About
Diffusion is a library of Shareables (eBooks & StoryCubes) – playful hybrid digital/material publications combining the tactile pleasures of tangible objects with the ease of sharing via digital media. Since 2000 Proboscis has been commissioning and facilitating new publications which are posted on this site.
Samizdat for the digital age
DIFFUSION Shareables are paper eBooks and StoryCubes that are free to download, print and make up. They can be shared freely (by email, post, photocopy etc) at next to no cost to readers. Since 2000 Proboscis has commissioned and published hundreds of eBooks, as well as developing bookleteer – an online application for creating eBooks and StoryCubes without needing graphic design skills or access to professional DTP. Design schematics for the eBooks are available to download welcoming anyone, anywhere to adopt or re-interpret the format for their own uses. In 2011 we added the ability for new eBooks made with bookleteer to be read online with the bookreader.
Sharing Creativity
Using the internet as the primary distribution mechanism, DIFFUSION Shareables are accessible to people across the world, including places that it would not be economical, or physically possible, to distribute traditional publications to. You can share the eBooks and StoryCubes electronically or as material objects – scan, email, post or photocopy them. DIFFUSION creates a hybrid of analogue and digital media, utilising the unparalleled reach of the internet with the pleasure of tactile forms.
Download the Diffusion Shareables outline (A4 PDF 400Kb)
Diffusion Shareables from Proboscis on Vimeo.
| Frequently Asked Questions |
What is a DIFFUSION eBook?
What are StoryCubes?
What is bookleteer?
What would using it help me do?
How can I sign up?
Who created DIFFUSION?
How is DIFFUSION paid for?
How Can I Support Diffusion?
Can I buy StoryCubes to print my own stickers on?
What is a DIFFUSION eBook?
DIFFUSION eBooks are shareable paper books that are free to download, print and make up (in A4 and US Letter PDF formats). Distributed primarily via the internet, DIFFUSION eBooks are accessible to people across the world, especially where it would not be economical, or physically possible, to distribute traditional books. eBooks can be shared electronically or as material objects – scanned, photocopied, emailed or posted. The eBooks bridge analogue and digital media by taking the reader away from the computer screen and engaging them with the handmade.
What are StoryCubes?
StoryCubes are a tactile thinking and storytelling tool for exploring relationships and narratives. Each face of the cube can illustrate or describe an idea, a thing or an action, placed together it is possible to build up multiple narratives or explore the relationships between them in a novel three-dimensional way. StoryCubes can be folded in two different ways, giving each cube twelve possible faces – and thus two different ways of telling a story, two musings around an idea. Like books turned inside out and upside down they are read by turning and twisting in your hand and combining in vertical and horizontal constructions.
What is bookleteer?
bookleteer is an online application for creating DIFFUSION eBooks and StoryCubes. It was created by Proboscis to enable people make their own eBooks and StoryCubes without needing graphic design skills or access to professional desktop publishing software.
What would using it help me do?
bookleteer enables people all over the world to publish and share their knowledge, stories and ideas without the cost of traditional print publishing, or where there aren’t enough computers for everyone to be able to access electronic media. Here are some ideas:
- publishing essays, short stories or poems
- creating simple, easy to distribute manuals and instructions
- making gallery and museum guides and workbooks
- creating lesson plans, lecture notes and learning diaries for students in schools, colleges and universities
- creating a 3D cube or eBook family picture album
- creating a visual record of a journey
- making a personal diary or journal
- creating a mini-portfolio for artworks, photos etc
- notebooks & diaries for fieldwork (e.g. for anthropology or ethnography)
- local newsletters or pamphlets
- to document and evaluate brainstorming & innovation workshops, events and conferences
- creating 3D story landscapes for play and work
How can I sign up?
Sign up for a free account here.
Who created DIFFUSION?
DIFFUSION and bookleteer are brought to you by Proboscis. The DIFFUSION eBook format was conceived by Giles Lane and designed by Paul Farrington (Studio Tonne). The StoryCubes were created and developed by Alice Angus and Giles Lane.
How is DIFFUSION paid for?
Proboscis supports DIFFUSION through fundraising, sales of StoryCube packs and from donations.
How Can I support Diffusion?
Proboscis has created opportunities to support Diffusion through donations,social investing and sponsorship. Please visit our Support section to find out more.
If you’d like to support DIFFUSION, bookleteer or get involved please contact us. You can make a small donation (such as £5 or £10) to support Diffusion by clicking on the Paypal Donate button in the right hand menu.
You may prefer to support us by purchasing a pack of StoryCubes to make your own story landscapes with – for storytelling projects, workshops, education or evaluation activities.
Can I buy StoryCubes to print my own stickers on?
Yes, Proboscis sells packs of pre-cut and scored StoryCubes with blank stickers to write, draw or print on. Prices start at £5.99 for a pack of 8 StoryCubes. Visit our WebStore to see what’s available.
