Sketch of the interface

Sketch of the interface

This is the most recent draft of my interface sketch. The story begins in the upper left corner with the title of the story embroidered in the quilt. The viewer’s eye follows the path along the river to the end of the story. This layout is based on the Trade and Commerce Quilt by Hannah Stockton Stiles.

After the quilt’s viewers arrive ad the final scene of  the narrative, they are given the prompt “What happened?” accompanied by a group of animal icons and a hand.

This is meant to communicate to the viewer that they are supposed to touch the animal icons. At this point in the interaction model, the viewer should begin reexamining the narrative while pressing the animal icons where they appear in the key scenes of quilt. This will trigger the embedded LEDs and, in turn, reveal hidden narrative elements embedded in the center of the quilt.

Notes on story and display

Experiment 2

A big part of my second formal thesis experiment, was to create a simulation of ways the quilt may reveal narrative elements. I projected this simulation on a white sheet and asked a few friends for feedback. Clicking on a black square in the border (with the exception of the top square) will reveal a detail of the narrative. In some instances this reveals information that will help the viewer to better understand the surface narrative. Other instances reveal alternate plots from different versions of the ballad.

The image below is a link that will open up the simulation in a new browser window. You will need Flash Player to view it.

Thanks to Kristin Scherrer and Marie Burrage.

Experiment 1

Tom Dooley storyboard

Twa Sisters storyboard

Questionable Content

After discovering the strange versions of the Twa Sisters where the miller uses parts of the drowned victim to fashion musical instruments, I had some trouble with this narrative. Part of me (eek! no pun intended) thinks working with such a crazy and disturbing theme may be interesting and speak to some primordial facination many people seem to have. However, I am unsure how I feel about using twisted themes like this in my quilt.

I need to talk to people about this more. I don’t know if the Twa Sisters goes too far…

Twa Sisters’ Characters and Themes

Characters:

Older Sister (sometimes named Rosemary)

Younger Sister (sometimes named Isabelle, Kate, or Jean)

Miller

Father

Suitor (sometimes a Knight, a rich man, or named William)

Miller’s daughter (or son)

Fiddler (sometimes blind)

The wraith

Themes:

Jealosy

Love

Fratracide

Corpse looting

False conviction & execution

Haunting

Revenge

Corpse trophies (Ed Gein)

Significant Objects:

Ring(s)

Harp (breastbone)

Fiddle (hair)

Swan

The Twa Sisters

This is an old story from Europe. There are over 21 versions of the story with different themes and details. The basic tale is about a young woman who is drown in a body of water by her older sister. In most versions, her body is pulled out of the water by a miller. All versions of this ballad include this basic framework but there are many differences in the other details of the story.

The motivation for the killing is most often jealosy. Some versions illude to the older sister being jealous of her sister for her looks and her relationship with their father. Many versions include a wealthy gentleman suitor who favors the younger sister. In these later versions, the drowning girl becomes aware of her sisters motivations and calls to her from the water, promising that the older sister may marry the suitor if she pulls her out of the water.

The next major difference between the versions of this murder ballad involve the miller. Many of them speak of the miller’s daugher, or son in some cases, who spies the body in the water. The child reports to the miller seeing a swan or a pale body floating in the water. The miller pulles the corpse out of the water.

The next series of events also varies in the tellings of this story. Some of them feature the miller robbing the corpse of her riches, most often rings, and throwing the body back into the water. In these versions the miller is often hanged for the killing of the young woman.

Other versions depict the miller building musical instruments from the corpse, often using her hair for fiddle strings and in some cases her breast bone to build a harp. The miller either travels the land playing the instruments or sells them to a fiddler. The wraith of the murdered woman is awakened when the instruments are played at which point she identifies her sister as the murderer.

I think the history of this murder ballad proves the resonnance of its themes and that it has great potential as the featured narrative in my thesis.

Inspirational stories

White Lady stories.

Lady In White

“The Twa Sisters.” A murder ballad also recorded under the title “The Wind and Rain” is about a girl who drowns her sister.

“Lamkin.” A traditional story about a mason who murders the woman and child of a client who refused to pay him.

“Caleb Meyer.” A more recently written murder ballad about a woman who kills a rapist hermit.

“One Thousand and One Nights.” A young woman in Persia keeps her husband from murdering her by telling him cliffhanger stories every night.

One Thousand and One Nights