Tag Archives: spoken word

Scottish Storytelling Centre

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Want entertainment in its purest form? Look no further than the Scottish Storytelling Centre (SSC) a creative hub off of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. This bespoke building focuses mostly on spoken word performance, stripped of microphones and scripts. Bustling year-round, SSC is particularly busy in festival season.

Marketing and Communications Manager, Lindsay Corr said: “Each summer we become a venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and our tagline this year is ‘local talent, international context’. All our shows and performers are based in Scotland, many in Edinburgh, but all deal with international themes.”

These themes include migration, fake news and LGBT rights. SSC has broken ground by breaking down many of these issues for its younger audiences.

Corr explained: “One of our Fringe shows was At A Stretch – a phenomenal mime and movement piece – about two girls who fall in love and don’t really know what is happening. This show is targeted at ages six plus. At A Stretch is a kids friendly LGBT+ show; we think it’s important to cover diverse stories in a way that is accessible to children.”

Making narratives accessible to everyone is something that SSC is passionate about, as Corr said: “People can dip their toe into storytelling at our Café Voices events, which are running during the Fringe. These events are hosted by a storyteller, but are also open floor – meaning the audience doesn’t have to get up and narrate, but they are welcome to.”

This spirit of inclusion runs throughout SSC’s 17 Fringe shows, including Is this a Dagger – Andy Cannon’s historical analysis of Macbeth, (More) Moira Monologues – with Alan Bissett discussing Brexit and Indie Ref 2 from Scotland’s working class woman perspective – and The Loud Poets, who perform poetry for the masses, accompanied by a live band.

“The Loud Poets believe storytelling is for everyone and is something everyone can do – you don’t have to have gone to Oxford University to practice it and it doesn’t have to be pompous,” Corr said.

True to this sentiment, SSC has worked throughout its history with outreach programmes, bringing storytelling to disadvantaged groups.

Corr recalled: “Over the years the Scottish Storytelling Centre has had lots of outreach projects on the go; including Living Voices, which helped older and younger people find common ground amid the digital divide. The project taught older people digital skills and younger people the art of storytelling, to bring their two words together.”

Another project SSC undertook, in partnership with BSL:UPTAKE at Heriot-Watt University was Stories in the Air. In this project SSC worked with BSL interpreters, to boost their narrative skills and make storytelling more inclusive for deaf audiences.

Corr added: “We are also now running a sensory storytelling project for children with additional needs; The Story Kist creates a relaxed space with props that children can touch and smell while experiencing a story, which is run by two highly trained and interactive storytellers.”

A relaxed environment is key to any storytelling and it was this realisation that led to the founding of the SSC building.

Corr said: “The Scottish Storytelling Centre started life as part of an arts centre. Within this centre there was a group of storytellers that had been performing all over the country, but they wanted to have a stand-alone national hub that promoted storytelling, instead of it being an add-on in venues such as theatres.”

So after sourcing £3.5m, recruiting Malcolm Fraser Architects, and undergoing a five- year development, the SSC opened its doors on 6 June 2006.

“The SSC building is gorgeous,” Corr enthused.

“It’s the first purpose-built architectural frame for a centre of storytelling, which has been important in providing good acoustics that cater to different storytelling styles and flexible spaces for events,” she added.

To truly appreciate the Centre, Corr encouraged people to drop in.

She said: “The best way to understand what we do is to attend one of our events. Storytelling is entertainment in its purest form, without the barriers of technology, and we want to help people enjoy it.”

ASMR

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ASMR

Dr Craig Richard Ph.D.

 

 

Giving the world tingles is the new art form ASMR. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is an audio and visual phenomenon that has gained popularity through YouTube, where thousands of artists continue to post their relaxation videos.

 

What is ASMR

 

ASMR is a term coined in by cyber security professional Jennifer Allen, who in 2010 identified common sensations she and other Facebookers experienced. The sensations included tingles from the head to the body and mild euphoria, prompted by soothing, repetitive sounds and actions.

Although similar to hypnosis ASMR is so called because it doesn’t just relax its subjects, it provokes peaking waves of pleasure.

 

How does ASMR work

 

One man who has studied the phenomenon is Dr Craig Richard, Ph.D. in Physiology and Cell Biology and founder of the ASMR University (an online resource sharing centre).

While Dr Richard admits more research is needed to discover the cause of ASMR, he hypothesises that it mimics interpersonal bonding – such as that of a parent and child – and causes similar feelings of comfort.

He said: “ASMR and bonding behaviours share similar triggers like gentle touches and soft voices between individuals that trust each other, and also have similar responses like feeling comforted, feeling relaxed, and feeling secure. 

“Some of the basic biology of bonding is well established and this involves specific behaviours, which stimulate the release of endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. These bonding behaviours and molecules may provide a good explanation for most of the triggers and responses associated with ASMR.”

Dr Richard summarised that endorphins were likely to be the source of ASMR ‘tingles’; dopamine the source of ASMR’s moreish nature; oxytocin for the reduction of stress and serotonin for the elevation in mood incurred by ASMR.

 

Does ASMR work for everyone

 

Dr Richard suggested the key to understanding ASMR lay in ASMR insusceptibility and cited a 2016 study by Smith, Fredborga and Kornelsen.

He said: “This study demonstrated that people who experience ASMR may have different neuronal connections in their brains.”

The study compared the default mode network (daydreaming part of the brain) of 11 individuals with ASMR to that of 11 matched controls. The results indicated DMN of individuals with ASMR showed ‘significantly less functional connectivity’ than that of the controls, but also increased ‘blending of multiple resting-state networks’.

These network conditions seem to make some people genetically more likely to experience the phenomenon than others.

However, Dr Richard noted that even those who easily experienced ASMR could build a tolerance to its triggers (such as whispering) when faced with repeated exposure.

He said: “ASMR is probably mediated by neurotransmitters or neurohormones because tolerance is a typical response to repeated stimulation of a receptor.

“Receptors are very good at becoming less sensitive over time in response to the same stimulus, this is especially true for endorphin receptors. This is why people who repeatedly use morphine or oxycodone (which bind to endorphin receptors) need more drug to get the same response over time.”

Dr Richard said that if ASMR were confirmed to trigger endorphins it would explain ASMR tolerance.

 

Can ASMR help treat illness

 

Aside from recreation, fans have started to debate whether ASMR might also help lessen the experience of pain and illness.

Dr Richard said: “There are many anecdotal reports on the internet of people sharing how ASMR has been helpful for their insomnia, anxiety, and/or depression.”

He noted the 2015 publication about ASMR – Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: A flow-like Mental State – which suggested ASMR might be helpful to individuals suffering from depression or chronic pain.

The doctor explained: “This data set showed that watching ASMR videos boosted the mood of 80% of the participants, and those at high risk for depression had an even greater boost to their mood.”

However, Dr Richard was quick to explain that many more studies must be completed before any real conclusion could be met. He also cautioned that ASMR was no substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment.

He said: “My biggest concern is that people may use ASMR to self-treat serious medical issues rather than seeking medical attention. I strongly recommend that individuals talk to a clinician if they think they are suffering from insomnia, depression, anxiety or other serious conditions – and to talk with the clinician about the potential use of ASMR for their condition.”

 

ASMR as Art

 

While its medical value remains unproven ASMR has been embraced – by many- as art. ASMR videos across YouTube feature everything from make-up tutorials, to car maintenance, massage, and role –play; with artists investing hundreds in 3D sound equipment to enrich the experience.

Dr Richard listed some of his favourite ASMR artists as WhispersRed, Tony Bomboni, Deep Ocean of Sounds, SoftlyGaloshes, SoftAnna, Heather Feather, GentleWhispering, JellyBean Green, SensorAdi, Dana ASMR and theASMRnerd.

Reflecting on the vast range of ASMR videos available, Dr Richard offered ASMR artists advice.

He said: “Artists should be genuine and not expect everyone to love the type of ASMR they create. ASMR is a personal and specific experience triggered by many different stimuli.”

To help gain further insight into ASMR, the doctor encouraged readers to go to the ASMR University and take part in its survey.

He concluded: “The wider goal of the website is to help to encourage others to further spread the awareness of ASMR and/or to get involved with research to help understand it better.”