The Complexity of Uncertainty: Towards Interactive Digital Narratives of Prehistoric Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The interdisciplinary endeavor of the Interactive Narrative Design for COmplexity Representations (INDCOR) project to define the role of Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs) ‘as a means to address complexity as a societal challenge by representing, experiencing and comprehending complex phenomena’1 benefits from the identification of a wide spectrum of applications exhibiting complexity that make such efforts relevant to the present and future challenges of society. One such challenge is representing intangible cultural heritage of prehistoric times, about which no certainty exists due to the lack of documentary evidence. This paper asks to what extent does uncertainty about prehistoric intangible cultural heritage constitute a complex narrative that befits an interactive digital approach. This is tackled in two parts. First, an argument for uncertainty being a factor for complexity is made, such that having multiple probable stories contributing to a narrative can lead to a complex scenario. Then, the characteristics of this resulting complex scenario are analysed to assess whether they present a narrative that justifies its experience through an interactive digital narrative.