Gallery
Move around and explore how your body can tell stories.
Duration: 40 mins. Introduction: 10 minutes. Creating the Gallery: 2 minutes. Exploration: 1 minute. Discussion: 5 minutes. Summary: 10 minutes. Done twice.
Difficulty level: 1/5
Preparation
An open space for people to be able to move.
Introduction
Participants will be broken up into 2 groups, group A and B. In the first round of this activity, group A are the “artists” who are making statues in a gallery, based on a specific topic.
After 2 mins, group B is invited to explore the gallery, followed by a discussion. Then group B gets to be the “artists” for another theme.
Encourage participants to engage at their own level according to their preferences and abilities, using facial expressions or minimal movement if needed.
Instructions
Examples of themes: Love, hope, joy, fear, safety, home, loss, etc.
Gallery Statues: Participants each get a chance to express themselves on the given topic. Participants can choose to express themselves either metaphorically or literally. For example, if the theme is "power," they could portray a king, flex their muscles, or drive a powerful car. The choice is theirs to make. Artists should keep in mind that they will need to hold their pose for a little while, so try not to be too uncomfortable.
Gallery Viewers: As an admirer of art, in this context, we are not here to judge, rather just observe. Viewers should notice how they feel in reaction to the various statues and how they might personally relate- or not.
Sharing and Discussion: Participants share how they felt through the exercise. What did the viewers see and interpret from the statues? How did the statue feel being observed? Are there questions about meanings behind poses? Is there more that the artists want other participants to know?
Helpful tips
Allow participants to engage at their own level according to their preferences and abilities, using facial expressions or minimal movement if needed.
Wrap-up
Visual storytelling helps us communicate more effectively. Through this exercise, what tools can we use going forward when telling our own stories? Are there universal gestures or meanings? When and why are we misunderstood?
This can be opened to other media for us to consider: what do advertisements convey, or hope to convey? Are we stuck with using established gestures to be understood, or is there room to create new meaning?