With Clément Routier, Antoine Aufrechter, & Elsa Chaudet
2016
Interactive narrative developed in HTML5/Javascript
http://i-trace.fr/detrace/
Interview with the artist by Madeleine Brookman, Nic Stevens, & Serena Devera-Taualo: https://sergebouchardon.wordpress.com
Artists’ Statement:
“Untrace” (Détrace in French) is a short online interactive narrative. This piece is part of a trilogy entitled Hyper-Tensions: “Loss of Grasp” – “Opacity” – “Untrace.” “Loss of Grasp” (http://lossofgrasp.com/) was selected for ELO 2010 in Providence and “Opacity” (http://i-trace.fr/opacity/) was selected for ELO 2012 in Morgantown.The theme of “Untrace” is that of the trace. A character looks both at the traces that he/she comes across in his/her life and at those he/she leaves. The story is an opportunity to play on the digital traces left by the reader, voluntarily and involuntarily (as well as those left by other readers). It depicts the tension between the desire to leave traces and to erase all traces, between the desire to leave something behind and the temptation to disappear leaving nothing and to erase everything. The piece requires an internet connection, headphones (or loudspeakers) and a webcam.
Bios:
Serge Bouchardon graduated in literature from the Sorbonne University (France). After working as a project manager in the educational software industry, he wrote his dissertation on interactive literary narrative. He is currently full Professor in Communication Sciences and Director of the COSTECH laboratory at the University of Technology of Compiègne (France). His research focuses on digital creation, in particular digital literature.
As an author, he is interested in the unveiling of interactivity.
His creations were exhibited in several venues in Europe (Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Austria…) and America (United States, Canada, Mexico…). They were selected in various online reviews (bleuOrange, Hyperrhiz, SpringGun, The New River).
The creation Loss of Grasp (http://lossofgrasp.com/) won the New Media Wrting Prize 2011.
Research: http://www.utc.fr/~bouchard/
Creation: http://www.sergebouchardon.com/