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ELENA ALSTON

Turning a short story into an interactive exhibition

During this short residency, I will transform one of my short stories (genre: magical realism) into an interactive exhibition. Different formats, such as diary extracts, newspaper clippings, voice recordings, video footage, Google search history, iPhone notes, and crossword attempts, will be displayed on the walls and around the room in chronological order to the story. (These will be blow up to A1 size)

As the audience walks around the space, they will interact with these elements, experiencing the story from the perspective of the main character. This will allow them to feel her journey as she navigates the blurred lines between reality and fiction, creating a fully immersive narrative experience through transmedia storytelling.

The exhibition should feel like the viewer is actually stepping into the pages of a book — uniform at first (like the first page of any book), then will grow increasingly more interactive around the room as the reader/viewer falls deeper into the story.

In What lies beneath, a woman grappling with depression is convinced a water-dwelling creature is slowly dying in Clapton pond. Through her diary entries, notes, and research, she tries to untangle reality from fiction, but the lines between both are blurred.

Instagram: @elenaalston_