Research Catalogue

In this Preludium we clarify the history and scope of The Memory Dealer (TMD), and the methods, ideas, and incentives behind the research presented in the current volume. As a new experimental, “pervasive” drama that exploits digital and personal technologies to create fictional narratives that are then layered onto real world spaces, TMD introduces new possibilities both for storytelling and for the positioning of the audience. As the articles in this volume bear witness to, TMD can be thought of as a new kind of “sound narrative”; what remains the most direct experience of the drama is undoubtedly the soundtrack. As a novel soundworld prompting new responses – responses that can be explored and analyzed – TMD is a rare form of documentation that offers fertile ground for exploration.

With a focus on narrative film music techniques and sonic constructions of subjectivity, this article explores the soundtrack of The Memory Dealer. We account for whether and how immersion is achieved and discuss the ways in which TMD brings novelty to the area of sound studies, not least through its relevance for phenomenology. Analyzing participants’ responses, we argue that immersion in TMD is less dependent on a narrative understanding of the soundtrack and more reliant on a particular kind of subjective immersion that is deepened and maintained through sound. We show how, in order to achieve this immersion, the soundtrack needs to support a balance between players’ self-reflection and their self-consciousness: whereas the former can deepen engagement, the latter can be distracting and pull the player out of the experience. The various levels of subjectivity and sonic interaction in TMD reveal new avenues for immersion through sound in pervasive drama.