Spirit of the Place - capturing living memories
Over the years Ryde has evolved, shaped by the myriad of people who have lived, worked and shopped there. The town is covered in an infinite amount of invisible footprints and has played host to a never-ending stream of events, conversations and connections that could so easily vanish without a trace. It is perhaps in these unseen narratives, held in memories, that rests the spirit of the place. To preserve these untold stories, Sandy and Lucy from Sassy Productions teamed up with Network Ryde to capture rich and varied reminiscences of the town, transforming these recordings into a living memory.
“I think it’s really important to capture historical narrative as it brings things alive. When someone tells you about their experiences of going for their first dance or buying sweets with their pocket money from a certain shop, it brings historical facts to life. Listening to someone speak about hearing fire bells sounding and running across town to see the flames, or jumping on their bike to get there more quickly, creates much more of a lasting impression than simply reading that there was once a fire at Fowler’s Department Store,” says Sandy
Sandy and Lucy worked with young people in a series of workshops based at Network Ryde. Engaging with young people was a key aspect of this project and during the process, they were taught a variety of new skills including research and preparation as well as how to record an interview.
“We talked about stories and what elements made up a good story. We then moved onto sessions looking at how to elicit answers from people, the importance of active listening skills and follow-up questions and also the practicalities of getting permissions,” says Sandy
The intergenerational aspect of this activity also produced several positive outcomes including boosting the confidence of the younger people as well as making the older people feel more valued as they recognised that their younger counterparts were genuinely interested in what they had to say.
There was a broad selection of interviewees including friends, family and local councillor and former chair of Ryde carnival, Malcolm Ross. Additional material was gleaned from spontaneous interviews with shopkeepers, publicans and even a Ryde taxi driver. Stories recalled the bustle of the summer season bringing legions of tourists and summer jobs, to the colourful nightlife when things got a little out of hand to the excitement of the latest celebrity sighting.
“Throughout Spirit of the Place, there were so many, oh wow! I never knew that moments for us and the students. It’s been a really interesting project. The overriding image that emerged from the project was that Ryde had always been a really lively and creative place. In fact, it was known as THE place on the Isle of Wight to go for music and entertainment, particularly for young people,” says Lucy
Spirit of the Place will take place in August 2020.
About Sassy Isle of Wight
Sassy Isle of Wight is a Community Interest Company that strives to connect diverse communities through a combination of film and creative activities. It is run by Sandy Ciccognani and Lucy Bell who between them have 26 years experience in the film industry. They specialise in getting those who don't usually take the limelight, to speak out about their experiences. Their work is predominantly with small businesses, local projects and community organisations on the Isle of Wight and South Coast, helping people to make films that tell their story. They also run and develop creative projects that bring people together.
Sassy’s recent work has includes creating Patchwork films of local events such as Rhythm Tree Festival, Hullabaloo, IW Story Festival and IW Festival of the Mind; Evaluation of projects such as Suit Yourself, Lift The Lid, Living History Project and Trading Up for Change; and training organisations to use their phones to gather useful records of what they have achieved.