In total there were ten Relay workshops that ran between February and May 2008. These included a visit to the Leeds Discovery Centre and four combined workshops for both Relay groups. Below you can read the format that was developed for one of the first sessions that focussed on participant’s personal photographs.
Questions About Your Photo
A photograph is an invitation to speculation – Susan Sontag.
What has happened to these people/and/or that place, since your photo was taken? You may know, or you may not know. If you don’t know, then try and imagine.
What do you think that people in your photo were thinking about? What do you imagine that they might be thinking about now? Again, you may not know, there are so many things that we do not know, but that doesn’t prevent us from speculating.
Who is missing from your photo? Why are they missing? An absence can be as strong as a presence.
Of course the person who is most often missing is the photographer. Was s/he a professional; a friend, or a family member? In families where one person is recognised as the photographer (it might have been you), that person rarely appears in the prints, yet they organised and directed the photographic event and the image. You might reflect on what they were trying to represent, and if it was a different version of the family to yours. In a way, they are acting as an editor, shaping and presenting their own version of the family.
What happened immediately after your photo was taken? Did the smile disappear from people’s faces? Were kisses exchanged? Was there a knock on the front door? Did someone storm off? Once again, you may not know, or cannot remember – but what do you imagine might have happened? Autobiographical writing is full of such speculation.
At this point I would not try to put it together in any kind of linear narrative, but just to write down impressions, ideas, memories, for each of these questions. Snapshots, if you like. If it helps, you could write a different little piece (it might only be a paragraph, that’s fine) about each question on a different page, or a different file on your computer. Don’t try and force it into something structured, just let the ideas and memories flow, then move on the next question when they dry up.
Barry’s story about his silver garnett ring and his rune symbol was, I thought, really interesting. And so I would be very happy if he chose to write something about this – how the ring didn’t work for him, and how the rune did. I also loved his comment that he probably turned to writing because of his stammer, which I felt many people would find very interesting and be able to connect with. That also seemed a very rich theme to me.
Objects
For those who don’t have any photos, write down some notes about the memory that your object brings up for you. Be as thorough about this as you possibly can.
Where were you when you got it? What can you remember of your surroundings?
When did you receive it? If it is a childhood memory, do you know how old you were, or roughly how old?
Is the memory associated with your object an ‘I’ memory or a ‘we’ memory?
What other people were around at the time?
What sensory impressions do you connect with it?
Be as precise as you can about what you remember taking in through your senses:
Scent: what did it semell of? More than one thing?
Colours: try and be exact about the precise shades.
Feel: How does it feel to hold?
Sound: remember voices, noises, sounds going on in the background?
Ray French
