Stephen Fry is the new Slash from Guns’n’Roses. But not for reasons related to chemical overindulgence, hats or windswept guitar solos.
Slash was one of the first individuals to have an entire hackathon devoted to him, during this year’s SXSW conference. Now Fry is following suit with an even more ambitious project launched by publisher Penguin Books.
YourFry kicked off last week as a “global digital storytelling project” that ties in with the publication of Fry’s latest volume of autobiography, More Fool Me.
It involves making text, audio and photography samples available for developers and digital artists to create whatever they like with, from apps and data visualisations through to animation and 3D models.
Events will be held in partnership with universities, libraries and technology communities around the world, including Ravensbourne, the Mozilla Festival and The Bodleian Library in the UK; Sharjah Book Festival in the United Arab Emirates; iHub Nairobi in Kenya; and Columbia University’s Storylabs in New York.
Projects created during the hackathons will be assessed in December by a panel of judges including Fry himself, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Xbox Studios’ Elan Lee, interactive filmmaker Lance Weiler and Silicon Valley Bank’s Claire Lee. WeTransfer will host the YourFry assets and promote the best projects.
“This is an interactive and collaborative project to reinterpret the words and life story of Stephen’s memoir, turning Stephen’s personal story into a global one,” said Nathan Hull, digital product development director at Penguin Books.
“We want to experiment, collaborate, open a conversation, learn and share - and we’re excited to see the creativity and energy of storytellers all over the world.”
Fry has been increasingly active in the technology industry in recent years, acting as an investor, adviser and/or promoter for startups including Soundwave, HeadCast, Summly and SwiftKey.
He has also turned smartphone reviewer for The Guardian with his verdicts on Apple’s iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 6.
The launch of More Fool Me has sparked headlines mainly for Fry’s revelations about taking cocaine in Buckingham Palace, the House of Commons and BBC Television Centre, among other venues.
YourFry promises to turn the attention back to other themes from Fry’s autobiographies. “But what to create? Perhaps an infographic which celebrates literature and language, or an audio piece which contends with mental health,” suggests its website.
“Text, data visualization, interactive web format, app, film, photographic, animation, 3D-models or live and experiential creations… the canvas, as they say, really is blank.”
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