Artlink A5 Let Loose Word Games Booklets

7/29/2019 Artlink A5 Let Loose Word Games Booklets

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WORD GAME WORKSHOP 2012 1

Word Games Workshop 2012


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Let LooseAll o the stories presented here were written during a

word game workshop or individuals with hearing loss

in December 2012. The workshop was led by Anthony

Schrag and used surrealist games to create collaborative

stories which combine ideas rom several people in

the group.Some o the games you might have played write the start o a story, old

the paper and pass it on. The results are unny, surrealist, proound, you

decide. At the end o this booklet you will nd instructions to play the games

yoursel.

This was the rst workshop o a new Artlink project exploring text based art

with individuals with hearing loss. The project aims to develop new types

o arts experiences through opportunities or audiences and artists to worktogether.

I you would like to take part in uture Let Loose workshops, nd out more or

be kept inormed about the project, please contact Susan at Artlink:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 0131 299 3555 option1

Text relay: 18001 0131 229 3555


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4 WORD GAME WORKSHOP 2012

Artlink Word Games Workshop

Participant Feedback

You can oten get hung up on a nal version, tweaking

something until you eel its nished but I appreciated

the transitory nature o the cuboid word poems building

up shiting shapes, nicking a word rom another poem,

adding here and there, physically intermingling with the

cuboids this was an activity which had more to give, iwed developed it urther.

Words begetting movement?

The workshop today was great! Fun, interactive,

creative. A usion o collaboration and individual eort.

Communication was well managed. There was lots o

collaboration but, because we were writing, or using

prepared words on the cuboids, we could collaborate

without struggling to ollow what the other participants

were saying. And o course the personal loops and STTR

were liberating.


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Although the ocus was on process rather than end

product, I did nd the nal activity o combining twodiverse stories into one satisying and that was at least

partly because I had an end product. Glad we got to read

all the stories.

To have some hearing olks alongside the hearing

impaired olks was a really useul model, I thought andthe activities acilitated collaboration in a way which made

our hearing status irrelevant.

Anthony was ab! And really well prepared. He had us

laughing and relaxing right away. He set out a structure

but then set us ree to experiment.

Feeling excited already about uture workshops!

Wish we could get a ew more people to join the group

though there have to be more o us out there who would

really enjoy getting mucked in.

Workshop Participant


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Group story

Yesterday we went out to meet a couple. The wie has a

lot o trouble with her knees but she gave us a wonderul

tea and then a ox came to the window and she gave it

ood. Yes was ahead but also my aunt who I missed and was looking orward

to seeing so as soon as I hal read the message I began to worry. Who was

ill and had I missed the beginning o the story? O course I never thought o

looking at the date, just sent a Christmas card with a elled Christmas treeto my riends in Australia. Wasnt it mentioned my riends had gone to New

Zealand to visit relatives?

It was a reezing cold evening when I set o or my Nia dance class. I hurried,

no not hurried, but she gave the ox dogs ood and we wondered how hed

get on with that but he ate it. Happily dropped my bags at the convent and

set o up Tollcross and to the Little Sisters, knocking on the big wooden

door and just sent a bland text telling her what I experienced- o course she

did not reply at once and never reerred to my worry. She said Simon called,

Bridie had died. Which was very tragic but I got over it in the end.

This morning I went to the John Bellany exhibition at the National Gallery.

There were paintings o Port Seton, birds and shing and had barbeques

on the beach, resh oysters and ros wine. It was so hot that is really a bad

idea. The idea was to be changed, and go bareoot into one studio where the

music was already playing. I didnt see him play but I couldnt actually see

him. Our hostess says hes young so he probably does play.

Unortunately I had to go to a uneral yesterday. I didnt know as much about

John Bellany as I do now and now I am inspired to wake up early and have

an early start to the day, doing more useul things and were a bit late. The

papers reported a huge re, a local man said it smelled, probably however a

good smell!! My aunts smell! And she saw me, I saw her and we both smiled.

I had a visitor, my son came to see me. He was here just one day. Yesterday

morning I oered him a lit to Waverley Bridge to catch re.


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All the remen were busy at my place, or somebody else is much better

eeling to soon see my aunt. I slipped up the stairs, down the corridor andpoked my head around the door where am I going to store all this crat

material I buy? I have some in the attic, in boxes beneath my bed, in a

wardrobe, in an ottoman and everywhere.

I went to Hobbycrat store this morning as there was a sale on 25% o.

Brilliant! I thought I would just buy rames or two pictures, but I ended up

buying also 3 big balls o wool, double sided sellotape and some tops or

elting wasnt possible so I went there by bus. The journey took 40minutes

passed and I wasnt enjoying mysel and I didnt even realise that two hours

had gone and I suddenly elt in need o more exercise. And i I start the doing

I can do all exercises that I need to get active as burnt toast.

This is a game.

Gamely, water bottle in hand, woolly hat and scar keeping me warm, until

I arrived at the hall. The ox goes onto the neighbours home, or another

meal was organised but I didnt attend. I was pleased to meet some oldacquaintances become riends when you get to know them well.

This took place a ew weeks ago, on a small Scottish island. I was on a

cycling holiday and the weather was sunny but very, very cold indeed to play.

Outside was a notice: Dance class tonight 7pm. Everyone welcome. I bet

he gets a welcome every time he goes to one home or another routine was

about to begin. The start o another class I smiled in anticipation.

I arrived in Edinburgh yesterday evening, in the pouring rain and wind but Iwas happy because in the two pages o my text it told me that the amily

were called in. Who? Her brother Michael was the name o one o my

assistants. He was helpul as I wanted three big balls o Aran wool and there

were only two on the shel. So he went to the store and ound me another

sandwich, or perhaps a baked potato, or even some soup. What are my taste

buds telling about the story o his recent lie? I was very interested to hear but

he did not say much, thus I am in the dark.


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Collaborative Writing

Why was there a garden shed on the station platorm? It was placed there

by an artist as part o the inaugural Ayr Biennale. Commuters were invited

to miss their train, to spend some time in the shed with another commuter;

someone they maybe see everyday but never spoke to. The event was

documented by the commuters accounts o their time in the shed. One lady

commented:

It is nice to meet people although not always. I was in the shed with another

person and she arted! I was surprised and looked at her without saying

anything. However she said: What dont you do it yoursel? I said, Indeed

I do it then I arted and we both laughed. It was a good experience and now

we talk on the train everyday, though I wish we hadnt met in such a wee

shed.

It was a long time ago, in Ireland when the ather and son travelled in a Morris

Traveller. Since the 1950s the world has developed a lot. In 2012 there was

the Edinburgh Festival, where a theatre company rom Israel perormed in theplayhouse. This company was bold and unusual. They were the acrobats

o God and was not around in 1950 when the Morris traveller was popular

transport in Ireland. The ather and son had no way to see the perormance

which was more than hal a century later in Edinburgh.

Haute Couture exhibitions at the Royal Academy this time, it was Armani,

King o ashion. Hip, outrageous, stunning. His creations, draped around lie

sized dummies, as though a stage set, drew the crowds in their masses.

But what o Armani the man? And what o Madam? Did they live cushioned in

luxury, waited on hand and oot by awning funkies?


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The scene shits two sleeping gures, not in their rst youth, designer

spectacles laid aside Gran and Grandpa Armani, deep in slumber until...Noises o young children wailing. Uhh grunts Grandpa, nudging his wie,

thats George again. Lucky I can hear him, even i my eyesight is not what it

was. Gran Armani responds groggily to the mufed sounds and shufes o

to comort their grandson.

My cat Henry is a very active cat. Ill tell you about his experience. Late last

Sunday night I heard screaming and shouting in the communal garden. I was

just about to go to bed and I wondered what was happening! I realised then

that Henry was missing. Hmmmm! I thought perhaps Henry has something to

do with all this going on.

When I opened the back door I ound Henry was being chased around the

garden by my neighbours two large wolhounds!! Poor Henry! What an

experience! I think he had the right o his lie and wont even go out to the

back garden again!

One hundred years ago my aunt was born. This called or celebration, cards

and presents what could I do? In the care home where my aunt lived now,

birthdays were special so I needed an idea or two.

A riend o mine, Ethel, was very arty she made a sentimental card o a bride in

the 30s. My aunt was married then and her going away hat was o black lace

with gold trimmings. Ethel copied her ensemble but did not realise that black

was the last colour that my aunt would have sported. Ethel hersel had come

into the home as a result o needing care ater an accidental all. She needed

some activity as she had always been busy beore the disaster o the all.

It is dicult enough travelling in the evening in Edinburgh because o the

inrequency o the buses. Recently I travelled on three buses and a taxi to

get home ater a night at the theatre. But this was easy compared to other

places.


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Friends were travelling in Palestine rom Bethlehem to Tiberias by coach.

Suddenly soldiers were on the bus and passengers were very alarmed. Theylet and the coach went on to the hotel. It was modern but not riendly and

one day all the sta changed. It was a troubling journey.

Ill not complain about the buses in Edinburgh again well maybe not.

When I was about eighteen I got locked in a railway station by mistake! My

riend, Catherine, and I were travelling home ater spending the evening in

central London. We jumped on the rst train and it stopped unexpectedly at

Deptord the stop closest to my riends house. We got o the train. Theonly other person to get o at that stop was a thin man in a stripy sweatshirt.

Little did we know that the adventure was about to begin! We suddenly

realised that the station was in total darkness and the door was locked. This

was also at a time beore mobile phones. We wondered what on earth to

do. We ound an internal door with a key in the lock we went through and

ound ourselves in a high-ceilinged room with a high window. The man, who

happened to be carrying countless oblong tubes inscribed with seemingly

random words, climbed switly up to the window, and ater some eort,managed to prise it open. Catherine and I sorted through the random words

and threw two o the oblong blocks up to the man in the stripy sweatshirt. He

threw the words help stuck down to the street below. We waited to see

what would happen. Who knew what to expect?

A dance company perormed at the Edinburgh estival in August. It comprised

o dancers rom Israel and some dogs. One o my dogs, Mr Benji, a toy

poodle was one o the dogs. The perormance was called Shadows and the

idea was or the dogs to ollow the dancers about on stage. It was sometimes

disturbing, a strange eeling. Some people boycotted the theatre, returned

tickets and generally made a disturbance. They were narrow minded they

opposed the dancers rom Israel and/or the use o dogs on stage. They

couldnt, or wouldnt look past these acts and see that the perormance was

about some people blindly ollowing their masters. Due to their loving and

trusting nature they were being used.


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The 1980s. A country lane. A winter night. Cold. A mother and ather and

young son in their car.

They were going or noodles. It had been hungry work removing the re

place. The ugly pink tiled 1930s replace. At rst it was easy, dirty work, but

easy and we ound some interesting things. Childrens drawings, report cards

perhaps hidden rom parents. A photograph o a teenager on a bicycle.

Anyway, noodles. We inched our way along in the car through the mist. All o

a sudden a cyclist appears, moving slowly but always just out o reach o the

car. Until BANG and a sharp metallic crunch. We stop the car and jump out,worried and shivering. But there is nothing to be seen except elds and mist,

our cottage on the horizon. And a rusty black bike lying in the ditch, covered

in brambles and grass. Its back wheel turning slowly. Later we told the

neighbours, showed them the photograph. They were not impressed; they

had ound gold coins behind their replace.


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Group StoryThis wee game is a written orm o the drawing game

Consequences, where a drawing is made in sections, with a

surprise reveal at the end. In this game, we make a story in

sections, combining dierent stories into one.

Think o something that happened to you recently a un event, an inspiring

exhibition or just something you did yesterday and begin to write out the story in

the frst section ( 1 ). Write until you run out o space. It doesnt matter i you have

fnished your story or not just leave the last word o your current sentence on the

frst line o the next section ( 2 ).

Fold down the sheet o paper so section ( 1 ) is hidden and exchange it with a

neighbour. With your new sheet o paper, continue your story, starting with the word

that starts section ( 2 ), and stop when you run out o space, leaving the last word

on the frst line o the next section ( 3 ). Repeat until all the sections are complete.

Unold the story and share what you have written with others!

Surreal, a bit unny and oten poignant group stories evolve!

1


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2

3

4

5


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This game aims to get you thinking about collaborating and

how meaning is ormed in written texts. A more personal and

considered version o a group story

Choose two events rom your lie and write a short story/review about each

o them as i you were reviewing an event:What happened? Who were the main players? Were there any themes? What

was the setting like? What did you take away rom the experience?

Once you have fnished writing about both events, cut along the dotted line and old

Story 2 up and swap it anonymously by putting it into a hat and picking another one

out. Dont re-choose your own! keep hold o Story 1.

Story 1 (keep me)

Story 2 (give away)


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Once you have fnished writing about both events, cut along the dotted

line and old Story 2 up and swap it anonymously by putting it into a

hat and picking another one out. Dont re-choose your own! keep hold

o Story 1.

Read this new story/review you just received, and consider how you might imaginatively

combine the events with your own event (that you still have). Now write them togetheras one story, as i it was one event.

Story 3 (the collaboration)


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To fnd out more

If you would like to nd out more about this project or Artlink please feel free to

contact us by either telephone, e-mail or in writing.

If you require this publication in an alternative format it is available in PDF,

Braille, audio or large print formats, please contact Artlink for your copy.


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Artlink Edinburgh & the Lothians13a Spittal StreetEdinburghEH3 9DY

Telephone: 0131 229 3555E-mail: [email protected]: artlinkedinburgh.co.ukSocial media: www.acebook.com/ArtlinkEdinburgh

Blog: www.letlooseblog.wordpress.com

Artlink is a charity registered in Scotland No 87845

Documents

Artlink A5 Let Loose Word Games Booklets