Project Overview
The Storybook Project engages communities to collect and share their stories through a growing digital and physical Giant Storybook. It is DIA’s founding public project, launched at Nuit Blanche 2015, and has since travelled to festivals, parks, schools, and beyond — with the aspiration of becoming the largest book of individual stories in Canada.
Project Description & Outcomes
The project began on October 3, 2015 as DIA’s official debut — The East Side Story — an installation at St. James Park during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Over 12 hours, 144 stories were collected and bound into a 6-by-10-foot storybook, with visitors collaboratively turning the vinyl pages. Stories were also collected live from visitors on the night of the event.
The East Side Story Project
| On October 3, 2015 the Department of Imaginary Affairs officially debuted with its first public project, The East Side Story, an Independent Project during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche at St. James Park in Toronto. The project endeavoured to capture the narrative of citizens who live, work, and play on the East side of Toronto, about why they live there and how they see the area developing in the future. The stories that were collected were bound together in a 6 by 10 foot (12 by 10 foot when opened) storybook and displayed in the gazebo of the park. During the 12 hours of the event, visitors were encouraged to read the 144 stories contained in the book and collaboratively turn the pages (made of vinyl).Stories were collected the night of from visitors on a large 5 by 7 foot page hung in the gazebo. The East Side Story was a public art installation, as well as research on the themes, concerns, questions, and general excitement of what the East Side has to offer its residents.Check out the Stories and Illustrations of participants of the Storybook Project Read Volume 1 Thank you to our 2015 Nuit Blanche The East Side Story Project donors, Susan Fletcher and Peter Francey, and to our sponsors: |
The Storybook Project Goes to Paris
Paris, Ontario that is.
It was a beautiful summer day – not a single cloud in the sky – we spent the day outside in the middle of a field with our giant storybook. It was the United Church of Canada’s annual Skylight Festival.
The 6th year running, the Skylight Festival brings together people from across Canada to meet and celebrate their community.
We asked the visitors to the Skylight Festival three big questions:
- What can you do for your community?
- What does community mean to you?
- What do you see for your community in 100 years from now?
You can read the stories we collected here. Read Volume 2
Story Collecting in Schools
We have been out story collecting for the last month or so and we have collected nearly 400 stories! This is mainly due to a great partnership that we created with 4 Toronto Catholic Schools in the East side. We headed into the schools to collect stories from students in kindergarten to grade 8. With some of the schools, we were welcomed into one classroom and got to work hands-on with the class to collect written stories, brainstorm 100 years from now and get some really great future window stories.
One school in particular we worked with contributed to our numbers in a BIG way, we went to St. Denis (which is also where Blair went to school) and we worked with the entire school. That’s right, every single student from kindergarten to grade 8.
It was a great day. Full of enthusiasm, funny ideas and some really great stories.
“This project was great for students of the St James Town community express there voice in a creative and dynamic manner.”
– Principal, Our Lady of Lourdes“I spoke with the class today so that I would give you accurate feedback. I asked them to raise their hands if they really really really enjoyed the activity and 80% of hands were up. Pretty good!
I asked them what had been important for them and the “future” window activity resonated with them. As well, they were pleased with being able to tell their stories to someone new (you!)Some are hoping that their work will be selected for publication. I would say that they would welcome another round of this in the fall. So, good work!”
— Principal, St. Michael’s
Would you like to see The Storybook Project at an event or space near you? Contact us.
What we Practiced
- Telling the Truth
- Practicing Curiosity
- Weaving the Micro and the Macro
What we Imagined
A Canada where everyone’s story is considered worth telling and worth keeping — where the stories of ordinary people in ordinary places become the infrastructure of collective memory and imagination.