Digital Narrative

À partir de 2006, avec le relâchement des restrictions sur l’accès à Internet pour la population cubaine, la présence d’auteures a gagné le territoire virtuel de la toile. La littérature féminine n’est donc plus soumise au gré des maisons d’édition avec leurs publications papier, mais s’engage directement avec le monde via les réseaux sociaux et les blogs. Sachant que la majorité des blogs dans le monde présentent un projet autobiographique, quelles sont les particularités des contributions des femmes à cet immense réservoir de traces numériques de vies quotidiennes ? Cette incursion dans le monde de l’écriture numérique nous permettra de découvrir si l’émancipation, les polémiques, les questionnements, les revendications et les subversions si caractéristiques des écrits des femmes cubaines des années 1990-2000 se maintiennent dans le contexte virtuel contemporain. Finalement, nous ferons la comparaison entre l’écriture numérique féminine et la littérature féminine de témoignage qui fut pour la Révolution cubaine un outil politique et populaire de sensibilisation autour des problèmes sociaux, de promotion d’une histoire collective, et de remise en question du statu quo tant littéraire que social et politique.

It’s a damned thing scared to say. Nothing is going to be a thing.
But I’m the one who got on this rock.
-Benjamin (LSTM / Artificial Intelligence)

Similar to Jacques Derrida’s assertion that there is nothing outside the text, mathematical fictionalism suggests that mathematics is non-representational and more an historical construction and cultural artefact than an expression of a Platonic discovery of a transcendent and independent truth out there. This talk examines the status of autonomous production in the age of algorithmic self-replication and self-reproduction (i.e. self-evolving algorithmic texts that produce new narrative texts) and what that means for interpretive agents like us in the era of rapid developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence. While algorithmically generated narratives can sound science fictional, self-adapting algorithmic narratives are in fact a common function that both operates behind and sculpts many of our daily tasks: from self-adapting advertising algorithms to self-generating narratives. As its central example, this talk considers the short sf film Sunspring (2016) written by a recurrent neural network called a long short-term memory (LSTM); or, Benjamin, as the AI named itself. The script for Sunspring was rapidly generated by Benjamin after being introduced to a large number of sf screenplays. After the script was printed out, it was then put to film by a cast and crew directed by Oscar Sharp and was made for the Sci-Fi London film festival as part of a 48 hour film challenge. Sharp collaborated with AI researcher Ross Godwin (the developer of Benjamin). Benjamin produced the notably inhuman screenplay while the acting roles were chosen randomly by Sharp. What is striking about Sunspring is that it is very strange and, often, really funny. Is our laughter the result of the director’s and actors’ choices making light of the oddness; or, may our laughter be the consequence of discomfort as it makes manifest biases we hold about how stories are generated and whether they really are our own or the product of a rigid linguistic/code expression? Mathematical fictionalism implies that that algorithmic code may generate uncanny narratives because it is an extension of us. On the other hand, mathematical Platonism may suggest that algorithmically generated narratives express the inhuman whereby the uncanny is neutralized by an encounter with that which is exterior to human agency (i.e. it is not familiar). Sunspring raises certain questions about narrative and the way it expresses either language (or code) according to its constitutive logic or whether the incompatibility between meaning and algorithmic processes in Sunspring reveal a glimpse at essentially inhuman narrative. Ultimately, this talk asks whether we laugh at Sunspring because we realize we are only “halfway there” in our AI technology or whether AI generated narratives may be suggesting a rigid logic incompatible with the messy illogic underlying much human storytelling. In short, we should stop for a moment to consider Benjamin’s output when it says: “nothing is going to be a thing.”

Virtual Reality (VR) has become a vastly growing topic in the field of digital media and an emerging group of VR journalists and documentary filmmakers have been experimenting with new aesthetics in projects that grapple with pressing issues such as immigration, war conflicts, poverty and natural disasters. Since VR technology is still in its formative days there has been much discussion recently about the potential of immersive documentary film and in particular about the idea of VR as a means of creating empathy. In this presentation I will address these issues by examining the strengths and weaknesses of storytelling endeavors in a number of VR documentary films. The discussion will highlight some of the challenges, implications and ethical concerns in relation to non-fiction immersive experiences that simulate realities. In addition special attention will be paid to space as a key narrative element for evoking the emotional resonance and engagement filmmakers seek to achieve through their work. Janet Murray’s theory on narrative forms and strategies in the digital age will inform this discussion and primarily her human-centered approach to the design of immersive environments which, as she asserts, is not only instrumental but also ethical and aesthetic. The analysis will demonstrate that the above considerations are important for the development of VR documentary as a distinct genre with its own aesthetic sensibility and storytelling vocabulary, suggesting some directions on how it could evolve to become an effective medium through which we will gain a better understanding of ourselves, of the human condition and the world we live in.

Combining the concepts of classic narrative and transmedia, we will show, as Jenkins argues, that Digital Technology and non-linear narratives can be represented through the Voronoi Diagram. Starting from this premise, we will present the transmedia product prototype The Portal – prepared for interactive tv – questioning whether it retains transmedia narrative characteristics and geometric computational representationally.

La investigación desarrollada en el proyecto “Literatura 2.0: para una cartografía de la narrativa digital” tiene como objetivo explorar las posibilidades y los problemas derivados de la introducción de los medios digitales en la literatura.
¿Qué ocurre con la narrativa cuando se vuelve digital? ¿Cuáles son las implicaciones de una nueva materialidad? ¿Es posible admitir que la narrativa se expresa bajo otra forma, motivada por el medio dónde es producida? ¿Seguirá el lector siendo el mismo lector? ¿O estará ahora potenciado por las nuevas herramientas de escritura que le ofrece el
medio digital? ¿Se podrá imaginar, desde el medio digital, un nuevo concepto de lector? ¿Estará la introducción de lo digital ofreciendo la oportunidad de observar un conjunto de reconfiguraciones derivadas de la materialidad y del potencial tecnológico del nuevo medio? Para abordar algunas de estas cuestiones nos centraremos en la narrativa digital interactiva mediante el análisis de Pry, una obra literaria digital,
planteando la hipótesis de que la materialidad de los nuevos soportes está hoy reconfigurando una cierta literatura emergente, provocando un reajuste en el rol de autor.
Suponiendo que el sistema literario toma ahora la tecnología no sólo como soporte sino, además, como contenido de la propia creación, podríamos estar asistiendo al florecimiento de una literatura 2.0 que ofrece la posibilidad de pensar un conjunto de cambios que resultan de su “nueva forma”.

Bu yazıda, Haziran-Ekim 2017 tarihleri arasında, Almanya'nın Berlin kentinde yürütülen Woman.Life.Story (Kadın.Yaşam.Hikâye) Projesi kapsamında, mülteci kadınların katılımıyla gündelik hayat, arkadaşlık, annelik, dans, doğa gibi çeşitli temalarda düzenlenen dijital hikâye anlatımı atölyelerinden gönüllü olarak katıldığım iki atölyeye odaklanıyorum. Türlü sebeplerle Berlin'e gelmek durumunda kalmış mülteci kadınların karşılaştıkları problemler ve bunlarla mücadeleleriyle örülü gündelik yaşamlarına atölyeler aracılığıyla bakmaya çalışıyorum. İlk olarak, dijital hikâye anlatımı ve Berlin'de mültecilerle yapılan çalışmalara dair zihnimde dolaşan sorulara değiniyorum. Sonra, hem Berlin'de mülteci kadınların gündelik yaşamını daha iyi anlamaya katkı sunacağını düşündüğüm hem de kaygılarımı dindirerek beni atölyelere katılmaya teşvik eden iki yerdeki-bir mülteci kampı (heim) ve mültecilere yönelik bir kadın merkezindeki-deneyimlerime değiniyorum. Son olarak, 2017'nin Ağustos ayında gerçekleştirdiğimiz iki atölyeye ve bu atölyelerde biri Afganistan'dan, diğeri de Kamerun'dan kadınların anlatılarını dolaşıma sokan iki dijital hikâyeye odaklanıyorum.

L’interesse per la scienza medica da parte della sociologia, soprattutto statunitense, comincia già dagli anni Trenta e Quaranta, da autori quali Parsons, Mead, Merton e soprattutto Strauss e Glaser. Tale interesse nasce dalla consapevolezza che con il crescere della complessità dell’ambiente sociale e la specializzazione progressiva della pratica medica, prendere in considerazione il contesto sociale del paziente e la sua storia di malattia, diventa più che mai indispensabile. Muovendoci nel paradigma della medicina narrativa sarà utile riflettere sulla narrazione sia come dato interessante per il lavoro di ricerca che come pratica clinica, tenendo conto delle potenzialità informative, ma soprattutto narrative che il digitale offre al paziente contemporaneo per comunicare la propria presenza.

The interest in medical science by sociology, especially in the United States, has begun since the Thirties and Forties, by authors such as Parsons, Mead, Merton, and especially Strauss and Glaser. This interest arises from the awareness that, with the growing complexity of the social environment and the gradual specialization of medical practice, taking into account the patient’s social context and its story of illness, it becomes more than ever indispensable. Moving into the paradigm of narrative medicine, it will be useful to reflect on narrative as both interesting data for research work and clinical practice, taking into account the informative, but above all narrative, potential that digital offers to the contemporary patient to communicate their presence.

A partir da análise da narrativa digital interativa Pry procuramos compreender a existência de uma relação dialogante entre literatura digital interativa e contemporaneidade. Promovemos, deste modo, um entendimento da literatura digital interativa como fruto do nosso tempo, como reflexo da vivência e das características da contemporaneidade. Neste sentido, servimo-nos da contemporaneidade como ferramenta privilegiada para compreender a natureza formal das obras velocidade, a efemeridade, a liquidez e a processualidade, características da era contemporânea, se encontram também presentes neste tipo de obras literárias.

Despite the problematic issues of VR (Virtual Reality) for children in our modern societies, we have to acknowledge that VR is the future of our digital generation. VR has grown attention since its inception, particularly in availing the future of cinema and films. Although VR is considered by many to be a tool that caters to adult play and entertainment, there are discourses that concern themselves with VR and its implementation within the constructs of pre-adolescence. When we examine the educational implications of VR, there is serious consideration as to its introduction into traditional classroom settings, as an immersive tool towards learning. For instance, the possibility of learning social competence for autistic kids and learning the complexity of abstract concepts are some of the acclaims made to rationale the importance of VR immersion in education (Salzman, et al. 1999). Nonetheless, VR also conceives some problematical issues, such as breeding violence (Dill and Dill 1998), health issues (Payton and et.al 2000), and addiction. Furthermore, previous studies of VR as the media and apparatuses in our modern society tend to convey the notion of post-humanist theory, whereby, it relates to discerning VR towards the approach of trans-humanism or anti-humanism. This study focuses on the context of digital narrative in VR storytelling for children and youths. The arguments presented are the nature of VR as a means to enhance experiences via the process of immersion and/or interactivity, which is distinct from traditional form of literary and digital narrative. Traditionally, narrative is seen as the vehicle by which the emotion of a story or film is conveyed, which in turn aides in the development of children's consciousness and emotional responses. The argument being presented in this essay relates to the function of narrative in children's literature in negotiating affective learning. Therefore, this essay also scrutinizes the notion of VR storytelling in unravelling children's empathy ontogeny; whether or not VR evokes any significant emotional responses related to empathy. In addition, I analyse several VR stories that are developed for and geared towards children and youths. Stories such as Raising Rukus, The Clouds Over Sidra and Henry are meant to produce an immersive and/or interactive experience, via the use of procedural, participatory, encyclopedic and spatial affordances (Murray 2011). Such affordances within the confines of VR based digital narratives, distinguish congenital and digital storytelling, which redefines the meaning of storytelling within the context of children's digital media.

Este trabalho de investigação procura mostrar de que modo a materialidade dos novos suportes molda a forma de ser das obras literárias digitais, provocando reconfigurações nas instâncias do autor, do leitor e do texto e permitindo-nos antever, em função da introdução do digital na literatura, um conjunto de transformações ao
próprio sistema literário.
Identificando a literatura digital interativa como uma das formas mais recentes, sofisticadas e “radicais” de produção de narrativa procuramos, a partir dela, e especificamente através da análise da obra digital Pry, compreender as propriedades e particularidades da obra literária digital, reconhecendo que esta impõe novas possibilidades de escrita e de leitura, e que convoca, pela sua natureza formal, um
inequívoco diálogo com a forma de ser e de viver do sujeito contemporâneo.

As digital technologies lead us economically and culturally toward greater immersion, immediacy and presence; as traditional narratives give way to the searchable database and the data stream (Manovich), literary fiction writers are left to wander in a sea of platforms and formats, seemingly without a subject or an audience. The challenges of “narrative” in born-digital fiction are not the plot or temporal linearity, but the liminal spaces and geometries that narratives generate for a reader, viewer or user. While VR promises full immersion, a narrative can only promise partial immersion. A narrative is a limitation and a constraint that paradoxically opens limitless spaces for contemplation and exploration. What we call “immersion” in a novel, tv show, movie or game is really the feeling of being lost in a network of discrete signs. In this paper I explore narrative virtuality as a way to rethink a practice that embraces technology and computation, while holding on to the liminal qualities inherent in any narrative fiction, whatever the platform.

https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/digital-interfaces-in-situations-of-mobility

This book is the result of an international program of conferences and round tables in Paris 1 Sorbonne with participants from Japan, Canada, England, Switzerland, Malta, and France. The participants consider the growing number of artistic, digital, fictional, and game devices that are based on user mobility and interaction through digital interfaces. Through exploration, experimentation, and the creation of alternate reality art devices, questions about the limits between real, virtual, and fictional worlds are discussed. The characteristics of these three worlds and their confrontation with one another require new ways of elaborating and analyzing creations. How do digital interfaces accompany mobility and how is mobility redefining these interfaces? What are the roles of digital interfaces in connecting someone to his or her spatial and social environment? What is the importance of spatial co-construction by several interacting subjects? The book is divided in three parts: 1) Game Devices: Game Narrative & Alternate Reality Games, 2) Devices, Medias and Technologies Analyses: Auditory and Movie Spaces; Scientific Issues and Intention Mining in Mobile Environments, 3) Artistic Issues: GPS Images, Cognitive and Aesthetic perspectives.
Co-authors: Gordon Calleja, Karleen Groupierre, Bernard Guelton, Owen Chapman, Ulrich Fischer, Christian Jacquemin, Bénédicte Legrand, Masaki Fujihata, Anne Reboul et Bruno Trentini

This communication aims to discuss how we can nowadays think about digital storytelling. While a source of new possibilities for literary creation and reception, digital literature invites us to a deeper reflection on the evolution of literature itself, consolidating itself with other arts, it offers us a new literary product that urges to be considered and analysed.
In this sense, we propose to analyse, from a copyright point of view, the process of creation of the interactive digital book Amar em Círculo.
In a world where more than ninety percent of the books/works produced belong to children's literature, an area that where other forms of textuality were already being explored on paper, our choice focuses on interactive fiction for adults which initiates now in digital form, a path marked by the integration of audiovisual, sound and interactive features so far scarcely used.
Our communication aims to explore how can the writer/author of the narrative put the tools of new technologies at the service of "literary writing" through processes involving intermediality.
The proposal goes to show how the recreation of the narrative of Amar em Círculo was made, by me, originally conceived in paper and then transformed to the digital world, creating an interactive digital storytelling using text, video, audio, photography and animation. Optimized to run on mobile devices, including the iPad, this narrative will serve us as a bridge between theory and the artistic practice in that it will allow a deeper understanding of how the author can think of recreating some aesthetic elements of the narrative before the potential of the digital universe. The work will serve us even to think about a new line of creation, marked by the use of new media and new digital resources in the service of literature and, more specifically, to the service of the narrative and its exploration in new media and new environments.
How to analyse these new books? What theoretical and critical tools do we have at our disposal? Will the digital literary creation, and its assumptions of interaction with the reader, have characteristics so different from those we are now used to? Will its only difference be the support, the shape? Is it just a question of materiality? What is this literature that ceases to be experienced only with the eyes, the act of reading, and goes on to be experienced with virtually every sense?
It is in order to address some of these issues that we propose to discuss in what Berenguer (1998) configured as "a new way of narrating", thinking of its implications and contributing to the extension of scientific research associated with literature studies, the interart studies and the digital humanities.

The problem is not whether or not story belongs in games--human beings are narrative creatures and it will appear in players' experiences of games whether developers intend it or not. The problem is how we approach narrative in games. In this presentation, I weigh storytelling versus sensing the narrative, and the merits of Negative Space narrative.