Trial Workshops

On March 3, we organised a rehearsal with our peers at the Royal College of Art. The workshop lasted 51 minutes, including 14 minutes for the first event, 23 minutes for the second one, and 14 minutes for the third one.

Workshop 1 : What time is it?

Aim/Why: An abstract way of understanding what time of the day is most celebrated and what activity the individuals enjoy within their daily routine.

Activity: During this workshop, we will be handing out an A3 sheet of paper that is titled as “It is ___ o’clock. I am ___” followed by a significant amount of space for them to narrate through their drawing/illustration what activity they are doing at this particular time they have selected.

Time required : Maximum 5 to 10 minutes

Materials Required : Drawing pens,pencil, watercolour, colour pens etc

Results :

The drawings of each participant included something from their :

• Daily routine

• Dreams/unconscious

• A recent and exciting activity

• The portrayal of insomnia/sleeplessness

Workshop 2 Title: Collective storytelling

Aim : To transfer few of the skills and tools we have gathered around storytelling Activity: Each participant chooses a particular coloured paper, behind the paper there will be a picture. The participant has to write one line that initiates a beginning of a storyline and pass it on to the person next to them to continue what the previous person has written, each time they pass the paper to the next individual the new participant has to randomly select a picture from a stash of images we provide them, they have to integrate what is in the picture into the sentence they are creating in order to continue the storyline. At the end, few of the participants have to do a dramatic reading of the collective story they have created.

The time required: Maximum 20 minutes

Results All the participants produced four different stories together using the elements we provided them with. Each of the themes were very distinct from each other. The result was a stimulating and collaborative outcome. Though certain plots had to end abruptly as there was a time limit, we reckon it still is a great exercise to push the participants to create quick stories together with limited resources.

Workshop 3 The hourglass

Aim: To collect personal stories related to time, at the same time we will share with the participants a useful technique for introspection and authentic creation.

Activity: The participants close their eyes and start picturing in their heads a mountain of hourglasses, each with a different shape, form and material to it. Each of these hourglasses represents a moment in their life marked by deep emotion, either happy or sad, and with a strong relation to their perception of time. Then, they are asked to pick one of those hourglasses, and inspect it carefully, reflecting on the meaning of its representation. When they open their eyes, the participant needs to describe the hourglass and if they feel comfortable, they can share the memory associated with the hourglass with the rest of the group.

Time required: Maximum 20 minutes. Materials required: None.

The hourglass was the exercise that inspired most the participants to tap into their subconscious to share a personal story. Each hour glass described by the individual was extremely distinct from each other and they all shared a personal experience where they felt that time was either moving very slow or fast from them depending on the event they were going through.