Stories that shape us: Aggie starts her Stand + Stare placement
Ever since I was a child I found comfort in my imagination. I would use my mind as a tool to reach depths of exploration that my environmental space could not offer. As I grew into a young adult this habit solidified as a character trait. I began finding myself feeling happiest when I was connecting with others through sharing their stories, or when writing my own.
During my first day at Stand + Stare I knew this placement was the right fit for me; as Barney and Debs spoke to me about their projects: Tangible memories; Queering the Ramm and Mayfly Sound, it was exciting to be introduced to work where sharing and creating stories was the focus.
My placement at Stand + Stare is part of the ‘Creative Workforce for the Future’ programme. I was first asked to join this programme in January 2020. I attended an interview with many other creatives, and felt ecstatic to receive the news that I was being offered a place. The programme has fantastic training for young creatives which aren’t currently being represented in the creative industry in the South West.
Up until August I was placed at RIFE magazine as a content creator. During this time at RIFE magazine I was working with four other trainees; all with different interests and bringing different content to the platform. My work has largely taken the form of written content and photo essays; my written content has been opinion based pieces or cultural reviews of: documentaries,TED talks and TV series.
Community is really important to me and I love Bristol for the way art centred organisations shape the community in the city. Storytelling and the use of narrative attached to space really interests me. I love personal stories where people feel comfortable to allow themselves to be vulnerable, and reveal their most treasured or poignant memories. I think space and environment plays a huge part in memory processing and I hope to continue learning more about how our sensory experiences shape memories and stories.
Working at Stand + Stare and using tech as a means to enhance these stories has opened my eyes to where the future is heading: maintaining our personal and collective history of narratives, whilst making the most of technological advancements. It seems that the key is to keep our human nature in the process by continuing to celebrate our ability to connect with others through language, sound, touch and play.
As I continue on my placement I hope to gain an understanding into the ways that technological designs can bring diverse groups of people together to share and create stories and ideas. I also hope to understand how I can learn from technology and use it to better my own creative practices in the future.
Lastly, having this safe space with the Stand + Stare team allows me to combine my passions and creative interests; whilst exploring the ideas of the Stand and Stare team and collaborators. I hope this experience will give me a strong grounding for understanding what it’s like to run a business centered around human connection, storytelling and physical experiences.
- Aggie Andrews