Tenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

Oral historians, as Donna Harraway notes, must come “to terms (that) the agency of the ‘objects’ studied is the only way to avoid gross error and false knowledge” (1988). Oral history has another demand: publication or an active insertion into the public sphere. The interactive documentary (i-doc) is one way to achieve this. It allows for user engagement with a vast amount of data housed in a navigable online space. If the analog documentary is a linear story with a pre-ordained beginning, middle, and end, the i-doc allows the user to “play” the story, navigating between ideas, people, and things in a non-linear manner. This paper considers the effectiveness of evolving formats of image work (online interactive, augmented reality, online reality) to help audiences understand contested topics. It is based in the oral histories of six landscape photographers, all of whom photograph the impacts of the oil and gas extraction technology known as fracking. All of the photographers are concerned with the environmental effects of fracking. In this experiment, we produced identical stories about the photographers and their work across the three different platforms. We conducted focus groups to determine if a specific platform helped audiences better develop an “ethic of care:” an ability to understand multiple perspectives about a topic. We argue experiential immersion offers potential for both scholars and image-based storytellers. Unlike the still image or archive-based oral history, interactive storytelling allows audiences to direct how they will experience images and understand complex issues in a tactile platform.