Caroline Schlegel
Raconteur: An Exploration of Experimental Storytelling

Storytelling is part of the human condition, and there are as many methods of communicating stories as there are stories to tell. My capstone is an exploration of non-traditional storytelling in order to document the way the method alters the story itself. Titled Raconteur, a word meaning “a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way”, I aimed to explore the gray area that occurs when you blur the lines between author and audience.

What happens when the reader is given control? What changes when the outcome depends on them? Can stories retain meaning even if they change drastically? By putting the well-known myth of Daedalus & Icarus through a variety of experimental, non-linear, and collaborative narrative methods and documenting the results, I hoped to test the boundaries of the shapes stories can take. The results are messy, strange, funny, and surprisingly meaningful.

Caroline Schlegel
Caroline is a Chicago-based graphic designer and illustrator with interests in speculative design, packaging, branding and publication. She’s curious, enthusiastic, and can’t resist a good textured overlay. On any given day you can find her reading a fantasy novel, queuing up one of her hundreds of playlists, or subjecting her loved ones to whatever new recipe she’s decided to try out.

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