Once upon a time … this phrase echoes across aeons and landscapes, bringing butterflies in the stomach, curiosity in the mind, excitement in the soul. Storytelling has been part of human civilisation before marks on stone or ink on paper, oral traditions passed down the generations sharing knowledge and wisdom in forms which invite you to recall, learn from, share in your turn.
There is power in a story, and academia has been catching up with the understanding that we can share our research in ways which more effectively helps others to recall, learn from, and share. Science especially is embracing this opportunity, and I am exploring how design research can, through storytelling in diverse forms, engage with communities of all kinds to facilitate understanding of what we do and how we create positive impact through collaboration and connections.
Engagement is a word often said but not necessarily fully appreciated in academia. Engage with whom, in what ways? Do we engage in effective and equitable ways? Ethical ways? What do these terms mean? To academics? To humans? How can we engage through storytelling? Should we?
This tale is only just begun, there are many words to be recalled, learned from, shared, before the ending.
(written as application for Intellectual Party Conference 2023)