After settling on the title for BEYOND STORYTELLING 2018, we looked at the wonderful logo that was the symbol for our first conference.
The bird we used in 2017 travelled a long way: I took a photo of this wonderful graffiti in the streets of Sao Paolo in 2015 where I spent a couple of weeks to work on the book BEYOND STORYTELLING (unfortunately, we cannot credit the person who did the graffiti – I couldn´t find a name tag).
Developing ideas for the conference, a bird that set out to fly was a fitting symbol that was representing what we wanted to do with BEYOND STORYTELLING: Starting a conversation about the contributions that narrative approaches can make to addressing the organizational challenges of today.
What we also like about the bird is the style. It has something modern and magic at the same time. The flying bird is an old symbol, which is represented here in a modern way. The image is accessible and easy to relate to.
BEYOND STORYTELLING wants to represent this:
- The depth of old heritage and traditions of Storytelling and the relevant practices associated with it in the different professional fields
- The curiosity of going into contact with a diverse group of people from different professional fields and building and enabling community
- The conviction that these old practices find themselves in the context of the business challenges of our times
- To provide a forum to take a "bird´s eye view" on what is happening in the field of narrative practices of different professions – to connect and build bridges
These aspects are still very important for us. At the same time, we felt that we want to change things up:
After the strength and energy it took to host the conference for the first time in 2017, we wanted to build on the wonderful experiences, encounters and insights that were created there.
Secondly, it we wanted to think new about how we program the conference. The first conference was a way for us to explore the field we created while working on the book "BEYOND STORYTELLING" can be made fruitful for a wider audience. After the positive resonance and feedback to the first conference, we wanted to give BST2018 a specific theme.
After choosing our new title, we also had the inclination to develop an new logo for 2018 . The new logo should speak more to the characteristics that we associate with "Re-Authoring Futures". We chose a tiger that jumps.
The BEYOND STORYTELLING 2018 Logo
The conceptual inspiration for this image came from an article written by Isabel Lorey in the Documenta 14 reader. In it, she outlines the concept of the "Tigersprung" based on the historical philosophy of Walther Benjamin. Central to this concept it that true change always in the here and now. But that any change that is to last actualizes the "shadows of the past" in the moment of transformation and transcends these shadows into a realization of a desired future yet to come.
Apart from this historical ancestry to the image of the "Tigersprung", we believe that this image alludes to different aspects that we want to invite in talking about "Re-Authoring Futures":
- Courage: Re-imagening futures und living into them is an act of bravery. We can only anticipate where stepping into the future – this "leap of faith" - will take us. We can not and will not know for sure. To step into new futures takes courage.
- Confidence: To step into an unknown future, also takes confidence into ones own talents, gifts and capacities. If you jump, you need to trust yourself to make it to the other end.
- Moments: The image also alludes to "moments". The jump of a tiger happens within the blink of an eye. It takes just a moment to get from here to there. "Moments" are central to Re-Authoring Practices – both as the medium and the time of transformation. Re-Authoring is about moments that matter.
We hope the new logo inspires you to explore the role of narrative practices in Re-Authoring Futures.
