Monstrous Weathered: Experiences from the Telling and Retelling of a Netprov

[Alex Mitchell]

Hello Cloud Farmers,

Just wanted to let you know that my EBR paper on Monstrous Weather has just gone live:

http://electronicbookreview.com/essay/monstrous-weathered-experiences-from-the-telling-and-retelling-of-a-netprov/

"A consideration of Monstrous Weather, a recent netprov (or networked improvisation) and the ways that collaborative storytelling encourages the rereading, retelling, rewriting, and adaptation of stories that begin as performances, and then turn into a form of archiving through still further rereading, rewriting and retelling. Author Alex Mitchell begins by depicting how, during the original performance of Monstrous Weather, there was a constant reworking, remixing and retelling of texts, both literally and through references and embellishments. This process gradually coalesced the loose collection of story fragments into something that had a kind of coherence, if not as a story, then at least as a storyworld. Mitchell discuss two particular performances/remixes: a live reading of excerpts from the netprov performed at the Electronic Literature Organization (ELO) Conference 2017 almost exactly 1 year after the initial performance, and a subsequent hypertext remix/archive."

Thanks to everyone for providing the material that made this paper possible. I apologize for any errors or misrepresentations. :)

thanks,

Alex

[markcmarino]

Wow, so great, Alex,

Thank you for doing this!

I still hope to expand the Twine version.

I know your article will be helpful to Rob, who is working on the Book of Netprov (not actual title), actually I'd love if he called it the Book of Robwit!

And let's face it, monstrous weather is the moment we live. And how prescient!!! Just got my email summons from the White House, an invite to sup with DT, Melania, and Chris Hemsworth on the occasion of an impromptu Ralph Northam & Ted Danson dinner theater production of Amos & Andy, but between the epic flooding in LA and The Shining-like blizzard conditions that have snowed in the White House, it might not happen.

Anyway, Monstrous good work!
Looking forward to netproving with you all soon, my talented fiends!

Best,
Mark

[Rob Wittig]

Alex, Hi!

What a wonderful piece of art and scholarship! Wow! So grateful you took the time!

I am learning so much from your insightful re-telling of our communal storytelling story! (I'm re-reading and re-reading your re-reading.) Great observations about the urge to archive and the inadequacy of linear archives to capture the timing. Your hypertext archive truly offers an analogous experience in such a cool way!

Really nice work!

Rob

[markcmarino]

Hi, all,

It's been a while, and now we probably all feel like we're living in one of the Monstrous Weather stories.

I wanted to share a new adaptation of the project.  I guess you might say, I've been Frankenstein-ing Monstrous Weather a bit, giving it second or third life.

I was inspired by Alex's adaptation of Monstrous Weather: 

http://narrativeandplay.org/mweather/mw%20hypedyn/index.html

...to create a new Twine Version of the tales:

http://markcmarino.com/mweather/mweathertwine.html

Also, I have uploaded the Twine file, so that any of you can remix it for yourself:

http://markcmarino.com/mweather/MonstrousWeather.tws.zip

or

http://markcmarino.com/mweather/MonstrousWeather.tws

Unlike Alex's really elegant re-imagining of the piece, my Twine version just attempts to get all the stories in one place with fairly basic threading, listing tales, authors, and tellers as best I could with minimal hyperlink navigation.  But since we always imagined this piece to have second, third, and fourth lives -- it is truly an undead or undying story cycle-- they can be reworked by any or all of us (remember the idea for printing it on umbrellas?). So take these files (please) and do what you will. Recreate, remix, re-imagine as you will. Create paths, threads, links.  Of course, we all also have access to all the tales in this Google Group archive.

BTW, I used Twine 1.4.2, so keep that in mind if you decide to go into the file and play around. I did my best to attribute all the stories correctly. If I've made any errors, just send me a note. 

Hope you enjoy it!

Best,

Mark

[Alex Mitchell]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share that my hypertext adaptation of Monstrous Weather will be included as part of the "Climates of Change" exhibition at ELO 2020 + ACM Hypertext 2020: https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/mediaartsexhibits/.

The other works in the exhibition (and the twin exhibition, "(un)continuity") look amazing, and there's even another netprov, Destination Wedding: 2070.

Take care everyone, and stay safe!

thanks,

Alex