Assignment One

Map or Animation of cell phone reception on the BART system.

Assignment Two

Project Awesome

Assignment Three

Secret Agent Ï€

Assignment Omega

Proposal:

My project will be a non-location-specific 'choose-you-own-adventure' podcast/tour, influenced by assignment three. It will utilize the 'chapter' function of podcasts; e.g., "If the first person you see is female, turn to chapter seven to continue," thus creating multiple re-play opportunities. It will also incorporate the video abilities of the podcast; e.g. a task of walking down a street without touching any objects of a displayed texture or color, or collecting an object in response to an image.

The narrative itself will take form of a series of diary entries from the life of the narrator. There will a period of story followed by a choice. The listener will be encouraged to keep moving during the narration. The movements of the listener will become an abstracted representation- a map- of the narration, which will span the life of the narrator from birth until death. The listener may be given a link to the narrator-- a distant relative or the like-- or s/he may not.

One sample vignette: may be something like: "During my teenage years, I questioned my sexuality. [short anecdote]. Look around, listener. If the first person you see if a male, turn to chapter twelve. If the first person you see is a female, turn to chapter eight." In this situation, whether the listener choses chapter twelve or chapter eight would determine the narrator's sexuality. The choices may not allow such an obvious connection to the story, thus denying the listener some control.

The goal is to bridge the gap between the life of the (fictional) narrator and the life of listener, and to hopefully create a strong feeling of empathy-- even paternity, depending on how much control is given-- with the narrator.