Design Study 2 - The Case of Betty and Barney Hill

My Locative Narrative is modeled after America’s most famous UFO/alien abduction case, the case of Betty and Barney Hill. The narrative takes place along the route the Hills took on their trip home from Quebec to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S. Route 3. The trip took place during the late night and early morning hours of September 19–20, 1961.

The objective of the narrative is to see/explore the areas where this phenomenal event took place while learning all of the amazing overlooked details. It’s goal is to raise awareness and contemplation of the event. We are never educated about things like these in school, despite solid evidence and documentation. Is it because our government dismisses extraterrestrials as fictional, or is that just what they want us to think?

The couple’s encounter with the UFO began along U.S. Route 3, so I set the narrative’s trigger points along U.S. 3 in correspondence with the events in their story. I decided to borrow an idea from the Murmur project, and have participants call a telephone number designated to each trigger point. This way, participants can stop at each point of Route 3 that Betty and Barney did and call the designated trigger point number to hear what Betty and Barney were experiencing at that same spot that fateful night over fifty years ago.

Each Trigger Point is mapped out, and marked along side of U.S. 3. by signs like these:

Each triggerpoint is identified by a large UFO sign with the trigger point # as well as the telephone number to call. These signs would be located alongside U.S. Route 3. For convenience, each Trigger Point telphone number matches the Trigger Point number. Every number is 1-800-HILL-TP# --replacing the number symbol with the Trigger Point number, for example, this is the sign that would mark Trigger Point 3 in the Narrative, just a mile south of Indian Head, New Hampshire along U.S. 3.

The Narrative Instructions are simple, Follow Betty and Barney Hill’s route home from Quebec to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Stop along the trigger points located on U.S. 3 and call the designated number given at each trigger point.

The four major trigger points:

1. Quebec, Canada – The Hills begin their drive home, roads are mostly empty

2. Just south of Groveton, New Hampshire - Observe a bright point of light in the sky,

3. About one mile south of Indian Head, the craft descends and approaches the Hills Chevrolet Bel Air, causing them to stop in the middle of the highway.

4. The Hills arrive home at Portsmouth, New Hampshire- but can’t recall all of the trip home, or account for 2 entire lost hours, among other strange things...