Why do we tell stories? And what stories do we feel like are still untold?
Two questions at the heart of my time at Uppermill Libary and Oldham Libary working with enthusiastic young voices.
As a practitioner I feel so inspired by the work that came from our time together, the links that intertwined between the stories we feel we celebrate, and the ones we don’t feel are celebrated enough, and some that are somewhere floating in between.
As part of my sessions I wanted the young people to experience what it was like when someone else read out there stories, using their words. Passing on their story to somebody else. What I discovered was there’s something sacred about storytelling, there’s a responsibility to be truthful with representation and make sure we’re honestly portraying those stories.
This sparked some inner conversation with myself about the importance of authentic storytelling in my own work. As a queer artist, I’ve seen many times non-queer voices tell queer stories, and feelings that has sparked about finding truth.
We recorded some of the stories as short audio books, and there’s scope to develop these workshops even further in the future to perhaps creating some digital audio stories, play with soundscaping, and performance delivery - some wonderful actors that joined me for the sessions who threw themselves in to the immersive work.
And beyond this, the questions to ourselves of what stories are yet to be celebrated? And once we’ve answered them - maybe it’s time to celebrate them.
