Title: Digital Nature: The Case Collection

URL: http://turbulence.org/Works/nature/index.html

Collection: Electronic Literature: Individual Works

Description: Once the reader enters the Case Collection he learns that "a flood threatened to destroy everything." Two diaries, an illustrated children's book, a journalist's sound recording and other artifacts from a naturalist's secret collection could be saved. The reader is welcome to explore the narrative space of the project that provides a database of the 'saved' narrative objects such as films, photographs, letters, maps and diaries that accompany over 600 writings visually. These digital narrative objects can be browsed, they are from a fictional 1910 natural history expedition and relate to the life and trial of Sir Francis Case. The diaries, for instance, serve as minute details of an expedition to "a lodge on a hill" and the reader learns: "I have a conversation with the missionary, Amelie. She tells me that we are the Company's guest and best stay on good terms with their officials. I have developed a different view of matters during the course of my travels, but I dare not to tell her." With its graphical representations as well as the textual and literary browsing structure the Digital Case Collection bears a 'playable media' character using game elements to achieve interaction. It allows the reader to have exploratory trips one can return to and follow up on. Gaming conventions are used against the grain to mediate on the nature of digital artifacts and their relationship to time and space. Entry drafted by: Patricia Tomaszek

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Subject:   metatextual,  playable media,  graphics,  historical