Chicago Soul Exchange (CSE) was a weeklong collaborative web fiction, including a multi-character blog and fictional online store. Prompted by the claim that there are more humans alive now than the sum total of humans who have lived before, Chicago Soul Exchange imagines an e-commerce site that re-sells past lives, in high demand. ‘Yes, you can have a better past! At competitive prices!’

Rob Wittig devised the project, structured the narrative, and was team leader of the collaborative cast of writers. I provided digital collage images and designed elements for the fictional store and past-life catalog. I also participated as online characters who shopped and posted to the fictional Soul Exchange online shopping network.

Chicago Soul Exchange, a netprov / May 2010

Netprov participants created fictional characters buying and selling past lives from the darkly comical catalog. As the fiction unfolds, it becomes apparent that this secondary market in past lives is a shady business.

Featured Players: Jean Sramek, Margi Preus, Paul Cabarga, Chris Julin, Catherine Winter, Tom Grothus, Cathy Podeszwa, Christa Schulz, Mark C. Marino, and Rob Wittig. Soul Exchange Catalog Images by Joellyn Rock

Partial archive: http://robwit.net/?project=chicago-soul-exchange