I, in the middle of the History

2019 - 2020

 

I, in the Middle of History is a workshop where children and youth develop their own voices through the arts of WRITING, SOUND and COOKING. By reading and telling stories, we learn to write better. And we write to tell stories and read better.

 

The writing school extends over four days and takes place in conservation worthy, newly restored buildings, previously used by the fishermen farmers at Kvalnes. The pupils have named the place Villa Lofoten CAMP. They bring facts about their ancestors along with pictures. The specific surroundings and each individual pupil’s family history are used as frameworks for oral and written narratives. The pupils are invited to think about timeless human themes and in what way each of them constitutes a small piece of cultural history. They articulate their selves in relation to the historical sizes they encounter in the abandoned fishing village, and expand their vocabulary, through facing objects and environments from the past - in new contexts.

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We have completed the workshop I, in the Middle of History with 6th and 9th grades from Bøstad school. Author Kjersti Wold was the guest teacher for the 6th grade together with class teacher Elisabeth Krogtoft in May 2019. The author Endre Ruset, composer Camilla Barrat-Due and chef Cecilie Steinkjer were teachers for the 9th grade together with their class teacher Gørild Jensen in January 2020.

Art historian and producer Aaslaug Vaa is the project manager.

 

During both camps the parents came to visit.

 

The pupils, writers, composer, chef, teachers and project manager thank the Arts Council Norway and Vestvågøy Municipality for supporting the realization of this pilot project. We will use our experience to develop a three-year project over the same reading.