noitCARetni-interACTion

Paul Fournel and Crawford.. where they converge

I have to say i am really sorry for posting this really late. I have not had enough time to complete my readings till now... Well...i shall try to minimise whatever negative effects or impact by finishing it by today, thursday... at least i tried...

3. Does a potential narrative such as Paul Fournel’s “The Tree Theatre: A Combinatory Play” satisfy Crawford’s definition of interactivity? Could it be considered an example of interactive media? Why/why not?

Recalling Crawford’s definition of interactivity, interaction can be considered to have taken place when there is an input, a processural stage and an output. I believe that Paul Fournel’s “The Tree Theatre: A Combinatory Play” does satisfy Crawford’s definition of interactivity. The actors and the audience interact to help unfold the narrative. The audience’s immediate response is a kind of input that purposefully affects the outcome of the narrative. The output is then the way the actors act in response to the decisions made by the audience. The processural stage is then the interval during which the audience decides as well as the period in which the actors internalize the decision made by them.

Process 1 -> Audience decides which path to take
Input -> Response of audience
Process 2 -> Actor internalize the response
Output -> Actors act in accordance to the audiences’ preference

This then forms a kind of cycle, in line with Crawford’s idea of interactivity. The actors may be taken as one entity and the individuals that make up the audience make up another. The actors respond to the input of the audience and also, they are able to remember the choice of the audience. This allows a certain degree of customization as the audience has the freedom of choice and is able to control the flow of the narrative.

Can it be considered interactive media then? With all that has been said, I believe it is possible. The play itself is a medium through which a narrative is told. The need for several commands/directives from the audience makes it interactive as the actors respond to it. However, the degree of interactivity may be arguably limited by the little number of times at which the audience can influence the narrative.

In fact, there are some similarities between this somewhat physical interaction and interactive computer media in the form of hypertext or interactive fiction. In both cases, possibilities are laid out for the user to choose except that the possibilities in a medium like that of the play are more finite than the other option.

posted by shamanthayan @ 6:32 AM