Staff and students look to the future in Storyhouse Chester festival
University of Chester staff and students had their part to play at a successful Storyhouse festival focusing on the future.
The city centre culture hub recently hosted Storyhouse Futures, building on the success of Storyhouse Climate in 2022. From the expansive world of Doctor Who, to the historical landscapes of Chester city centre, a diverse mix of hosts and attendees came together to better understand how we imagine our futures, as well as our perspectives and influence on the world around us.
The festival included a programme of talks, films, workshops and activities, and celebrated the joy and potential of a sustainable world, opening space for learning, reflection, and collective action.
University students and staff engaged with the community to explore practical ways to live more sustainably by sharing insights on changing environmental narratives, co-creating art inspired by water and flood management, and highlighting the inequalities behind waste. BA Dance Level 5 students delivered a short contemporary dance performance, as staff hosted a comic-book workshop about social activism and an urban nature photo-walk.
University staff who hosted a Storyhouse Futures session were Dr Emma Price and Dr Wayne Campbell, Senior Lecturers in Social and Political Sciences; Dr Namrata Bhattacharya-Mis, Associate Professor in Humanities, Culture and Environment; Neuza Morais, Visiting Lecturer and Researcher at the centre for Research into Education, Creativity and the Arts (RECAP); Chantal Bradburn, Outreach and Widening Participation Manager; Debs Forrest, Senior Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) (Art and Design); Simon Grennan, Professor in Art, Design and Innovation; Dr Tracy Piper-Wright, Deputy Head in Art, Design and Innovation; Procurement Manager Adrian Davies; and Nicole Wellings, Programme Leader in Dance.
The university was represented on the Storyhouse Futures Steering group by Amy Butt, Sustainability Engagement Co-ordinator – Sustainability, Neuza Morais, and Dr Rebecca Collins, Director of the Sustainability and Environment Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute.
Rebecca said: “It was great to work with Storyhouse, and the wider festival steering group, on developing the idea of Storyhouse Futures. The diversity of talks and workshops provided by staff and students from across the university, as well as speakers and hosts from the wider community, showcased a wide range of imagined and emerging futures for Chester and beyond.”
Main image: Dr Namrata Bhattacharya-Mis' water extremes, resilience, and nature-based solutions workshop.
Image 2: University and Storyhouse staff celebrating the end of secondary school day as part of the festival with a final mixed-media piece created by students.
Image 3: Second year Dance students.
Image 4: Procurement Manager Adrian Davies gave a talk titled Earth’s Futures as Predicted Through the Stories of Doctor Who.