The Typing Machine

About

The Typing Machine is an across media project that gathers messages that random people in different locations type in an old typewriter, expressing their love, dreams, hopes, regrets and other untold feelings and thoughts.

It could be defined as "Humans of New York" meet "The Strangers Project" in a 1940's internet version. 

The project, not only archives those messages but also uses them to create a collage in the form of an experimental narrative web series that is one of the many ways to interpret them. 

The experience tries to bring the participants to the time where writing a letter or a note was a very conscious act that required a certain level of effort and concentration in opposition to today’s way of communication through SMS and other texts apps characterized by the immediate response, the high volume of content with little importance. 

By taking them to this special situation, I try to make special that communication act, getting deeper and more meaningful messages from the participants.

The presentation will showcase the gathered messages, allowing visitors to explore the connection between messages and portraying the similarities (or differences) in values, feelings, hopes and fears in a wide range of age, nationality, cultural background or gender.

www.thetypingmachine.com

The participatory & across media elements.

The project starts in the physical world where it requires people to seat and type in any of the events we organize. Throughout several events, we have discovered that writing a message in an old mechanical typewriter is not only rare and fun but it is also inspiring. Everyone is encourage to seat a type their message in the typing machine to feed the content! 

Even if you haven’t used a typewriter in a long long time, or ever in your life. Don’t worry, we will give you a short tutorial. We will film the moment and record you reading your own message, so we can show the real voice and tone behind each message.

2. Once we have the messages, the project goes digital to prepare and archive those messages for the blog and the web series. Each episode combines the messages gathered in one location creating a video collage that offers a personal interpretation of all those messages combined.On the other hand, the users can navigate the messages in the interactive video, creating their version. But there is more.

3. If you are more curious, this web allows you to discover who actually typed each message (except for those that preferred to stay anonymous, of course you will discover very intense messages). You can search the messages and the participants.

4. At last (but not least), the project goes back to real physical world with exhibits that showcase the messages gathered, allowing the visitors to explore the connection between messages.

Also, this ending point is a starting point as well, since we love people coming to the exhibits to seat and type their messages as well.

The author

Diego Romero is a Spaniard content creator focused on storytelling across media interested in all the new possibilities that new media offer to play with content and in particular, with collaborative content.

Contact info: Diego Romero | thealterdiego@gmail.com