Abstract
Ecological concerns are often expressed in the work of oral storytellers (eg Schneidau 2021, The Storytelling Choir 2022). Echoing Weber (1922), performers/academics argue that in pre-modern psychology, the physical environment was interpreted through stories, making it inherently meaningful or "enchanted" and deserving of care (Nanson
2021, Lupton 2023); oral storytelling is seen as ideally placed to reinvoke that imaginative, enchanted connection, through its non-technological performance and its provenance in pre-industrial traditions. However, while parallel scholarship in cultural geography, anthropology and oral history emphasises that imagination and meaning making have continued in our relationships with (post-)industrial environments (Cosgrove 1988, Ryden 1993, Summerfield 2004), the resulting “urban legends” and other modern myths of place are underrepresented in contemporary UK storytelling. In this presentation, storyteller and doctoral researcher Jon Norman Mason argues theneed to bridge that gap, engaging with modern stories of place so that built environments are "re-enchanted" as directly as green ones, and thus recognised as being as worthy of social and environmental attention. He reflects on his own attempts as a storyteller to dispel the familiar (sub)urban malaise that ‘nothing ever happens here’ - developing new tropes, poetics and material to give drama and magic to the experience of modern space. Further, he celebrates pioneering works by other storytellers, assessing how
they successfully evoke enchantment (and overt conservationism) through modern patterns of life and environmental realities eg Binderella (The Ragged Storytelling
Collective, 2021), Nexus (Carl Gough, 2023), It Came From The Internet (Amelia Armande, Jason Buck and Aaron Oliver, 2023).
2021, Lupton 2023); oral storytelling is seen as ideally placed to reinvoke that imaginative, enchanted connection, through its non-technological performance and its provenance in pre-industrial traditions. However, while parallel scholarship in cultural geography, anthropology and oral history emphasises that imagination and meaning making have continued in our relationships with (post-)industrial environments (Cosgrove 1988, Ryden 1993, Summerfield 2004), the resulting “urban legends” and other modern myths of place are underrepresented in contemporary UK storytelling. In this presentation, storyteller and doctoral researcher Jon Norman Mason argues theneed to bridge that gap, engaging with modern stories of place so that built environments are "re-enchanted" as directly as green ones, and thus recognised as being as worthy of social and environmental attention. He reflects on his own attempts as a storyteller to dispel the familiar (sub)urban malaise that ‘nothing ever happens here’ - developing new tropes, poetics and material to give drama and magic to the experience of modern space. Further, he celebrates pioneering works by other storytellers, assessing how
they successfully evoke enchantment (and overt conservationism) through modern patterns of life and environmental realities eg Binderella (The Ragged Storytelling
Collective, 2021), Nexus (Carl Gough, 2023), It Came From The Internet (Amelia Armande, Jason Buck and Aaron Oliver, 2023).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 26 Jun 2024 |
| Event | Sustainability, Imagination and Aesthetics - University of Surrey, United Kingdom Duration: 26 Jun 2024 → 27 Jun 2024 https://www.ias.surrey.ac.uk/event/sustainability-imagination-and-aesthetics/ |
Workshop
| Workshop | Sustainability, Imagination and Aesthetics |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| Period | 26/06/24 → 27/06/24 |
| Other | How should literature, art, film and other creative media respond to the growing environmental crisis? How can they best assist the dual project of mitigating the threats we face and fashioning a more sustainable future? The poet William Blake proposes that before we can build such a future we must first imagine it. What is the nature and role of imagination and creativity in this context? What new imaginings do we need to inspire individuals, businesses and governments to take meaningful action against climate change and other environmental challenges? What work can be done in this regard by established artistic forms and literary genres, and where is there perhaps a need to develop more radically innovative, experimental forms and genres? And what lessons and potential strategies for communicating and promoting sustainability do creative engagements with this theme offer those working in other sectors such as education, conservation, heritage, science and technology? Can the arts and creative practices create democratic spaces for imagining sustainable futures and diversifying mainstream visions? The 1½ day interdisciplinary workshop Sustainability, Imagination and Aesthetics (26-27 June 2024) will explore these issues, bringing together scholars, literary and artistic practitioners, filmmakers, activists and others so as to share insights and innovations and develop a pluralistic understanding of how literature, art and the creative sector more broadly might best speak to the environmental emergency. |
| Internet address |