Phylactery: An Authoring Platform for Object Stories.

In this work, we describe Phylactery, a hybrid physical/digital system for authoring interactive stories across collections of objects. Unlike many Interactive Digital Storytelling (IDS) systems, which are concerned with the representations of formal narrative structures within software, or with the simulation of high-fidelity narrative environments populated by humanlike agents, Phylactery is focused on the act of storytelling as it occurs among humans in the physical world. It is designed to connect personal narratives, memories, and rituals of storytelling with material containers by associating spoken stories with physical objects. Phylactery can be used to imbue the physical world with stories as both a formal authoring platform, and an informal and playful narrative technology. In this way, our system participates in older traditions of reminiscence, memory transmission, and heritage preservation through the collection of meaningful objects.