1. Can culture, and specifically storytelling in any form provide shelter for people who have lost their homes? Can a tale become a home? A lieu de mémoire? Can a memory of literature and the process of making it over and over again build “a country of words” (Mahmoud Darwish)? Can narratives build a place of belonging for those without a nation?

2. In times of great physical deprivation, the argument needs to be made for the right of access to a life of the mind and creative potential. What cultural steps can be taken to affirm the right of refugees to freedom of thought and imagination – intellectual mobility? Is expressing the imagination and passing on traditions and testimony part of human rights?

3. What role can imaginary narratives play in contemporary conditions? In what ways can the ancient human capacity to tell and pass on stories help in the present crisis? Can make-believe help make-truth?

4. What methods and processes can be communally developed to allow the unfolding and generation of stories? What are the best uses of contemporary media for supporting exchanges of stories across borders and easing communications between languages and cultures?''

Planning & Preparation of Stop frame Animation Activity
 
Before visiting Palermo Chiesa di Santa Chiara, Palermo I thought about what animation activity would suit the nature of working collaboratively, be adaptable and enjoyable, as well as imparting transferable skills in animation and allow the participants to form a narrative comprised of moving images. Celebrate the moving image and be social.
 
Multiplane Animation Camera Rostrum

In order to film stop frame animations easily and quickly I adapted a vintage tapestry easel so that it could accommodate a digital camera, a light box and hold several sheets of acrylic. This easel could be disassembled and transported in my suitcase. I had adapted a tapestry easel into a wooden rostrum (that I could disassemble and transport in my luggage) and be used with my camera equipment- laptop, camera and light box. The rostrum multiplane camera rostrum allows a camera to be attached above a light box and for animated sequences to be shot quickly. Scenes can be filmed across multiple layers, and edits made to individual frames, played back for review. This set up allows the animation to be made on a table top, for collaboration and enjoy the process of creating moving images.

Smartphone animation Foam board rostrum

Stop Motion Studio is a free, (54MB) app available for IOS, android, windows smartphones. Instructions are free to download and are available in several languages including English, French and Italian. Using their own or a borrowed smartphone in conjunction with my handmade foam board rostrum they were able to create their own animations. It is fairly easy to use and allows for development and complexity, further exploration, experimentation. Animation using these applications is a tangible skill. It allows the user to create stop frame animation sequences, edit, add music and export the animation as a .mov file.) The app has all the basic functionality of stop motion software (record, onion skin, speed, delete) (instructions here) Importantly it allows for collaboration, and skill sharing. Using their smart phones to create animations would allow each individual to create a simple scene. This acquired skill could be harnessed to celebrate the moving image, and having fun creating a simple sequence, tell their story  or dazzling playful joy of using simple materials to create cinematic results. Animation can prove to yield immediate rewards/ results; making a simple articulated paper object at once expressive, tonal and communicate something, and playing with pace, composition and colour humour can be expressed.

Silhouette Animation / Light box Animation

From early discussions with Marina it was thought that creating silhouette artwork, which could be filmed over a light-box. This way of working would also overcome the need to control the lighting in the room. Ambient lighting needs to be controlled under normal animation conditions, which I thought might be difficult. Also shooting over long periods of time during the daytime but situated in a darkened room under spotlights can be quite an unengaging experience. I was keen for the activity to take place in the room alongside the other nessi and the group activities so elements of the animations could respond to visual motifs created in the other activities, and the participants could move freely between the activities and become involved.

Shadow Puppetry

The material construction of the characters, elements and backgrounds used in the production of the animation where designed in such a way that they had dual uses. The construction paper was 220gsm paper stock (midnight black colour) and could be drawn on with white ink. Once drawn and cut out, elements could be joined together to form articulated joints and be used as paper puppets connected by way of miniature split pins (called brads), which made them quite sturdy, and were fully moveable in 2D. This also meant that they could be adapted and used as shadow puppets for a live-action shadow puppet performance.