Constructing Worlds Stage 2

STAGE 2: Interpretation

In this stage, we will introduce a new element, a fictional text. This text describes a world that will serve as a context.

1. Choose a "world" as described in one of two texts: Einstein's Dreams or Invisible Cities.

2. Read or analyze the text: what is unique about the world described? What kind of "instruction set" is in operation that affects the way the worlds, time, people, geographies behave or are described?

3.Break into teams by shared text (3-4 people per team)

4. Each person develops a minimum of 5 "scenarios" that pair the container and the fictional world. How might your "container" be transformed into a mobile interface between a person(s) and this world? Is your container a sheltering structure, a piece of clothing, a communicator, a mode of transportation, etc.?

5. Scenarios may be depicted in a variety of ways: as storyboard, as narrative user scenarios, a image sequences, as written stories.

6. Present and evaluate the strengths and weakness of each prposed scenario as a group. Choose one to move forward into stage 3.

PART 1

Our group consists of 4 people. The name of our group is Michelle's Brownies. Our group are all students that participated in bootcamp over the summer. We are from Group B, and a student in our group was named Michelle who so generously made us brownies one day, thus were we got the name from.

Our homework for this week is to write 5 different scenarios using our box and the stories from invisible cities or Einstein's Dreams as a base for how our box functions within the scenarios.
So far I am leaning towards Einstein's dreams. I found it much more interesting then invisible cities. I decided to choose 5 stories that I am interested in from Einstein's dreams and write scenarios from each of these stories. This of course might change with further communciation with my group. As far as I know now at least 3 of us already have a liking for one of the stories I particularly enjoyed the most. Here are the 5 Stories:

1. Time flows more slowly the farther from the center of earth you are. Thus people decided to live on the mountains or built their houses on stilts to get even higher, noone lives on the ground. When the people do come down they work at an increased pace in order to get back up to the mountians quicker. There are some people who don't care and stay on the ground for days at a time, but these people are scoffed at. In the end my favorite line in this story is "At length, the populace have become thin like the air bony, old before their time." This is my favorite line because the people become what they are fighting against regardless, actually making it worst for themselves by living in the mountains. Pgs. 22-24

I absolutely love this particualr story and my teammates so far seem to agree so I hope this will be our final choice when we decide on one story for our group.

2. Time has three dimensions, just like an object has three perpendicular dimensions this time has three perpendicular futures. Each future is real, at ever point of decision the world splits into three worlds each with the same people but with different fates awaiting them. Pgs. 14-17

3. Time will end and everyone knows it, they know the specific day, and the year. They await it, they enjoy it. Parents let their children do as they please, people are polite to each other. They await it happily down to the last second. In the last second, everyone holds hand, noone speaks, noone moves, they watch the world around them. Pgs. 42-45

4. Time is recorded, because the people of this world have no memory. Everything they ever did in their lives they have to record themselves. When they look back at their lives they read from their books. Everyday is a new day they start their lives anew, not even able to remember their husbands, wives and children from one day to the next, they write that down too. The old read of their youth and some don't read at all, deciding it really doesn't matter they learned to live in a world without memory. Pgs. 61-64

5. Time flows unevenly, fitfully, and this results in people recieving glimpses of the future. Some people when they see the future they stop what they are doing and run to obtain what they saw. Others fight the future they see and continue along the path they set for themselves. Then their are the people who see nothing, they don't see their future, and thus know not what to do so they stay still until their vision arrives. Pgs. 65-68

I like the ending line for this particular story too, which reads " Who would fare better in this world of fitful time? Those who have seen the future and only live one life? Or those who have not seen the future and wait to live life? Or those who deny the future and live two lives?

This book is beautiful......

posted by Megumiaraki @ 8:31 PM