Food is a great leveller. We all need to eat, we all prepare food, and we all have an opinion about it! Digital Dishes used this inherent similarity to form strong connections between 13 over fifties from across Europe who were based at Watershed for this week-long workshop.

"Whenever I have worked on projects with people from across Europe we have always loved sharing meals and telling the stories behind our favorite dishes. Peoples’ passion for food, their stories and experiences, was what sparked the idea for Digital Dishes."
Hannah Higginson, Watershed's Engagement Project Producer

The thirteen participants worked with Barney and Lucy Heywood of Stand + Stare to develop digital stories based on their connection with food, and often the country they live in. The stories were presented on Stand + Stare's Theatre Jukebox, an arcade-style cabinet that uses technology (RFID) embedded in postcards, and a projector to display animated audio and visual stories to the viewer.

Watch the 13 resulting digital stories created by the participants on their blog. Delve into why couscous, Lithuanian beetroot soup and Shopska salad are meaningful and full of passion.

Despite the group's previous lack of experience with technology, many of the participants felt so accustomed by the end of the week that they vowed to keep up the blogs started as part of the course. You'll find a link to each participant's blog by their digital story on the Digital Dishes blog.

"It was extremely useful to see how the technology can be a tool for meaningful activities, and one can use it to be creative and in a good state of mind and spirit." 
Nadia, Digital Dishes participant

Related Links:
Digital Dishes Blog
Grundtvig
Theatre Jukebox on DShed
Stand + Stare

 

Posted on Fri 12 April 2013.

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