Creating a Narratorium

Intentions

The Professor: Portland, Oregon, United States; My aim is to provoke conversation on the themes of story-telling, walking, and urban identity. The idea of a Narratorium, an institution dedicated to nurturing the myths of the city, is inspired by the potency of narrative as a communal currency, as a primary means of human expression through oral and literary traditions of telling tales, and spinning yarns. In the midst of the many institutions that support the other arts - the museum, the theater, the concert hall, the library, the movie-house and so on - how can story-telling find its civic place? How can the multitude of rich and fascinating stories of the citizens of this city be accumulated, archived, sustained and re-animated through original acts of interpretation and recital? These questions have been posed to 16 architecture students in the Department of Architecture at Portland State University. We invite your thoughts, here or on the associated blogs that each student has created to tell their stories as they venture into the neighborhoods of Portland.