The Museum of Unnatural Art & Posthumous Curiosities: A Nonlinear Audio Narrative Exploring Digital Storytelling

Abstract

This creative thesis features a fiction podcast that incorporates a nonlinear storyline. Set in an art museum in purgatory, the narrative for each episode allows the user to listen to the episodes in any order, creating a slightly different experience and understanding with each episode combination as the listener explores the main character’s mental landscape. Doing so emphasizes the importance of how a story is delivered, reflecting Marshall McLuhan’s philosophy that “the medium is the message.” A podcast is used due to its inherent intimacy and the relatively untapped potential of interactive radio, as well as my own interest in and enjoyment of the medium. The website serves to host the podcast and enhance the narrative through web design, following in the footsteps of other radio artists and podcasters. By creating this story, this project aims to provide a more immersive experience and to cast a spotlight on the possibilities interactive media offer literature and storytelling.