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borrowed_scenery_cultivating_an_alternate_reality [2013-04-15 14:39] alkanparn:borrowed_scenery_cultivating_an_alternate_reality [2013-04-17 15:47] (current) maja
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-<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8391944878/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 06 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8391944878_06be04f562_c.jpg" width="800" height="537" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 06"></a></html> 
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 ==== Borrowed Scenery: Cultivating an Alternate Reality ==== ==== Borrowed Scenery: Cultivating an Alternate Reality ====
  
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 In the Japanese text //Records of Garden Making// (作庭記, //Sakuteiki//)((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakuteiki)) attributed to Tachibana Toshitsuna (橘俊綱, 1028–1094 CE), the concept of 'borrowed scenery' (//shakkei// in Japanese, //jiejing// in Chinese) was first introduced as an approach to designing gardens. It is presented as a way of including features from beyond the garden as elements in the design. Distant mountains or rivers, clouds, rocks and even stars can be incorporated. Although the garden and the surrounding landscape may be topographically separate, 'borrowing' or 'lending' provides a way to experience them as one whole.  In the Japanese text //Records of Garden Making// (作庭記, //Sakuteiki//)((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakuteiki)) attributed to Tachibana Toshitsuna (橘俊綱, 1028–1094 CE), the concept of 'borrowed scenery' (//shakkei// in Japanese, //jiejing// in Chinese) was first introduced as an approach to designing gardens. It is presented as a way of including features from beyond the garden as elements in the design. Distant mountains or rivers, clouds, rocks and even stars can be incorporated. Although the garden and the surrounding landscape may be topographically separate, 'borrowing' or 'lending' provides a way to experience them as one whole. 
 +
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8391944878/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 06 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8391944878_06be04f562_c.jpg" width="800" height="537" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 06"></a></html>
 +
  
 Inspired by //shakkei// and //jiejing// gardens, FoAM developed the alternate reality narrative Borrowed Scenery, a story without a narrator or explicit narration which unfolded through hints, suggestions and immersive ambiance. By 'borrowing' from sources as diverse as plant mythology, patabotany, Tarot, plant sciences, historical mysteries and the setting of the everyday, Borrowed Scenery became a place to experience an alternate reality (past, future or parallel) where plants are a central aspect of human society.  Inspired by //shakkei// and //jiejing// gardens, FoAM developed the alternate reality narrative Borrowed Scenery, a story without a narrator or explicit narration which unfolded through hints, suggestions and immersive ambiance. By 'borrowing' from sources as diverse as plant mythology, patabotany, Tarot, plant sciences, historical mysteries and the setting of the everyday, Borrowed Scenery became a place to experience an alternate reality (past, future or parallel) where plants are a central aspect of human society. 
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 In an alternate reality narrative (ARN), borrowing from 'consensus reality' becomes a way to draw the audience into the story. The familiar reality of popular culture acts as a bridge between life and fiction. What emerges is a //storyworld// – a web of experiences, tales and conversations between ARN creators,  real visitors and fictional characters. Borrowing in an ARN is like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs from the 'consensus' to the 'alternate' reality. It is about establishing familiarity and intimacy with visitors through personal associations, memories and opinions, making their plunge into the storyworld a less alienating experience.  In an alternate reality narrative (ARN), borrowing from 'consensus reality' becomes a way to draw the audience into the story. The familiar reality of popular culture acts as a bridge between life and fiction. What emerges is a //storyworld// – a web of experiences, tales and conversations between ARN creators,  real visitors and fictional characters. Borrowing in an ARN is like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs from the 'consensus' to the 'alternate' reality. It is about establishing familiarity and intimacy with visitors through personal associations, memories and opinions, making their plunge into the storyworld a less alienating experience. 
  
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8390864229/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 18 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8390864229_5eeb4ab575_c.jpg" width="800" height="495" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 18"></a></html>
  
 === Whispering a world into being === === Whispering a world into being ===
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 Borrowed Scenery was balanced on the creative tension between story and reality. In real time, the ARN evolved over two months during 2012, but the story was set in an ambiguous 'smeared now' suspended somewhere between the early nineteenth and late twenty-first centuries, imbibing touches of art nouveau, steam- and biopunk. While there was a backstory that tied disparate elements of the project together, it was rarely narrated explicitly. It was visible as small fragments and subtle hints, such as a label on a herb jar or a half-written letter. We relied on the immersive ambience of physical space to encourage visitors to piece together the territory of the storyworld. The experience was designed to be more like travelling to a foreign land than watching a movie. More about sense-making than storytelling. Borrowed Scenery was balanced on the creative tension between story and reality. In real time, the ARN evolved over two months during 2012, but the story was set in an ambiguous 'smeared now' suspended somewhere between the early nineteenth and late twenty-first centuries, imbibing touches of art nouveau, steam- and biopunk. While there was a backstory that tied disparate elements of the project together, it was rarely narrated explicitly. It was visible as small fragments and subtle hints, such as a label on a herb jar or a half-written letter. We relied on the immersive ambience of physical space to encourage visitors to piece together the territory of the storyworld. The experience was designed to be more like travelling to a foreign land than watching a movie. More about sense-making than storytelling.
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 === Experiencing and recounting === === Experiencing and recounting ===
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 Firstly, the most direct experience of Borrowed Scenery was simply being in the space and soaking up the atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised how many of our visitors would do just that and need nothing else. Some reported states akin to natural mystical experiences.(('…What they experienced was an enlargement of the ordinary field of consciousness in a vision that seemed to comprise all Nature; and Nature showed herself to be marvelously beautiful – far more beautiful and with a far deeper unity than the normal consciousness could even suspect.'  – Zaehner, R. C. (1973). //Mysticism Sacred and Profane: An Inquiry into Some Varieties of Praternatural Experience.// London: Oxford University Press)) After a while they would emerge and talk to us about what happened, often grasping the essence of our backstory and the plant-inspired reality we wanted to evoke. Visitors inhabited the alternate reality, becoming protagonists without realising it. Some visitors would participate in events without engaging in the larger narrative, and even remained unaware of its existence. People would take part in a walk where they learned to forage for edible plants in cities, for example. On the walk their paths would cross with the fictional, their traces might be collected in the patabotanists' field guide, but they might remain unaware of this bigger picture. If they were interested in digging deeper there were several avenues they could explore, but if not, that was fine too. Sometimes we would hint at the existence of a larger reality by giving out small instruction cards, as invitations to explore further. The common characteristic of these disparate experiences (from meditative presence, to engaged participation and individual exploration) was a direct engagement with people and events, an improvisation or performance without a fixed scenario. As such it was closer to a reality than to a narrative. Firstly, the most direct experience of Borrowed Scenery was simply being in the space and soaking up the atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised how many of our visitors would do just that and need nothing else. Some reported states akin to natural mystical experiences.(('…What they experienced was an enlargement of the ordinary field of consciousness in a vision that seemed to comprise all Nature; and Nature showed herself to be marvelously beautiful – far more beautiful and with a far deeper unity than the normal consciousness could even suspect.'  – Zaehner, R. C. (1973). //Mysticism Sacred and Profane: An Inquiry into Some Varieties of Praternatural Experience.// London: Oxford University Press)) After a while they would emerge and talk to us about what happened, often grasping the essence of our backstory and the plant-inspired reality we wanted to evoke. Visitors inhabited the alternate reality, becoming protagonists without realising it. Some visitors would participate in events without engaging in the larger narrative, and even remained unaware of its existence. People would take part in a walk where they learned to forage for edible plants in cities, for example. On the walk their paths would cross with the fictional, their traces might be collected in the patabotanists' field guide, but they might remain unaware of this bigger picture. If they were interested in digging deeper there were several avenues they could explore, but if not, that was fine too. Sometimes we would hint at the existence of a larger reality by giving out small instruction cards, as invitations to explore further. The common characteristic of these disparate experiences (from meditative presence, to engaged participation and individual exploration) was a direct engagement with people and events, an improvisation or performance without a fixed scenario. As such it was closer to a reality than to a narrative.
 +
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8391952844/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 29 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8391952844_ce458a214c_c.jpg" width="800" height="531" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 29"></a></html>
  
 Secondly, participants could experience Borrowed Scenery in a way that came closer to conventional 'story consumption' in books, movies or games: something like a treasure hunt for narrative fragments. This story-seeking became a quest to find a narrative that is dispersed through the environment, objects, events and media. For this experience to work there needs to be a high density of story fragments – every object and event should become meaningful within the context of the overarching narrative. This is quite time-consuming for the designers, but it requires the least commitment and effort from the audiences. They can experience a representation of the alternate reality that they 'dig out' from a collection of materials and media. The story – whether they find it or not – remains static. In Borrowed Scenery the story wasn't as linear as in a conventional treasure hunt or a Disney ride, so visitors didn't need to discover all the story-fragments for their experience to make sense. If they found the hints and were keen to puzzle together a narrative, this could enrich their experience, but it wasn't absolutely necessary. Secondly, participants could experience Borrowed Scenery in a way that came closer to conventional 'story consumption' in books, movies or games: something like a treasure hunt for narrative fragments. This story-seeking became a quest to find a narrative that is dispersed through the environment, objects, events and media. For this experience to work there needs to be a high density of story fragments – every object and event should become meaningful within the context of the overarching narrative. This is quite time-consuming for the designers, but it requires the least commitment and effort from the audiences. They can experience a representation of the alternate reality that they 'dig out' from a collection of materials and media. The story – whether they find it or not – remains static. In Borrowed Scenery the story wasn't as linear as in a conventional treasure hunt or a Disney ride, so visitors didn't need to discover all the story-fragments for their experience to make sense. If they found the hints and were keen to puzzle together a narrative, this could enrich their experience, but it wasn't absolutely necessary.
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 This blend of absurdist fiction and (pseudo/proto)science with real people and events was at times surprisingly smooth, other times overwhelmingly confusing, but people would rarely leave untouched.  This blend of absurdist fiction and (pseudo/proto)science with real people and events was at times surprisingly smooth, other times overwhelmingly confusing, but people would rarely leave untouched. 
 +
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8390894121/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 89 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8390894121_c9cee53f78_c.jpg" width="800" height="532" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 89"></a></html>
  
 === Tending to the storytellers, weeding the storyworld === === Tending to the storytellers, weeding the storyworld ===
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 Aside from inviting people to the patabotanists' lab, we borrowed from the urban and online spaces where plants and humans interact. We began with a picnic((The picnic menu: http://libarynth.org/patabotanical_picnic)) in the Citadelpark where we asked visitors to partake in an experiment involving the ingestion or smelling of plant substances to accentuate or alter their experience. We were present at a community market, celebrating the beginning of autumn with a Harvest Fest, where we exchanged plant preserving techniques, recipes and produce. For two months we took visitors on walks to discover urban flora on the streets of Ghent: edible and medicinal plants, historic trees and other noteworthy vegetation. We mapped these walks and the plants using Zizim, a mobile app for urban foragers, and translated them into Aniziz, an online game where plants could come in contact with the patabotanists.((Zizim (the field guide), Aniziz (the game), Dilzio (the journal of conversations) and Garginz (the reference archive) can be found at http://borrowed-scenery.net)) We met 'Ghent plant people' (farmers, gardeners, city ecologists and other plant connoisseurs)((Interviews and conversations between Imogen Semmler and Ghent plant people: http://libarynth.org/Ghent_plant_people)) and listened to their stories. Finally, on the day the clocks changed to winter time, we descended into the warm greenhouses of Ghent University's botanic gardens where we sang to and with plants in the language of Hildegard von Bingen's plant-infested //Lingua Ignota.//((Highley, S. L. (2007). Hildegard of Bingen's Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan)) Aside from inviting people to the patabotanists' lab, we borrowed from the urban and online spaces where plants and humans interact. We began with a picnic((The picnic menu: http://libarynth.org/patabotanical_picnic)) in the Citadelpark where we asked visitors to partake in an experiment involving the ingestion or smelling of plant substances to accentuate or alter their experience. We were present at a community market, celebrating the beginning of autumn with a Harvest Fest, where we exchanged plant preserving techniques, recipes and produce. For two months we took visitors on walks to discover urban flora on the streets of Ghent: edible and medicinal plants, historic trees and other noteworthy vegetation. We mapped these walks and the plants using Zizim, a mobile app for urban foragers, and translated them into Aniziz, an online game where plants could come in contact with the patabotanists.((Zizim (the field guide), Aniziz (the game), Dilzio (the journal of conversations) and Garginz (the reference archive) can be found at http://borrowed-scenery.net)) We met 'Ghent plant people' (farmers, gardeners, city ecologists and other plant connoisseurs)((Interviews and conversations between Imogen Semmler and Ghent plant people: http://libarynth.org/Ghent_plant_people)) and listened to their stories. Finally, on the day the clocks changed to winter time, we descended into the warm greenhouses of Ghent University's botanic gardens where we sang to and with plants in the language of Hildegard von Bingen's plant-infested //Lingua Ignota.//((Highley, S. L. (2007). Hildegard of Bingen's Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan))
  
-<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8390894121/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 89 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8390894121_c9cee53f78_c.jpg" width="800" height="532" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 89"></a></html>+<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8390887495/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 76 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8390887495_b380d995c6_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 76"></a></html>
  
 'In bringing the spiritual and the material together in her Lingua, she invoked what the Russian formalists called //ostranenie// – making the familiar strange, or rather making the things of this world divine again through the alterity of new signs. In this sense it is a product of her //Viriditas// – greenness – making moist and green what threatens to become corrupted, mendacious, ill-used and dried out, but it is also a product of her keen interest in divine structure: The Tower reassembled.' – Sarah Highley 'In bringing the spiritual and the material together in her Lingua, she invoked what the Russian formalists called //ostranenie// – making the familiar strange, or rather making the things of this world divine again through the alterity of new signs. In this sense it is a product of her //Viriditas// – greenness – making moist and green what threatens to become corrupted, mendacious, ill-used and dried out, but it is also a product of her keen interest in divine structure: The Tower reassembled.' – Sarah Highley
  
 All of these disparate activities were episodes in the larger narrative, all sharing the same backstory. Each of them could be experienced on their own, which most people did. However, some of our visitors began treating the space and the story as their own: one of them decided to have a birthday party in the Snoepwinkel, as he felt the space reflected the world in which he'd like to live. Another visitor congratulated us on our Inner Garden performance, where she found that the plants sang beautifully. We all laughed when we realised that she actually missed the performance, but interpreted our story as an invitation to come and hear the plants sing, which made complete sense in the context of Borrowed Scenery. These people became integral parts of the narrative, where we merely provided the shell in which their fantastic stories developed. All of these disparate activities were episodes in the larger narrative, all sharing the same backstory. Each of them could be experienced on their own, which most people did. However, some of our visitors began treating the space and the story as their own: one of them decided to have a birthday party in the Snoepwinkel, as he felt the space reflected the world in which he'd like to live. Another visitor congratulated us on our Inner Garden performance, where she found that the plants sang beautifully. We all laughed when we realised that she actually missed the performance, but interpreted our story as an invitation to come and hear the plants sing, which made complete sense in the context of Borrowed Scenery. These people became integral parts of the narrative, where we merely provided the shell in which their fantastic stories developed.
 +
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8391972316/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 77 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8359/8391972316_fdfde5b85e_c.jpg" width="800" height="504" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 77"></a></html>
  
 === Future borrowings === === Future borrowings ===
  
-In view of the complexity, unpredictability and variability inherent at all stages of producing an ARN, we designed Borrowed Scenery with redundancy and layering in mind, ensuring that the project could succeed in a wide variety of conditions.+In view of the complexity, unpredictability and variability inherent at all stages of producing an ARN, we designed Borrowed Scenery with [[borrowed_scenery_diagram|redundancy and layering]] in mind, ensuring that the project could succeed in a wide variety of conditions.
  
 Crucially, we developed the ARN in multiple iterations, asking ourselves what the simplest and most basic form would be that the project could take while still retaining its essence. The essence of Borrowed Scenery was its immersive atmosphere that built on and subtly transformed the places we encountered. From there we could determine the optional and to some extent interchangeable extra details.  We began with a small ARN that could be made reasonably easily relying solely on FoAM's own resources. This consisted of the rudimentary physical narrative: the space, minimal furniture, a soundtrack (and equipment to play it), printed maps and instruction cards, tea and tea cups, chalk, tape, sheets of paper, markers, a whole lot of plants and one FoAM member to act as the 'research assistant in residence'. Crucially, we developed the ARN in multiple iterations, asking ourselves what the simplest and most basic form would be that the project could take while still retaining its essence. The essence of Borrowed Scenery was its immersive atmosphere that built on and subtly transformed the places we encountered. From there we could determine the optional and to some extent interchangeable extra details.  We began with a small ARN that could be made reasonably easily relying solely on FoAM's own resources. This consisted of the rudimentary physical narrative: the space, minimal furniture, a soundtrack (and equipment to play it), printed maps and instruction cards, tea and tea cups, chalk, tape, sheets of paper, markers, a whole lot of plants and one FoAM member to act as the 'research assistant in residence'.
  
 Having secured the project's 'bare essentials', we began to embellish them with additional elements that we felt would enhance the storyworld. In most cases we managed to ensure that digital components in the design always had an analogue backup (given the computer's infamous track record of malfunctioning the moment we rely on it in these experimental situations) and that there were several analogue layers. if the computer, internet, mobile phone or app failed, we had pens, paper, and printouts of maps handy; if an interactive mobile guide wasn't developed on time, we could give visitors printed instruction cards so they could still go through the physical experience. Having secured the project's 'bare essentials', we began to embellish them with additional elements that we felt would enhance the storyworld. In most cases we managed to ensure that digital components in the design always had an analogue backup (given the computer's infamous track record of malfunctioning the moment we rely on it in these experimental situations) and that there were several analogue layers. if the computer, internet, mobile phone or app failed, we had pens, paper, and printouts of maps handy; if an interactive mobile guide wasn't developed on time, we could give visitors printed instruction cards so they could still go through the physical experience.
 +
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8391952508/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 28 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8506/8391952508_08cf77c388_c.jpg" width="800" height="532" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 28"></a></html>
  
 Another example of design redundancy involves ensuring a multiplicity of possible experiences and points of entry into the 'user journeys',((User Journeys describe at a high level of detail exactly what steps different users take to complete a specific task within a system, application or website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_journey. For examples of user journeys in Borrowed Scenery see http://lib.fo.am/borrowed_scenery_journeys)) episodic events, and the ARN as a continuum. We wanted to accommodate a broad spectrum of possible engagements. For example, some visitors might be interested in learning how to preserve plant essences for entirely pragmatic purposes, such making their own jams or sauerkraut. These people could come to the Harvest Fest, enjoy themselves, learn and eat a lot, but remain oblivious to the larger narrative (even though certain characters and other hints were woven into the event). For these people each of the events and activities needed to be self-contained and meaningful in its own right. At the other end of the spectrum were those who wanted to know and become involved in everything, to the point that they began to merge into the ARN itself. For them the physical and online spaces had to keep evolving and responding to their presence and interaction, and there had to be a conceptual and phenomenological continuity between all the elements of the ARN. For these people it was beneficial to have the story appear at the 'acupuncture points' of their experience – as hints and suggestions that would draw them deeper into the storyworld.  Another example of design redundancy involves ensuring a multiplicity of possible experiences and points of entry into the 'user journeys',((User Journeys describe at a high level of detail exactly what steps different users take to complete a specific task within a system, application or website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_journey. For examples of user journeys in Borrowed Scenery see http://lib.fo.am/borrowed_scenery_journeys)) episodic events, and the ARN as a continuum. We wanted to accommodate a broad spectrum of possible engagements. For example, some visitors might be interested in learning how to preserve plant essences for entirely pragmatic purposes, such making their own jams or sauerkraut. These people could come to the Harvest Fest, enjoy themselves, learn and eat a lot, but remain oblivious to the larger narrative (even though certain characters and other hints were woven into the event). For these people each of the events and activities needed to be self-contained and meaningful in its own right. At the other end of the spectrum were those who wanted to know and become involved in everything, to the point that they began to merge into the ARN itself. For them the physical and online spaces had to keep evolving and responding to their presence and interaction, and there had to be a conceptual and phenomenological continuity between all the elements of the ARN. For these people it was beneficial to have the story appear at the 'acupuncture points' of their experience – as hints and suggestions that would draw them deeper into the storyworld. 
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 We found that, in contrast to the physical narrative, the online components of the project that focused on storytelling and gameplay receded into the background and at times were almost invisible. However, we do think it is worth persevering in finding ways to connect physical narratives with online environments, as it can bring together unlikely audiences, such as gamers and gardeners. It can also encourage participants to become more involved in the stories. Most of all, we remain curious to explore the magic of online traces becoming physical and tangible objects that extend their life in digital realms. To that end, the Borrowed Scenery website((http://borrowed-scenery.net)) remains online for explorations and extensions. We found that, in contrast to the physical narrative, the online components of the project that focused on storytelling and gameplay receded into the background and at times were almost invisible. However, we do think it is worth persevering in finding ways to connect physical narratives with online environments, as it can bring together unlikely audiences, such as gamers and gardeners. It can also encourage participants to become more involved in the stories. Most of all, we remain curious to explore the magic of online traces becoming physical and tangible objects that extend their life in digital realms. To that end, the Borrowed Scenery website((http://borrowed-scenery.net)) remains online for explorations and extensions.
  
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8390863001/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 14 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8390863001_e6dbd76650_c.jpg" width="800" height="532" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 14"></a></html>
  
 === Borrowing principles === === Borrowing principles ===
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 Borrowed Scenery with its visceral connections to gardens and plants was eerily familiar. It was site-specific, designed for the Snoepwinkel and the streets of Ghent with online portals to other realms. The story was – for both practical and conceptual reasons – filled with gaps that encouraged associations and 'joining the dots'. Its intention was to become a reality. Even though as an ARN it existed for a brief moment in time, its seeds continue growing through consensus reality in unexpected ways: Zizim became a scientific app used to map lobster populations in the UK and a way to track urban agriculture initiatives in Ghent;  Arboreal Identity has been translated into a guided nature walk in Brussels; the patabotanist archetypes are being translated into ethnobotanical Tarot cards; Inner Garden will be performed in other botanic gardens, spreading Lingua Ignota and patabotanical ideas further. Slowly, imperceptibly, the alternate keeps seeping into the everyday. Is it still a story or did it become reality? In the end, we might not be able to tell the difference.  As in //shakkei// gardens, the ARN starts from ourselves, includes the cultivated frame of the storyworld and extends into untamed, infinite realities – consensus or otherwise. Borrowed Scenery with its visceral connections to gardens and plants was eerily familiar. It was site-specific, designed for the Snoepwinkel and the streets of Ghent with online portals to other realms. The story was – for both practical and conceptual reasons – filled with gaps that encouraged associations and 'joining the dots'. Its intention was to become a reality. Even though as an ARN it existed for a brief moment in time, its seeds continue growing through consensus reality in unexpected ways: Zizim became a scientific app used to map lobster populations in the UK and a way to track urban agriculture initiatives in Ghent;  Arboreal Identity has been translated into a guided nature walk in Brussels; the patabotanist archetypes are being translated into ethnobotanical Tarot cards; Inner Garden will be performed in other botanic gardens, spreading Lingua Ignota and patabotanical ideas further. Slowly, imperceptibly, the alternate keeps seeping into the everyday. Is it still a story or did it become reality? In the end, we might not be able to tell the difference.  As in //shakkei// gardens, the ARN starts from ourselves, includes the cultivated frame of the storyworld and extends into untamed, infinite realities – consensus or otherwise.
 +
 +=== Related ===
 +
 +  * [[Borrowed Scenery ARN]]: Borrowed Scenery credits and related notes
 +  * Borrowed Scenery is a part of the European project [[:PARN]] (Physical and Alternate Reality Narratives)
 +
 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8391947492/" title="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 15 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8391947492_ee6b499b51_c.jpg" width="531" height="800" alt="Borrowed Scenery ARN - 15"></a></html>
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  • Last modified: 2013-04-15 14:39
  • by alkan