The Power of Stories

The event has ended
Date:
4 October 2019, 09:00 — 17:00
Location:
Antwerpen, Belgium
€300
Regular
All prices do not include VAT
Charles-Louis de Maere
View bio

Stories are part of our lives since the dawn of time.

We probably started in caves, listening to tales around a flickering fire crafting moving shadows on the walls. Tales of fear and survival, of grandeur and rejections… offering a mirror through which we can look at our lives.

Today, we are surrounded by stories. Whether it's books, movies, series,... Even our social networks encourage us to publish stories.

Through this experimental workshop, I invite you on a journey to stop time and reflect on the impact of stories in our world. On how we can tap into their wisdom and look through the mirror (dare I say through the looking-glass?), and see what we can bring back.

We might be tempted to use tales to describe the patterns and behaviours we see in others, imagine what could happen if we directed them to ourselves, and our understanding of the situation? What part am I playing here?

You will not leave the day with yet another tool to impose your views onto others. You will not learn to convince others or change them. What I hope is that, after this workshop, you'll have another perspective to look at yourself and what's happening around you. That you will tap into the power of stories and metaphor to shape meaning, sharing your views with others and work on common understanding.

I stand on the shoulders of giants. I'm not sure I could reference all the inspirations for this workshop. Maybe it started with my babysitter who had a complete collection of Grimm's fairy tales that got me hooked. Maybe it's the boardgames we played with my siblings, the choose your own adventure books I read. Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams showed me it's possible to write witty stories that mirror our society; Neil Gaiman showed me what happens when you look at the world and take a step sideways.

I'm curious as to what will happen on that day and look forward to your participation!

What better place could there be to host this workshop in Belgium than beautiful Bayt-al-Andalus, Sint Hubertusstraat in Antwerp?

https://goo.gl/maps/8H3oEPohPgScGc7v8

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