Settling back into my office in earnest, it’s time to consolidate plans for projects, get back in the saddle. It feels good.
An interesting article came to my attention this morning and switched me into Story of Objects (SOO) mode: “Evoking the magic in everyday life” by Sally Bland. That is a good way to describe what SOO does.
“Sometimes the connection is quite straightforward, like for the narrator of the first story who has collected objects since she was a child, concocting stories about them: “I don’t necessarily have to save, own, or touch the object. Spotting it, even fleetingly, is usually enough. But once in a while I stroke the object methodically, my fingers creating an invisible grid around it, then cradle it possessively in my arms to feel the story enter me directly.” (p. 7)”
I like that she is using the objects as connectors, as inspiration for stories. I’ve used some of the stories people told me to create Flash Fiction, there’s an example here, in response to a video-short here.
I am increasingly fascinated by how and why these objects and stories are so rich in content, what they do to our thinking, how we relate to these ‘things’. In response to my interrogation of the potential of the process, I’m planning more research to test out a range of possibilities. Like prising open a nutshell and exploring the contents, tasting them, cracking them open, sniffing them, handling them, gaining a sense of the texture.
Like autumn nuts.
EveryTHING points to The Story of Objects – metaphors abound, we can’t resist them. So maybe the sharing of these stories about personal objects can offer a way of articulating other things, opening the mind and the senses. I witnessed that when I held an encounter session with people who have dementia – the process is far more than the action.
Watch this space, as I learn more I will share on here. And am happy to discuss options with interested parties who share my curiosity. To help the story both escape and reconstruct new narratives.
Carolyn Black 