Innovative application of web-based technologies to harness the power of storytelling
Lead Research Organisation:
Falmouth University
Department Name: Academy for Innovation and Research
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Michael Wilson (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Wilson M
(2017)
'Some Thoughts on Storytelling, Science and Dealing with a Post-Truth World'
in Storytelling, Self and Society
Wilson M
(2013)
'Discussing the Weather: Digital Stories, Communities and the Climate Change Conversation'
in Proceedings of the People and the Planet 2013 Conference
Wilson, M.
(2014)
'"Another Fine Mess": The Condition of Storytelling in the Digital Age'
in Narrative Culture
| Title | ASPECT Digital Stories |
| Description | Collection of digital stories made for the project |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | Used to generate further narrative discussions around climate change. Large number of hits on project YouTube channel. |
| URL | http://www.projectaspect.org/home |
| Description | This project was the first in a series of projects relating to the use of storytelling to enhance public engagement in relatiuon to environmental challenges. Through this work we continue to understand how people organise and understand their lives through the stories they tell and how storytelling has the capacity to introduce new knowledge and ways of thinking into debates that are otherwise dominated by scientific or technocratic language. Storytelling thus has the capcacity to bring new voices into these crtitical debates. |
| Exploitation Route | We have continued to develop this work through a range of projects, included further funded research projects and also smaller poieces of commissioned work with non-academic partners. A full range of our work can be found at http://storytellingacademy.education. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Description | The work that was carried out for this project has underpinned a number of further projects that explore the role of storytelling in enabling communities to build resilience to environmental change. This has, in turn, led to interest in our work from non-academic organisations, in particular charities and NGOs working in LMCs. The Atlas Foundation, which seeks to raise expectations of young people in disadvantaged communities through rugby, has commissioned us to run a series of workshops with their teams in Kenya, and further work with them is planned, subject to funding. UN-Live, the new museum for the United Nations approached us to collaborate on a project in the Nairobi Slums to use storytelling to allow community members to discuss waste and pollution in their neighbourhood, as part of the 'Mark My City' initiative. The slumn organisation we worked with, HopeRaisers, have now incorporated storytelling into their programme of activities. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | AHRC Connected Communities Utopia Festival 2016 |
| Amount | £19,031 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2016 |
| End | 10/2016 |
| Description | Branching Out: New Routes to Valuing Urban Treescapes |
| Amount | £583,259 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/V021176/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 07/2024 |
| Description | How do the Paramos store water? The role of plants and people |
| Amount | £149,487 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/R017611/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2018 |
| End | 07/2021 |
| Description | International Development in the Research Networking Scheme - Creative Methodological Innovations for Inclusive Sustainable Transport Planning (CMIIST |
| Amount | £46,619 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/P006086/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2016 |
| End | 04/2017 |
| Description | Made Smarter Network+ |
| Amount | £3,887,200 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/W007231/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2021 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Description | PARAMO - Provisioning of ecosystem services And cultuRAl values in the MOntane tropics |
| Amount | £233,669 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/R017417/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2018 |
| End | 07/2021 |
| Description | The AIR Network - Action for Interdisciplinary air pollution Research |
| Amount | £168,709 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/R006059/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2017 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Title | The Reasons |
| Description | We have developed a new form of public performative storytelling for the inclusion of new voices into policy debates and as a way of communities to come together to explore possible solutions to conflicts and dilemmas relating to environmental resource management. It draws upon a traditional Sardinian form of conflict resolution called La Rasgioni (The Reasons) and takes the form of a 'mock court' where members of the public can tell their stories for consideration by the wider community. Through additional AHRC funding we have successfully trialled the methodology with our community members on the DRY project in the Bevills Leam catchment in the Cambridgeshire Fens. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | There has been interest from other arts-based and environmental researchers in the method as a route to more effective public engagement. We will continue to develop the methodology and disseminate our work accordingly. |
| URL | http://dryproject.co.uk/events/the-reasons-in-the-bevills-leam-catchment/ |
| Description | 'Why Storytelling?' Panel presentation for Culture 2.0, part of the IX International Cultural Forum, St. Petersburg, Russia. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Wilson participated in a panel discussion with an international panel of cultural professionals and senior museum curators/directors from Russia, USA and Croatia. The event was part of Culture 2.0, itself part of the IX International Cultural Forum, St. Petersburg, Russia, and contributed to a theme on Storytelling. Professor Wilson was invited as an international expert on storytelling and referenced a number of projects to indicate how digital technology has transformed our storytelling practices. The event was originally planned to take place in person in St. Petersburg, but was belatedly moved to online due to the COVID pandemic. Each panel member presented for ten minutes and this was followed by questions from the audience and discussion between the panel members. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://culturalforum.ru/en/events/why-we-need-storytelling |
| Description | '"Hand in Hand": Some Thoughts on Storytelling, Health and Dealing with a Post-Truth World' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was an invited keynote as part for the International Conference on Storytelling for Health, Swansea held in May 2017. The audience was a mixture of academics, health practitioners, policymakers, storytelling practitioners. The paper discussed the issue of the relationship between storytelling and science in a post-truth context. There was much debate and questions afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | 'ASPECT: Storytelling, Technology and Public Engagement with Climate Change' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation to AHRC and other RCUK members, Polaris House, Swindon, November 2012 As a result, received invitations to speak at LWEC Conference and also Communicate 2013. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | 'ASPECT: Storytelling, Technology and Public Engagement with Climate Change' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation to members of the Cabinet Office, Whitehall, February 2013 Evening seminar, hosted by the Cabinet Office, and attended by representatives from DWP, DEFRA, FCO, Home Office, Arts Council England. Great interest and intentions to follow-up. Possible further projects for the future, but too early to say. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | 'ASPECT: Storytelling, Technology and Public Engagement with Climate Change' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation to members of DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) and other government departments, Whitehall, December 2012 Generated great interest. Resulted in further discussions with DECC about further work (mentioned in draft policy paper) and also an invitation from the Cabinet office to give a further presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | 'Credibility and the New Expertise: When Storytelling Has an Impact', Invited Presentation at The Renewable Energy Marketplace, Westpoint Arena, Exeter. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attended by general public and people working in the renewable energy sector. Much post-presentation discussion and interest. Establishment of further networks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | 'Digital Storytelling' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar for Politics Department, University of Exeter (Cornwall Campus), December 2011. Attended mainly by staff and postgraduate research students from politics and Geography departments. Good discussion. Led to invitations to present to students and to other research collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | 'Harnessing the potential of Storytelling in Sustainable Communication' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was an online workshop, run with Dr Marcus Bussey from the University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia), as part of the MISTRA project, run by Swedish Centre for Research and Education on Learning for Sustainable Development at Uppsala University. The workshop was attended by participants from all over Sweden from a variety of backgrounds, including, researchers, businesses, policymakers and general public. This led to lively discussion and a new collaborative funding bid with SWEDESD. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | 'In Discussion' Panel Membership on Climate Change Narratives for Nowcasting Symposium, Loughborough University. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A small symposium relating to an art and environment/sustainability project. I was presenting alongside the commissioned artists to a mixed audience of academics from a range of disciplines, creative practitioners and members of the public. Established new networks. More recently have been asked to advise on methodology for a series of projects for the National Forest. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | 'Mess to Deal with Mess", Research Seminar for Culture and Media Analysis Research Group, Loughborough University. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This was a seminar presented to academic colleagues and PGRs from the social science faculty in the university. There was much discussion afterwards and there were numerous requests for meetings from colleagues from across the university. The talk has enabled me to introduce our research to new audiences across disciplines at the university and to establish the importance of arts and humanities approaches in cross-disciplinary research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | 'Storytelling and the Digital Revolution: How Technology Has Changed Our Narrative Selves And How It Has Not' - Public Lecture at Voronezh State University, Russia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a public lecture given online (due to COVID restrictions) through Voronezh State University and facilitated through the British Embassy in Moscow and the UK-Russia Cultural Bridge programme. In Voronezh there was a large audience of faculty and postgraduate students and elsewhere in Russia people joined from other universities and there was also a general public audience. The British Embassy provided simultaneous translation. There was a lively discussion afterwards and the talk was followed up the following week with a Diogital Storytelling workshop run by Dr Antonia Liguori (Loughborough) and Dr Philippa Rappoport (Smithsonian Institution). Voronezh University have proposed a future collaboration on a summer school and staff and student mobility. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | 'Storytelling as Social Thinking: How storytelling can be used to help us navigate through mess, complexity and exclusion' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation, entitled 'Storytelling as Social Thinking: How storytelling can be used to help us navigate through mess, complexity and exclusion' to members and invited audience at the James Hutton Research Institute in Aberdeen. Good discussion amongst audience afterwards and this has led to further discussions regarding possible future collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | 'Storytelling with a Social Purpose, or how we are trying to change the world, one story at a time', Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An invited lecture/talk to the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, delivered online, due to COVID restrictions. It led to a lively discussion and set of questions with positive feedback from the Society's Committee. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | 'Talking About the Weather' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Invited Seminar at dot.rural Digital Economy Research Hub, University of Aberdeen, February 2011 This presentation, delivered to staff and students, was also videoed and placed online on the dot.rural website. Led to collaborations with dot.rural. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | 'The Use of Storytelling in the Climate Change Debate', Invited Presentation at Communicate 2013, Bristol. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presented to delegates, generated much discussion and twitter traffic. Increased networks and invitations to give further presentations and requests for more details. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | 'There is something in the water' (Ramsey) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A performative Storytelling event under 'The Reasons' project. We invited general public and local stakeholders to a forum for community public storytelling as a way of exploring dilemmas and conflicts about water governance. The action was presented as a mock court, presided over by a community elder with other community members playing the part of the jury. In turn, various stakeholders were invited to tell their stories and could be questioned for clarification by either the jury or the general public, who were gathered as the audience. After all the stories were told, everyone (judge, jury, witnesses and general public) retired to enjoy a communal meal, before returning to the hall, where the jury delivered its verdict, for which the judge then provided an interpretation, one that combines vernacular wisdom with a healthy disregard for traditional power structures, to share a resolution that unites, rather than divides the community. Overall the evaluation was positive with many of the participants commenting on the project's success in fostering open discussion around complex, and potentially divisive issues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://dryproject.co.uk/events/theres-something-in-the-water-the-reasons-stories-about-water-usage-d... |
| Description | 'Think Water': Storytelling for the future of Peterborough and the Fens (Peterborough) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public Performative Storytelling Event. As happened in Ramsey in June, we invited local groups and organisations, such as the NFU, Natural England, The Great Fen Project and Angling Trust, and general public for an evening of convivial local storytelling, food and drink. 10 storytellers shared their experiences of water management and plans for the future as climate change is a growing concern. There was the opportunity to ask questions and sharing experiences from the audience, while also learning about how Peterborough and the Fenlands can help each other in the future. The evening of entertainment took the form of a mock court room, where members of the community shared stories about water usage, the flood/drought nexus and the future of the Fens. Involving an advisory jury made up of young people, the event was designed for all of the community. As part of the event, we also had a communal meal, which was made with locally sourced produce. Court-artists, a musician, a caricaturist, a poetic judge and some good food promise made this a lively and fun-filled evening of community, music, stories and laughter. Feedback was very positive and this has led to further discussions about possible additional work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://dryproject.co.uk/events/think-water-storytelling-for-the-future-of-peterborough-and-the-fens/ |
| Description | Connected Communities Conference (London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | A presentation on The Reasons and our work in the Cambridgeshire Fens as part of the AHRC Connected Communities Utopia events. During the conference, we proposed a 'performative screening' of stories, dialogues and songs generated for and by our local stakeholders to reflect on the potential of a utopian participatory approach for decision-making. During our public engagement activities, language has been identified as one of the main concerns, especially with regard to the impenetrable way in which policymakers and scientists often communicate. Hence we suggested multiple-narrative approaches in various languages to facilitate a utopian universal understanding: verbal/visual, factual/fictional or poetic, English/ other languages. This 'performative screening' was structured in three phases (a dialogue in two different languages, a screening of stories, the playing of a song as part of the storytelling process) to explore the potential re-use of a traditional form of performative orality from Sardinia ('La Rasgioni' or ' The Reasons') that aims to solve dilemmas and disputes within the community, by reconciling conflicting interests in a way that builds resilience and reinforces community cohesion. Feedback was very positive and this has further increased the visibility of the work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/newsevents/events/calendar/utopia-connected-communities-conference/ |
| Description | Invited Presentation on Project ASPECT to ReGen South West, Exeter Innovation centre, Exeter. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attended by ReGen SW employees. Much interested generated and resulted in invitations to attend event at House of Commons on renewable energy and also to present at SW Renewable Energy Marketplace. Invitation to speak at Marketplace event to a broad audience of public and people working in the energy sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Invited Speaker (Bournemouth University) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk was part of the 'Communicating the Immediacy of Climate Change' Workshop at Bournemouth Media School and reported on the work of Project Aspect. The audience was a mixture of academics, public, local activists and policymakers. There was significant discussion afterwards and the response was very positive. After the talk there was some e-mail correspondence with interested parties who were wishing to explore the use of storytelling in their own work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Public Health England presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a presentation by Prof M Wilson to a small group of senior members of the Extreme Events and Public Health Team at Public Health England to discuss our work on storytelling and environmental/health policy, in relation to DRY and Project ASPECT. It was agreed that there may be further opportunities for collaboration and we should keep the dialogue open. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Utopia Fair (London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Participation in the AHRC Connected Communtiies Utopia Fair - interactive stall. During the Utopia Fair at Somerset House, we broadcasted a professionally made, edited film of 'The Reasons' (from the storytelling event in Ramsey) as part of an exhibition stand. We also promoted the activity run in the Bevills Leam catchment for DRY Project, and shared materials, available at the stand in both digital and hard copy formats. We invited visitors to watch some digital stories on iPads and share their ideas about potential approaches for conflict resolution within a community. Particular interest was reached by the song 'A River is a Snake' composed during the performative event organised in Ramsey in June, where people's stories were 'translated' into the lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tAgtQkafJc |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/utopia-2016 |