Most of the modern globalized societies are characterized by large immigrant communities. In the past many immigrants had to 'un-learn' their original cultural background in order to successfully integrate into their new environment. Today this process of acculturation is marked by digital media, which introduce a new dynamic of identity-forming, namely by enabling multiple communication threads connecting members of different immigrant communities and allow immigrants to keep up to a certain extent in touch with their original culture. On the other hand digital media often strengthen difficulties in the inter-generational communication between the parent and child generations. With the Story-Objects project we are exploring the use of digital interactive media in conjunction with storytelling principles revolving around tangible objects that serve as touch stones to foster inter-generational communication and the transfer of cultural and historic knowledge. We are tapping into inspired by art history in order to bridge the widening gap between the different generations. In an interactive installation we present aspects of immigrant history alongside with an individual family history leveraging food-traditions and memories as a starting point to stimulate the viewers on multiple levels to engage into communication about the larger topic of immigrant identity.
Andreas Kratky, Daphne Ho. “Excavating Immigrant History and Identity Through Object-oriented Storytelling.” In: The International Journal of New Media and the Arts. Champaign IL, Common Ground Publishing. 2013
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