The Act of Storytelling

After finishing all the coding and design of the box I wanted to go back to the participants with their objects and test how they work with the new coding.

Additionally, while I had added snippets of the stories they told me from the last interview to their objects, I wanted them to have autonomy over what memories were attached to their object and ones were not. Therefore when I took the object back to each participant I also conducted another round of interviews with them and one of their close friends or family.

I wanted to get them to tell the stories to another person for 2 reasons

1: So that the participant would feel more comfortable sharing their stories

2: To explore how the act of storytelling to someone else changes the way we share stories

Jod &The Bass Guitar

The first person I tested this with was Jod. Jod (They/ them) shared the story of the bass guitar with their partner Sam (They/ them).

The act of sharing the stories was situated within their home. We decided to do it in the living room as that is where they spend the most time together and where the guitar lives.

Jod then explained the story behind their bass guitar to sam and the different memories jod has attached to it. Having this two way conversations was really powerful as Same as able to ask questions that reminded Jod about new and different memories they would have not other wised mentioned.

Additionally, even though Jod and Sam have been together for several years, they never really talk about the memories behind objects they have. They just know its special for some reason. Therefore this was a great bonding experience for them to learn more about each other and their lives before meeting.

At one stage in the storytelling, Sam asked Jod if they had a favourite song to play. Jod explained that they really like the song ‘Hysteria’ by Muse, because of how well it warms up their fingers.

When Jod then went on to play some of it as an example, Sam remembered that their dad would actually often play that song in the car when they were younger. Therefore even though Jod and Sam are in a relationship and very close, they were still able to make new connections with each other and bond about something new through the story of the bass guitar.

Jod showing Sam their Bass Guitar

This was really interesting to watch as my main focus with having someone else listen to the stories was to help the recording appear more natural when we attach them to the objects. However, the act of storytelling itself was way more intriguing and powerful. Jod and Sam were ale to bond and feel closer to one another through this act of storytelling.

Kiera and the Train Tickets

The second person I brought the objects back to was Kiera. Kiera (she/ her) shared the stories of her train tickets with a friend of a friend, Ben (He / him).

For this round of storytelling it was once again situated in Kiera's home and the place she spends the most time in - her bedroom. This also happens to be where she keeps her collection of train tickets.

In a similar way to Jod and Sam, this was a really great bonding experience for Kiera and Ben. Through talking about the memories behind the train tickets and the different trips she has been on, Kiera and Ben learnt that they both used to live the the same part of Kent. Slowly conversation strayed away from the tickets and onto new topics about where they have both lived and the things they have in common.

Once again, after speaking to Kiera, the act of sharing these stories with someone else was really exciting and something she felt really connected to. She felt closer to ben after this experience and that they learnt a lot of things about each other they would not have otherwise mentioned.

Kiera showing Ben her train tickets

Susan and the Photobox

Finally, Susan (She/ her) she the stories behind her photo box with her husband Tony (He / Him). This round of storytelling was different to the other based on how long Tony and Susan have been together. However, this idea of connection through sharing the stories still arose.

When Susan was discussing her photo box with Tony he asked to see some of the photos inside. Therefore while the stories that he was hearing were not new, they had the opportunity to reflect on old memories and photos they have not seen in a long time.

Following the conversation, Susan said that she really enjoyed going through their old photos together and thought it was a good was to feel connected to each other. Often life gets so busy it is hard to stop and take a moment to reflect together.

Susan showing Tony her Photobox

This outcome was really interesting as even though the stories they were sharing were not new, they still felt a connection to each other through sharing them. This illustrates how it isn't necessarily the stories that give the object power, but the objects are what give stories power.

Reflection: Final Outcome

This was really unexpected for me because I went into this thinking that the focus would stay on the object itself. however, in reality it was the connection through storytelling that people focused on and were most drawn too.

I feel as thought this act of storytelling has shifted the focus of my work and taken my design in a new direction. The remediation of objects that I have been working on for the past few weeks are actually acting as a vessel for communication and connection between people. They should not be the end goal, but instead the beginning of the process.

This change in direction has meant that I almost have two final outcomes. One, is the objects, and one is the act of storytelling through objects. With hindsight, I would now circle back and think of the objects as a starting point for communication compared to the end goal. I would like to expand this project by getting both of the participants to share a story about their objects.

If I had more time I would like to expand on this project by allowing people to exchange stories, would add another layer to this project and continue to build this sense of connection between participants. I would additionally place a greater focus on the act of storytelling throughout the project and explore how it allows the object to come to life.

Overall I am happy with the outcome of my work and feel like it showcased how we can use storytelling to create connections in relation to the objects of our home. I feel like I have learnt a lot of new skills over the process of the project and learnt a lot about the ways people think and act.