 |
 |
|
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a gathering place and focal point for the neighborhood in both its historic and contemporary context, inspiring the story-gathering and themes that will determine the editorial direction of the web-site. By mapping the stories to location, we plan to follow the narratives that link Eldridge Street to other historic Jewish places. Observation of people, rituals, and the social and structural changes of a place are at the core of what we plan to mine at each location.
The design of the web site will be based on editorial control over what is featured, and what contributed pictures and stories will be displayed on the site. All submitted pictures and stories are available to be seen by the person who submits them (in on-line albums), although the publishing criteria will be determined by the editorial team. Everyone is welcome to participate - male and female, Jewish, non-Jewish, the principle being that place instigates the reverie.
The site sketch illustrates that the backbone of the site is a map framework that locates all the people, stories and places referred to in a clear and accessible interface. The map functions as a conduit to the information. The map will have filters (see buttons) to sort stories by themes such as love, family, humour, charity, loss, war, food etc.
Download as a PDF File.
The "View from the Balcony", or female perspective, will be Hana Iverson's "Blog". Weaving the artist's diary throughout the site helps, by example, to direct the experience of the participant.
The site map shows the paths of navigation:
- Follow Hana in memory and anecdote (Hana's Blog)
- Contribute from the public (Picture and/or story and/or audio)
- Solicited contributions (interviews with selected neighborhood personalities)
- Go there yourself and/or access story via the cell phone.
Enhancing the location-based notion of the project is a cell phone interface. Selected stories will be abbreviated into short excerpts accessed by calling a number supplied on maps available at the Synagogue and at selected neighborhood locations. Visitors with a map and a cell phone, can go on a self-guided neighborhood tour and share the VFB stories. They can also phone in their own anecdotes, which can be added to the available narratives and added to the web site. A link is provided on this page to see a cell phone demo.
Click here for a sample from a video clip of cell-phone demo TTT - Quirky World
Additionally, submitted photos can be annotated and detail from the photos can be selected and highlighted to focus a narrower reading of both picture and story.
Click here to see Fotonotes in action.
At Eldridge there will be an on-going display (plasma screen/s) with limited interactivity that will include navigability by browse and search as well as email users interacting with the display may select image and/or text and email it to themselves and others.
The on-line reach of the project envisons an international scope of participants. The impact will be to show how narratives "travel" and link historic Jewish places, animating both the site and the locale. Stories can reveal the social history embedded in the diverse layers of a multi-ethnic community. These narratives discreetly unify the public by integrating groups that by nature tend to segregate along the lines of religious, economic, educational and generational difference.
Back to Top