WOW (New) Ways of Wondering: Storytelling in a Double 360-degree Context

Abstract

Classic film provides the viewer with a straightforward view, an ideal viewing position connected to an ideal viewing experience. The newest image technologies do not only provide the possibility of a different position of the maker, but also (and this is revolutionary) for the viewer. This shift is comparable to what happened to narrative film footage due to the portable camera. Suddenly a whole different array of images and angles became possible. Now, with technologies such as 360° camera’s and projections, the viewer has the possibility to choose his own point of view. The article analyses a case of 360° projection in an interactive installation: “Round a Roundabout #2”. Because of the 360° constellation and the use of a dual, translucent screen, there is no single angle from where a viewer can overlook the whole image. There are always elements escaping your view. Thus, there is no single narrative. Each viewer has to actively participate, rebuild the story from scratch. Since, as Jerome Bruner suggested in “Actual Minds, Possible Worlds” and “Acts of Meaning”, our psychological model for processing the world around us, is based on narrative principles, the encounter with new narrative possibilities in a 360°-degree context instigates new ways of looking at the world.