Storytelling

It's funny how things just seem to happen sometimes. I'm currently in Norwich with friends. Colin, is a history buff and has worked around Norwich Cathedral for years. He is currently looking at Medieval graffiti in churches around the area. We wandered through Norwich cathedral yesterday and he was showing me examples of medieval graffiti. It never occurred to me that graffiti was not just a modern concept. People have been writing on public buildings for centuries.

Here's an example of modern graffiti:

This won't last. Once repainted, it's gone forever, except in my (and others) photos. Mediaeval people really knew how to make lasting graffiti. They didn't have spray paint and with limited resources this was how they did their graffiti.

This one apparently is backwards writing for some reason.

Not all graffiti was written. Many were symbolic as this one.

Anyway, how did I get from a title of storytelling to the topic of mediaeval graffiti?

That same evening, we went to a party – a house warming party – a bloke called Dave. I knew of Dave, had met him online, but not managed to meet him in person on my last visit to Norwich. I knew Dave was a professional storyteller and knew that there would probably be some storytelling that evening. I had no idea what to expect, but was looking forward to a new experience.

There were heaps of people in a small English cottage. Stairs!! Well these were the worst I've seen. Narrow, steep, no railing and not straight. Dave and his partner told me the story of trying to get their double mattress up these stairs – on inch at a time as the mattress wouldn't bend around the corners. Lovely little cottage.

At some stage during the evening, someone started talking about storytelling, so Madeleine left the comfort of the bonfire and headed inside.

Dave sat down on a chair by the Christmas tree and started talking. Started telling a story. There's no point in talking about the story. It was about a cutpurse (a pickpocket), his wife and his baby. The interest was in the setting, the style of telling, the actions, the inclusion of the crowd. A most amazing experience

Here's Dave telling his story. 

Doesn't he just look like a storyteller?

The story was quite predictable and I had a pretty good idea what the ending would be, but the way it was told, was fascinating. So involving, that during the telling, I kept wanting to shout “this is what's happening”, even while wanting to hear the story work it's way out.

Much to my surprise people started asking about who was going to tell next. Then a young woman gets up and tells a mythological story from native America about men and women discovering sex. Using hands and voice to get her point across.

Then I realised that there were probably about 8 – 10 people in the room who were storytellers. A group of them who meet regularly and practice their storytelling skills and learn from each other. Some did it professionally, some just at parties and amongs friends. But they were all interested in storytelling.

Apparently people all around the world storytell. There is a group even in Perth. Miles away from me, so not something I will likely get involved in. An interesting experience.

Madeleine

Monday, 7 January 2013