Wednesday, 28 January 2009

The Oral Tradition


Back on the subject of the non-archiveable, I have been thinking about the oral tradition of the Mackintosh building; the stories that get passed on through generations of students and staff and perhaps get lost or, in a Chinese whispers kind of way, amended as time passes.

I would be interested in recording these stories or making some work that could be representative of what gets lost, the non-tangible stuff that's usually more interesting/funny or anecdotal than that which get's boxed and packaged and saved for future generations to meditate on and wonder what they can take from it that would give them a clue to help them understand the lives and experiences of those who have gone before them.

A bit on Oral History from Wikipedia-

Oral history can be defined as the recording, preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker.

It often takes the form of eye-witness evidence about past events, but can include folklore, myths, songs and stories passed down over the years by word of mouth. While it is an invaluable way of preserving the knowledge and understanding of older people, it can also involve interviewing younger generations. More recently, the use of video recording techniques has expanded the realm of oral history beyond verbal forms of communication and into the realm of gesture
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2 comments:

  1. tellin stories28 January 2009 at 12:51

    Love this idea. I was thinking along these lines too when considering where to place my work.

    My tutor last year told me a story about her final year at GSA. A 'mature' fine art student lost the plot whilst preparing for her degree show and tried to end it all by throwing herself from the top of the central staircase. In her emotional state she forgot about the Jannie box and landed, unceremoniously, on that, breaking both legs. I know it's a sad tale, but I thought that maybe my work might sit nicely on top of the jannie box...

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  2. poor bambi28 January 2009 at 14:03

    Oh dear, better put out the nets soon then, I'm now expecting 4th years to be dropping from the sky like cats and dogs as we get nearer to degree show time. What a spectacle.

    That's the kind of story that get's lost and I think that's a shame. On our archive visit Paul C told us a story about him and his classmates locking themselves in the Finance Office in protest at the raising of fees (would anyone do that now?). Apparently they used the Mackintosh benches to barricade themselves in.

    I'm sure there's a many more where those came from.... maybe a project for keeping on keeping on with.

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