Twitterature: A Creative and Interactive App Inspires Public Participation
Poster design for Horse Power – The Paul Bienvenu Carriage Collection. Image: Canadian Museum of History
Have you encountered Twitterature? If not, it’s an online trend that’s been around since 2008, using Twitter to create short, literary texts with a maximum of 140 characters.
When the Museum of History’s project team started working on Horse Power – The Paul Bienvenu Carriage Collection — an exhibition developed by the Musées de la civilisation in Québec City — we were given the option of integrating a Twitterature activity into the exhibition’s offerings. After pondering the pros and cons, we concluded that Twitterature was an integral part of the visitor experience, and that it was important to give people an opportunity to participate in such a fun, interactive and creative activity. We accordingly optimized the Twitterature application and adapted it to our needs for inclusion in Horse Power.
In front of four displays of horse-drawn vehicles and objects in the exhibition, there are interactive stations inviting visitors to write a short story inspired by what they see. Once visitors publish their stories, they appear on iPads in the exhibition, allowing others to read them. They are also shared via the Twitter account created for the activity. People who can’t physically visit the exhibition, but who want to use their own Twitter accounts to participate, can do so with one of the four hashtags developed for the activity, while also drawing inspiration from the Twitterature webpage. This means that anyone, anywhere, can participate at any time — that’s the beauty of technology!
Part of the Twitterature application, as seen in the Horse Power exhibition. Image: Canadian Museum of History
Since the exhibition opened in March 2016, a significant number of visitors have contributed Twitterature stories. This just goes to show that, when given an opportunity, people will often happily participate — thus reinforcing our original decision to include the interactive Twitterature app.
To give you a sense of what these short stories look like, here is a small sample:
- The view was beautiful — Caroline had never seen a sight like this. The clouds, illuminated by the sun, glowed orange. #cmhvehicle1
- The phaeton traveller stumbled about in the fog, looking for his trunk. “I can’t see a thing!” he cried out. “Where is it?”#cmhvehicle2
- The sleigh bells rang out across the meadow as the snow gently fell from the skies — like the pearls of Maggie’s necklace. #cmhvehicle3
- The teacup slipped from his lap as he stood to cheer the horses nearing the finish. He’d wagered his snuffbox on the race! #cmhvehicle4
- “Where are we going, mama?” “Somewhere special, I promise.” But the cruel smile dancing on her lips suggested otherwise… #cmhvehicle2
- She leapt out of the car, leaving her purse, gloves and my heart; running as fast as she could into the darkness of night. #cmhvehicle3
- The house, receding into a memory as the phaeton drew her toward the station, became her lifelong image of regret. #cmhvehicle2
Want to add your own voice to these Twitterature stories? Give it a try, and you may be eligible to win a prize! If storytelling is something you enjoy, please visit the Horse Power Twitterature webpage to find out how to participate.