Searching for Us explores a novel approach to storytelling through shared, real-world experiences for pairs of participants. It draws upon established research in tangible interaction, interactive storytelling, and poseable avatars. The project investigates the social dynamics that emerge when two individuals actively engage with a narrative situated within the same physical, urban environment, each controlling an avatar. Participants collaborate by discussing, deciding upon, and enacting their characters’ actions together. This cooperative form of storytelling necessitates mutual listening and agreement on the choices presented to their avatars, fostering a sense of shared responsibility and empathy for the characters.

Within each pair, distinct roles are undertaken: one participant embodies the character through physical gestures and poses with the avatar, while the other navigates and directs their movement through the actual urban space where the story unfolds. This interplay mirrors the central theme of the narrative, where each pair of players is engaged in a search for the other, reflecting their characters’ journey within the story. The experience enables individuals to embody their characters, assuming the role of either Hachi, a lost dog in the city, or Buro, a person searching for their missing companion.

As a tangible narrative, the experience incorporates physical objects designed to immerse participants in the story and facilitate their role-playing. Key among these are the marionette-like avatars representing Hachi and Buro. Functioning similarly to masks and costumes, these avatars allow participants to enact various actions, such as picking up an object, looking around, or jumping over an obstacle, which are then translated into corresponding events within the story world. Additional interactive objects, acting as threshold objects, such as representations of other characters and location markers placed throughout the physical story space, represent elements that populate the narrative’s world.

Unlike traditional, fixed narratives, the pervasive narrative within this structure can evolve dynamically based on participant actions and environmental changes. Participant choices directly influence the pervasive environment, rendering the narrative adaptable and responsive. The game world defines the reality in which the experience takes place, utilizing sensors and interactive technologies to blend the virtual and physical realms. The rules, both static and dynamic, provide guidance for the experience. Static rules establish boundaries for interaction with objects and characters, while dynamic rules can adapt and change as the experience progresses. Finally, pervasive dynamics introduce environmental variables such as speed, temperature, or altitude, which can influence gameplay and ensure the experience remains engaging and relevant to the participant’s immediate physical surroundings.

Searching for Us integrates the fictional story of Hachi and Buro (the pervasive narrative) with real-world elements (the pervasive dynamics), adapting to real-time data such as air quality, the current time, and available urban amenities. This integration aims to create a seamless and immersive fusion of fiction and reality.