interactive Narratives Podcast"
• Ernest W. Adams "Interactive narratives revisited"
• "The book is dead. Long live the book!"
• A look at an authoring tool for "Non-Linear Interactive narratives"
• An example of a bad hypertext novel "The Unknown"
  

This will make sense...

Some reference points:Things that I have been looking at in the past few days, as well I sites that I have remembered about! Some very useful, some not so useful but interesting never the less. Again I find myself amazed at how quickly works of digital/virtual art can become dated and past it. However saying that it has become apprent that people are not quick to learn ideas from other people and expand on them. People are making the same mistakes again and again, not learning from past experiments. Is this simply ignorance? Is this type of artform just too hard to distrabute? Or have designers simply not caught up with the technology? Lots of questions no real anwsers!

• network_performance: A research blog about networked-enabled performance "Navigating the narrative of space."
• Database of virtual art:Work from the likes of Lev Manaovich and other contempories.
• IN-duce: INTRO-duce: Another blog by a designer.
  
• Soulbase: One of the best websites I've seen. Combines audio and visual as its experiences. here is one of the more narrative parts of the website looking at advertising banners on the internet.
• Hard Candy: By the same people from the previous link. Shows good site structure and navigation.

(More later.....)

Should really have a specific blog for this....

here is a really good link for textures ( So I don't forget it)

Navigation and Structure

In a muddle

After a couple of chats with various people, my problem has become clear. Basile was Italien, throughout history people have transcribed his texts into English and depending on the time in which they were transctribed certain elements were changed with changing attitudes of the time. Like Grimm etc stories were changed to fit with ideals of the time, and very irratating so did transcribers. That is why I have now found three versions of Basile's Sleeping beauty and I'm sure I will find more. From re-reading sections of "From from the Beast to the Blonde" It would appear that Warner took the second translation as her port of call, and her basis for writing about it ( I think this was due to it being a lot more interesting then the first version) What to do? Do I use all the versions or pick one?

More Brian Froud because I love them

Brian Froud my hero

Have loved Brian Froud's work for some time now, well no one could say since I first saw the laberinth aged about 7 and is still to this day my favorite film (which gets a few raised eyebrows) I could babble on about it for ages but I'll spare you. His work helped in my idea/creation/interest for this project. The drawn sketch below was included in the back of Marvel's Official Dark Crystal Comics I remember as a child having his fairy books as well as the squished fairy books, which for some reason have completely disappeared from my book shelves............

Terri Windling on ShapeShifters

More research......

Have spent the last few days continuing with researching fairy tales. Just found this
which has proven most usefull. Have come up against a few more problems though. There are different versions written by all of the various writers. They too changed and subverted their own texts and therefore I have found two versions of Sun, Moon and Talia both written by Basile that are very different, not slightly but completly. People keep suggesting more and more writers and I am trying to explore as many as I can find, although I worry that I am getting to absorbed in the stories to be thinking about the structure. I have come up with some ideas for the structure as I mentioned previously and I will post the diagrams soon. Whether they could or would work I am not sure yet.

A few more links that have been of use
The Endicott Studio
Once upon a time

More thought......

Have just spent all afternoon trying to find a tie between one fairy tale to another. Decided on Sleeping Beauty for today. After an entire afternoon trying to find a link between Perrault, Glambattista and Grimm versions (And succeeding I discover it has already been done and written down so there was a wasted afternoon)

My idea is to create an interactive narrative, that uses all of the versions:
Sleeping Beauty and the enchanted wood
Sun, Moon and Thlia
The Glass Coffin
The Ninth Captains Tale
Little Briar Rose


My particular interest goes into the Perrault, Grimm and Glambattista versions, Sleeping Beauty etc, Little Briar Rose and Sun, Moon and Thlia. Glambattista (really not sure if I'm spelling this right....) being my main interest.

As things stand my idea is to create a multiple version, combining all the differences that these authors used. Thus the interaction will come about by leading you off into various versions and making you combine the versions to create your finished narrative. Also thinking of including hidden meanings and sub-texts ie Sleeping Beauty was supposable raped, the list of these things are endless.

Not sure if I'll use Sleeping Beauty for my final piece but needed to start looking into the how's and whys of making a fairy tale interactive.

Paula Rego

Paula Rego has been one of my favorite artists since I visited an exhibition of hers in 1998. Her paintings always carry an narrative with them, which is what led me to revisit her for this project. I have been thinking of illustration style for this project and I already know that I do not wish to carry with the fairy tale illustration conventions. For starters I have not attempted an etching for years and am not sure if I can remember how to do it, however more importantly I want to show a different side to fairy tales the darker, underbelly side of them.

"Her work often uses imagery from fairy tales with a sinister edge in which there
is a malicious domination, a subverting of natural order or exposes social
realities that are unpolite or polemic like abortion."

Links:
Tate Magazine 8

"Swallows the Poisoned Apple"

In Swallows The Poison Apple, Paula Rego revises the tale of Snow White to expose the fallible value of youth. Dressed in traditional Disney garb, this Snow White isnÂ’t a beautiful princess, but a middle-aged woman. And put so much better then I could:

"Pictured moments after eating the poison apple, she lays sprawled amidst
overturned furniture, suggesting painful and violent demise. Clutching her
skirts, she alludes to her sexual nature, as if clinging to something slipping
away. Her body lies between a blanket adorned with spring blossoms, and a
sinister backdrop of red and black. Rego illustrates the conflict of reality
encroaching on the socially imposed myths of female worth, construing aging as
both a physical and psychological violation"

"Snow White Playing with her Father's Trophies"

First recorded fairy tales

Il Pentameroneby Giambattista Basile

Il Pentamerone is essentially the first full collection of European literary fairy tales. Written by Giambattista Basile and published in 1634-6, the Italian tales predate Charles Perrault by at least 50 years and the Grimm Brothers by 200 years. The book is not as well known today since it was originally written in the difficult Neapolitan dialect and was not translated into English until 1847 by John Edward Taylor.