Storytelling has been used to entertain and communicate ideas for thousands of years. Throughout history, narrative has evolved in parallel with emerging technologies, such as the written alphabet, radio, film, and television. Today's new technologies, including the Internet, databases, and mobile devices, allow us to author and communicate stories faster and in more ways than ever before.

The Organic City, which will emerge organically during 2005-06, will use these technologies to create a collaborative digital storyworld centered on the downtown Oakland areas surrounding Lake Merritt.

The project seeks to connect with the community through this website where you can find and tell stories about local places. In addition, the project offers mobile media that can be experienced onsite with mobile media players and Pocket PC's.

Ultimately, we hope the project will allow us to explore the relationships between place, story, and community; as well as the ways in which new technologies can enhance our appreciation for these important components of human identity and experience.

 
 
The Organic City is a thesis project created by the combined efforts of Seamus Byrne and Sarah Mattern, students in CSU East Bay's Multimedia Graduate Program.
 
 
Sarah Mattern
Sarah has an educational and professional background in environmental science. She came to the Cal State East Bay Multimedia Graduate Program and joined in creating The Organic City to further her interests in the ways new media can connect people to local landscapes. After school, she hopes to continue to explore creative media's capacity to educate and inspire. You can visit Sarah's online portfolio at www.matternco.com.
 
Seamus Byrne
Seamus, an Irish musician and sociologist, came to the East Bay Multimedia Graduate Program to further his interest in dynamic multimedia content that can move the masses. Seamus joined in creating The Organic City due to his drive to combine traditional narrative forms with new technologies. His experiences with the project will further his passion for film directing. For more information, please visit Seamus' portfolio and his blog.