What’s my narrative?
I’m not quite sure if I have been suffering from a case of blog-block or if time has just been moving quicker than my will. I have always been one of those people to save the newspaper for that next free moment when I can focus and be attentive to each bit of information that I skim. Sometimes, I am successful with actually getting to this process before it is old news. Recently, a friend brought me a copy of Newcity, a free newspaper that comes out weekly. The copy he brought me is dated November 15, 2007. Finding myself in one of those moments where I needed to decide if it is too late to look at it or not, I found myself flipping through the pages. Happy that I decided to look and not toss, I happened upon two interesting references to 2.0 and culture. The first reference was listed under the “Movement Vocabulary” section with regards to Performance 2.0. The second 2.0 reference was found in the “Free Will Astrology” section of my horoscope (Leo) given by Rob Brezsny.
The Performance 2.0 article was intriguing to me because it was the first time I had ever heard of Web 2.0 theory being interpreted and enacted into an artistic dance performance. The performance, titled “Cinderbox 18,” is the creation of Lucky Plush Productions. The thought driving this artistically conveyed Web 2.0 performance is, as the artistic director Julia Rhoads states, “In our hyper-networked culture we are becoming disconnected from real interraction.” Within the performance, which I wish I could have attended, dancers are allowed to improvise their own words and movements in front of the audience, while they are in the moment. Rhoads believes that the improvisation makes for a “transparent” experience whereby, the viewer ”meets the work with their own ideas.”
A few pages thereafter, I came to my horoscope. It stated the following:
Stories interest me more than beliefs. I’d rather hear you regale me with tales of your travels than listen to you recite your dogmas. Filmmaker Ken Burns agrees with me. He’s worried about the increasing number of people who love theories more than stories. “We are experiencing the death of narrative,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We are all so opinionated that we don’t actually submit to narrative anymore. That’s the essence of YouTube: Abbreviate everything into a digestible capsule that then becomes the conventional wisdom, which belies the experience of art.” You’re [my] assignment Leo, is to help reverse this soul-damaging trend. Spout fewer opinions and tell more stories. Encourage others to do the same.
Reflecting on a group project that was presented this past week in class about the architecture of libraries, two of the group members, Nicole and Chris, created an enchanting documentary about their experience visiting the Harold Washington Library. This was their experience. This was their story. This was their interpretation of how Harold Washington Library was, as a place.
I am hopeful that by posting the link to this documentary, I am fulfilling the assignment from my horoscope, to encourage others to tell more stories. Obviously, whether artists and audiences view Web 2.0 as a performance, which contains disconnected interractions that lack a real narrative, could be open to interpretation. Personally, I view 2.0 as being complimentary to real life. This is my opinion, which I am advised not to spout.
