the digital campfire
by Ronald Fedoruk
At the 1999 International Congress of Theatre Design (OISTAT), Québec dramatist and filmmaker Robert Lepage addressed the enduring, possibly eternal, institution of a select group of storytellers collaboratively entrusted with the responsibility of preserving the story. Gathered around the campfire, our distant ancestors would remember, relate, share and combine all that they knew. In the process they preserved, maybe even invented, culture. The narrative that they created has been passed on orally, from one generation of storytellers to the next, without any more technology than a campfire.
Generations of artists have employed verse, music, drama and visual art in their storytelling, using the campfire as a means of gathering people into their stories. Anyone looking for knowledge is drawn to the campfire in the expectation of being entertained as well as edified.
For nearly a thousand years we have been enthralled by the power of written stories, and our fascination with the written text has made print media replace the campfire. So now instead of being drawn to the campfire for information, we are drawn to the printed text. The past century has discovered photography, film and digital media as storytelling tools.
Today we have a different campfire, a much more complex and demanding campfire, with much more seductive technology. But the process for the artist is unchanged. Storytellers still must pursue the creative endeavours that define a rich and healthy culture. It is storytellers who must fuel the campfire.
It is no surprise that storytellers are highly prized and celebrated. Someone must have the responsibility to ensure that stories are preserved, retold, and reinvented. This series explores the various ways in which today's storytellers gather around a highly technological digital campfire in order to relate, share and combine our stories.
campfire stories
was first presented at:
Sueños Grandes En Corto 3,
Guadalajara, Mexico, October 24, 2002
was first presented at:
The Second International Conference on the Future of the Humanities,
Prato, Italy, July 20, 2004
Copyright © 2002 - 2006 by Ronald Fedoruk