This document summarizes the Read/Land collaborative storytelling project. The project aimed to foster emotional connections between collaborators and provide a forum for people to share their stories. The project was successful in attracting an engaged audience on social media and through physical posters. It received several contributions in various media formats and sparked discussion. The project maintained interest over an extended period. Next steps discussed include hosting a gallery event to showcase the contributed work.

1. READ/LAND
A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
Erin Rosenberg, Zoe Davies, Megan Whytcross,
Blake O’Neill and Bianca Jafari

3. AIM: TO BRIDGE AN EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION WITH THE
COLLABORATOR, AND TO PROVIDE
THEM WITH FORUM AND
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR OWN
STORY.
AUDIENCE: ANYONE WITH A STORY TO
TELL.
SUCCESS: YES

4. A young Jewish man had escaped from Germany with his family after Hitler
came to power. He tried to settle in a number of countries, but in 1938 he
set sail by a circuitous route for Australia. He knew a reasonable amount of
English, and when they reached the island of Noumea, someone handed him
an Australian newspaper. The first headline he saw read: ‘Disaster –
Australia Collapses.’ He was astonished. What had happened to
Australia? What was the disaster? What will happen to our family now?
It took him several minutes to realise that the headline was about
cricket. For him, a headline like that referring to sport was really
something new. He wondered what a strange country Australia must be.

5. PARTICIPATORY & SOCIAL MEDIA
(WHERE WE WENT RIGHT)
WE GOT LUCKY AND STRUCK AN IMPASSIONED TARGET AUDIENCE
THEY WERE LITERATE (AND MEDIA-SAVVY)
THERE WAS DIALOGUE BETWEEN COLLABORATORS
THEY WERE INTERESTED MEDIA PRACTITIONERS – AND INDIVIDUALS WITH
WHOM WE CAN SEE OURSELVES COLLABORATING WITH IN THE FUTURE.
100
90
80
70
60
50 Facebook
40 Tumblr
30 Twitter
20
10
0
Posts per day Reach per day Likes/Follows
average average

7. RECRUITMENT (AND AUDIENCE
RELATIONSHIP)
NOT RESTRICTED BY ONLINE-ONLY RECRUITMENT: UTILISED PHYSICAL (PAPER)
CALLOUT POSTERS TO EXTEND AUDIENCE (AND REEL IN NON-ONLINE
DEMOGRAPHIC)
PAPER POSTER PIQUES CURIOSITY – SHORTER TEXT, WITH GREATER VISUAL
EMPHASIS, DESIGNED TO ATTRACT THE PASSING EYE.

8. SUCCESS?
WE THINK SO.
WE EVOKED PASSION AND SPARKED INTEREST.
WE RECEIVED A NUMBER OF CONTRIBUTIONS – OF DIFFERING
MEDIUMS (INCLUDING AUDIO, VISUAL AND TEXTUAL)
COLLABORATION OCCURRED. (AND INTERACTION AND ENGAGED
DIALOGUE!)
WE MANAGED TO SUSTAIN INTEREST OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF
TIME
WE TAPPED INTO A FASCINATING AND EXCITING AUDIENCE (WHO MAY
THE SORT OF PEOPLE WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH IN THE
FUTURE?)

9. WHAT’S NEXT?
AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE OF SHOWCASING WORK IN A
GALLERY
HOST AN EVENT THAT DISPLAYS THE SUCCESS OF
READ/LAND
SOUNDSCAPE OF AUDIO CONTRIBUTIONS AND AMBIENCE
PROJECTION OF IMAGES
MOUNTED AND FRAMED TEXT CONTRIBUTIONS