Random Story Generator

Watch this space for more details of where the Random Story Generator will be showing in Trowbridge.

During the cold nights leading up to Christmas 2013, young people out and about on the streets were asked to share their stories over hot chocolate and cake. Fragments of these conversations were written on the clothes worn by artists Davis & Jones.

The Trowbridge Youth Advisory Group (YAG) met with Davis & Jones to consider these conversations and to create an artwork from them that could be viewed by the public.

Working with designer Jono Lewarne of City Edition Studio the idea for the Random Story Generator was devised. Recorded fragments were anonymised and grouped into Who, What, Where and Why. Finally these fragments are reassembled into 347,130 possible new stories, presenting a quirky and illuminating tale of being young in this town.

This artwork will be projected in public spaces around the town to present the voice of many young people in Trowbridge.

You’ll never see the same story twice!

The Random Story Generator was devised as part of Who’s Asking? a project conceived by Davis & Jones, an artists’ collaboration that makes artworks through occasions, dialogues and relationships; working with people and places to explore how we connect.

During the project Davis & Jones worked with young people out and about on the street of Trowbridge and the Youth Advisory Group.

Young people out and about are friends, acquaintances and individuals who were met in Trowbridge’s public spaces during evenings and weekends, either hanging out or passing through.

Trowbridge Youth Advisory Group is one of Wiltshire’s Youth Advisory Groups. Youth Advisory Groups:

• Give young people the chance to have a REAL say about services in their local area.
• Enable young people to shape services, particularly youth services funded by the Council in a way that meets their needs.
• Promote all the opportunities and services which are available to young people in their local area.
• Build on young people’s strengths e.g. confidence and public speaking skills.

Trowbridge YAG has supported yp in the Trowbridge community area i.e. installation of lights at Stallards skate park to enable young people to use the facility at night. Raised the issue of the lights in Trowbridge park and supporting young people from Studley Green to extend the BMX track.

City Edition Studio is a graphic design and typography studio headed by Jono Lewarne, a UWE graduate and member of the International Society of Typographic Designers. Established in 2010 and based at Spike Island since early 2012, the studio’s output demonstrates a sensitive and collaborative approach in working with artists as well as an ongoing intention to explore the uses of typography in an art context through the medium of books, printed matter and websites.

Who’s Asking? was commissioned by Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership, a partnership between Wiltshire Council Integrated Youth Service and the Wiltshire Council Arts Service, whose purpose is to stimulate and deliver high quality arts opportunities for 13-21 year olds in Wiltshire that are relevant to their needs and interests.

The project was hosted by the Wiltshire Council Integrated Youth Service Youth Work Team, Wiltshire Council’s youth work provision. This is “needs led”, developmental and community-based and is built on a youth work curriculum, which set out that:

• Needs of young people are central to at all times.
• Young people are engaged in the context of their own communities.
• Young people are given help to develop the wide range of skills, knowledge and understandings they need to make a success of their transition from “child” to “independent adult and active citizen”.

Lead funding: Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership; Arts Council England.

Partnership funding: Trowbridge Youth Advisory Group; Trowbridge Local Area Board.

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For more information about the Random Story Generator or the project please contact Davis & Jones.