The most important element of this project is the Narratives. The telling of individual stories is the highest moral imperative and at times I feel that all other information and data is meant only to clarify, contextualize, and support this initiative.
The Narratives also happen to be the most energy intensive element to produce. While writing and rewriting or image enhancements do take time, editing video down to the ten minute ideal while retaining an interviewee’s intention is an order of magnitude greater of effort. As such rather than attempt to create perfection I have chosen to only edit out distractions such as phones going off and repetitive information. I should have the first audio Narrative for Patricia finished shortly and the video Narrative for Steven published sometime in July.
Very true. I think the spoken narrative is sadly the most neglected angle on the kind of documentation of state hospitals we’re familiar with. I’m looking forward to hearing and seeing these interviews.
I’d encourage you to post transcripts along with them, even though it means more work. Search engines are still mainly text-focused and people would be more likely to find the information contained within the narratives if the search engine bots can read the transcript text.
I agree, though I would say its probably a little easier to do for this project than it would be for other asylums. Being surrounded by such an educated community makes the chemistry of ideals and expectations easier to ply than that of other communities.
Thanks for the tip about the transcript. I’ll be sure to write them up once the media clears review.