Photograph from the Stories We Tell photographers and their project archive
Stories We Tell (Aao Sunayein Kahani)
"Various forms of storytelling have played an important influence on the cultural imaginaries of South Asia. Storytelling has been a common way of exchange of way of life and collective wisdom through generations. It also created a sense of cummunity across social barriers to bridge dialogue.
The idea was to have storytelling and sharing sessions that would be carried out across seven months between March to September. The booths were the medium through which stories were told and collected. They were placed around the city once a week, each month, with a theme that was based on the location at which they were placed as well as the stories that were played as prompts." (Excerpt taken from LBF project description).
This project was done under The Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) and the School of Visual Art and Design (SVAD) at Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and was made possible with the support of the Centre for Culture and Development (CKU).
Role in project:
Winning Proposal for Booth Design by Aman Asif
Photographs from the Stories We Tell photographers and their project archive
Objectives for the Booth
A storytelling booth was placed around the city and was the chosen mechanism to disseminate the stories. Within the booth, interaction is simple, someone tells you a story and by pressing a button you are prompted to share your story as a response. Every month a different storytelling theme is placed in location that set the context and chosen theme. There were 12 identical booths utilized in the city for 7 months. Stories were heard through the booth as well as social media.
Roles: I was responsible for coming up with an idea for what the booth would look like, how it would function and capture the essence of the city in it's design. I proposed a design resembling a rickshaw, looking into our cultural aesthetics, ergonomics and portability. It was then executed under Lahore design studio by Muhammad Rizwan
Design Considerations
Function:
It was meant to be portable i.e. being transported within the city. It should be weather proof for both the user and the recording device. User friendly: it should be comfortable for the user to sit and share their stories
Aesthetics: Compliment the visual culture of the city, attract people to want to know more about the project, and have space for branding of the project.
Photographs from the Stories We Tell photographers and their project archive
Publication design by Ali Murtaza.
The booth appeared in the Stories We Tell published book edited by Rabeya Jalil and Bilal Sami and publication design was done by Ali Murtaza
Image of publication Stories We Tell from LBF project archive