Allistar’s Projects & Portfolio

I am still in the process of researching confessionals and have spoken to people who have done something similar with respect to collecting secrets. Those who I spoke with have encouraged me to continue. They also, noted that the location, physical context, and how you communicate to the user is key to it’s prolonged life. They were also kind enough to steer me away from making the same mistakes they did.

There was a time when I felt like maybe it’s not a good idea to pursue. After all, in class there were some concerns like ‘who would want to tell their Romantic tales and let it loose into the unknown’. But what I found, while in some cases you can predict, human behavior is very unpredictable. That behavior have offset many events in ones life. So I believe I should take this chance and build this - box - and have it displayed where one can record their Tales-of-The Heart stories. People like to tell stories, so I am confident with the right settings(location), clear communication, and reward for sharing, people will come to this and Tell their stories. I am still sorting out the details of who will be receiving this. Amit’s concern about voyeurism is a valid concern. But is it unavoidable once this is there out for the public? Loot at the internet. In order to make the internet 100%

safe

you need to shut it down! Another concern is that you cannot control what people say into it. They may tell fake stories and not in the context of romance either. How do I control this? Should I filter? Many thoughts on this. I have to test, gather results and follow my instincts.

Check out StoryCorp

As for it’s ultimate design I do imaging a space, a magical but not overwhelming space. The grapevines which grow and the luminosity as stories become richer with intensity I see is a good response users might enjoy. Of course I really have to test it with users. Michael Chladil worked on something similar for his Living Art Tree, so it would be good to hear the response to it.

I also really like the idea of having the story broadcast in another part of the world. It could be a radio frequency people pickup somewhere in rural parts of Centro America or India. Many possibilities.

I hope to have just a box ready for class. See how people interact with it. speak into it.

Till then….

A

Idea:
Well my new idea for the remainder of the DFC is called the Grapevine Files story box.
It will ideally be located at a Gallery space in a private room where only one person can enter at a time. In the room there would be strands of tiny hanging light which changes colour and grows in connection and luminance based on the intensity of the stories submitted. Upon entering the room you will hear very soft whispers of past stories being told.

The box:
The box his is where someone can privately and securely input there inner most romantic or tales-of-the-heart stories. There stories then goes out into the abyss of the web remaining anonymous. Others seekers of stories on the web can navigate the contents of stories via the Grapevine files webpage, and maybe compare their own romantic trials of life. Maybe it will help someone understand their own path when it comes to romance and the troubles and /or happiness that follow.

The storyteller enters their stories either via a custom intuitive keyboard and / or speak into a clearly placed microphone. Ih then gets recorded and uploaded onto the server, out into the abyss. As they tell their stories the lighting will circle through different modes to signify the intensity of the stories being told. At the ending of the recording a strip of paper with the pleasant scent of a red grape from the storytellers choice of region will be dispensed as a token of appreciation for sharing their tale. - I have to look into the smelling machine technology.

What’s important here is the need for privacy during that personal intimate moment of the mind.

How it came out:
I’ve been involved in many romances in my life and have met many others who share the same experience. Some people don’t have an outlet for tales-of-the-heart and are sometimes burning up inside not know what to do or where to go. I think having an anonymous resource like the grapevine files could help someone as they compare someone else’s situation with their own, how the person handled it. Maybe the story had a happy or sad ending fore t his is life.

Procedure:
First step is to outline clearly the whole process and integration of the box and the web.
Next, prototyping and user testing both interfaces and redesigning as need-be. For DFC I will concentrate on the physical component - the box
user feedback is very important because I don’t want to miss a very important component, its interaction and privacy - trust. With the web being open more information can be tracked and I want the storyteller to feel totally safe. Is this the right step? I will learn…

I will discuss in class more about the box and welcome questions for my research.
More to come and modified.

A