Storytellers Shined in Bright Lights

By Andrew Hunter
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April 4, 2018

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New Orleans stories have a way of taking on a life of their own without any outside help. So, just call this a little nudge.

This is The New Orleans Story Booth — an interactive art experience that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and film projections to collect and share the city’s best stories. Over the next year, it will travel to some of our biggest festivals (more on that below), giving you the chance to record your own.

As you tell your story, the AI will trigger film projections based on what you say and how you say it.

For instance, if you tell a story about a concert, we may project footage of a brass band on Frenchmen Street. If you’re really excited about it, we’ll cover you in warm, beautiful textures, colors, and iconography from the city’s streets.

Photo by: Rachel McDonald shot film sequences to appear based on keywords from your story.

The combinations, and the stories that come from them,

are nearly endless.

We’ll email your story within 24 hours for you to share on social media with #OneTimeInNOLA. New Orleans Tourism will turn the best ones into ads of its own.

Like the rest of the “One Time, in New Orleans” campaign, The Booth is made from our city. It’s constructed out of a twenty-foot-long shipping container — a nod to the port — and covered in reclaimed cypress wood from a local 19th century farmhouse. Its corrugated steel awning is inspired by area fishing camps, and its flourishes and furniture come from neighborhood homes and businesses.

Our film projections (over 150 unique sequences) were shot locally by Rachel McDonald of Tool, with additional footage being provided by NOTMC, the Jules Cahn Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection, and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Accompanying music was recorded in Algiers Point by the legendary Johnny Vidacovich.

Here’s where you can visit The New Orleans Story Booth in the coming months (subject to change).

We can’t wait to hear your story.

National WWII Museum

Location: WWII Museum Lobby

Beginning April 6, 2018

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

WWE Wrestlemania

Location: Champions Square

April 8 from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

French Quarter Festival

Location: Jax Brewery Parking Lot

April 12 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.