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>>InsideOut seminar

FattoriaMediale

Frame shots from the Insideout seminar stories

The aims of this introductory seminar are multifaceted. Firstly, by providing examples of our previous installations, we intend to expose the attendees to the unique creative opportunities made available by coupling mobile technologies and audiovisual media. Secondly, we will highlight the fact that hands-on research and interaction with the community are an indispensable way to discover a place and its culture. We strongly believe that only through this deeply experiential process are film-makers able to conceive and realise audiovisual stories that really belong to a specific area, and meaningfully represent its community and atmosphere. We will provide details of techniques we have used to achieve such immersion.

Stories are a powerful tool for communication as well as interpretation. Selecting the Baarsjes neighbourhood as the focus of the seminar allows us to encourage the attendees to adopt a narrative approach that involves socially significant critical elements. For example, we will discuss how to develop stories that contrast the stereotyped image of the Baarsjes presented by the main stream media with the experiences outsiders (such as the workshop attendees) might gain during a short term visit. It is our intent to show how intelligent story-telling can highlight the discrepancies between broad, widely held opinions and the more complex, nuanced, multi-faceted reflections that more accurately characterise real situations.

The final goal of the project this seminar inaugurates is the production of audiovisual stories designed to be seen by a mobile audience in the sites in which they are set. With this in mind, we will stress that each story should be produced for (and relevant to) a specific Baarsjse location. They should not only be set in such a location, but also be intended to be viewed there. This unique context offers both novel creative opportunities and practical limitations. We will provide insights on how to script and create effective stories for such a system. Finally, we will highlight that at the end of the seminar series, we will provide a mobile platform onto which the attendees can upload their stories, and then view them out and about, in the real environment of the Baarsjse. We anticipate the availability of this novel experience will act to motivate the attendees.

Seminar partecipants

Simon Muskitta

Fem Petraeus

Manon Peters

Lotje Terra

Beer Van Geer

Floortje Zonneveld

Tutors

Valentina Nisi

Martine Post Huma de Boer

Trading Mercator Stories seminar was realised with the help and collaboration of:

- Mercatorplein Library

- Stichting Beeher

- HKU seminars program