We Humans Are The “Storytelling Animal"

The celebrated communications scientist George Gerbner once observed that human beings are unique among species because we are the only animal that tells stories— "and lives by the stories we tell.”

We humans are the “storytelling animal,” and we create stories to create meaning for our lives. Those stories have a profound influence on our plans, memories, love affairs, hatreds, ambitions, and dreams.

What’s our story to answer: Why am I the way I am?

Our stories have the power to light our way forward through a path that might otherwise seem full of pitfalls and boulders. 

The Origin Stories Project is designed to combine the power of stories with the power of art to inspire participants and viewers. It’s a way of reaching our next generation, so many of whom feel disillusioned and disheartened in the face of poverty and emotional problems, as well as older generations, so many of whom yearn to share their experiences and knowledge. Participants will record a short version of their story — positive or negative, a tale of triumph or of sorrow—and illuminate that story with an “Art Box” that illustrates their narrative.

When all the art boxes are assembled in one space, participants will not only have had the chance to tell their own stories, but also to hear and see the stories of others— realizing that they are not silenced and they are not alone. This verbal-visual project will help them “get” that they are part of a larger community—people who are like them in many ways but also different in their own unique ways. That’s what “community” is: a multitude of voices harmonizing in a shared song.