Time Served

A typical cell at Alcatraz in March 1956. This is the cell of one of several prisoners permitted to pursue oil painting

Time is used to sequence events, to compare the duration of events, and also quantify the conscious experience. According to our secondary research, we found that the monotonous and tedious routines and a large amount of idle and lonely time in prisons, plus a complete lack of unprogrammed social contact, have a severe impact on inmates' psychology and personality because human beings rely on social contact with others to test and validate their perceptions of time and the environment. Therefore, we initially assume that ex-offenders who have experienced prison life may have interesting stories in relation to a different perception of time than other people and that these experiences may affect other levels of psychological and social engagement. The research and assumption prompted us to have a keen interest in the topic of time, set design events to communicate with ex-offenders about time-related topics, and collect and further disseminate their stories to the public.

Our initial idea was to collect their experiences and stories directly through interviews. However, after conversations with multiple tutors, we were gradually attracted by the idea of designing creative activities to inspire participants to generate stories cooperatively. In these activities, we do not solicit information from the target group unilaterally but also share a skill in return, where they can also learn something from us. To avoid making the participants uncomfortable, indirect techniques such as creative writing or story circle represent a more appropriate way of sharing their story with us, as individual interviews might seek out personal questions and influence the answers. Based on tutors’ recommendations and our own research on participatory techniques and creativity, we developed three short workshops to collect and share stories emphasizing the concept of time, in which a series of games and interactions are conducted to allow us to produce a more natural and immersive storytelling experience. Our preferred event location is the Koestler Art Foundation recommended by one of the tutors, which often organizes prison relevant activities.