Why Storytelling with the Arts?
Fairy tales have always accompanied human beings since their earliest times when they did not feel to possess the earth. Early humans were well conscious that the earth bore a mystery in her womb. A mistery which they were afraid of. That is why when, as nomads, they stopped anywere for seasonal periods, the whole community venerated and took care of the Her. And in return, Mother Earth, the Great Mother, fed them generously with food and teachings until they left for new shores. Therefore, the whole community considered food and teachings as Sacred: food for their subsistence and physical well-being, teachings for their soul-enriching.
Of course, at the time, Man did not have to worry about demonstrating how much knowledge he had, but rather that his knowledge had a certain flavor of experience for himself and the others. And his language was simple and concentrated on everyday objects and on his daily experiences. It was the metaphorical language of Art and Fairy Tales. The artistic signs, engraved or painted on the walls of a cave, marked man’s passage and used to narrate real stories, as well as fairy tales, that, consisting in words, were handed down orally, from mouth to mouth. Both, artistic signs and fairy tales were capable of lavishing a tale of emotional impact, suspended between the material and the spiritual, in anyone. And whoever benefited from it, developed the ability to discern between good and evil. And at the same time, he acquired mental and emotional tools which made him to overcome the fear of the unknown. Those tools made him have fabulous and imaginative thoughts and made him able to face conflicts and convert anger in positive solutions for his inner growth in front of impending events.
In this same spirit, I wanted to bring together my both educational and cultural background and experience, in a single educational reality, creating fairy tales with Art. Indeed, both Art and Fairy Tales use the metaphor to make man understand the meaning of all what it occurs in life and for this reason it is the most effective tool for man’s inner evolution, on both personal and collective levels. Both Art and Fairy Tale are externalization of interiority following the experience; both of them sharpen intuition and open anyone to recognize his own and the others’ potentials, providing tools to cultivate them; both of them help anyone – adults, teenagers or children – approaching them liberate to fantasy and imagination.
Museion: Storytelling in the Arts is a series of tales for children set in the world of the arts. The protagonist is Alan, a 9 year old boy with a strong imagination who, in moments of loneliness, pretends to talk to a friend who lives inside his emotions (altrove abbiamo detto ‘behind his belly-button’). This friend, Eidola, is a vivacious storyteller, and in each story she takes Alan on imaginary journeys and adventures among artists and the arts. In this first story, Eidola convinces Alan to join her, following an explorer who is stuck for ideas, as he he makes his way through the woods of Mount Parnassus… and…
My sincere acknowledgements for the production of the book and audiobook to:
Corrado Patriarca: narrator of the Italian versions of the audiobook, and editor of the three audiobooks in the different languages. Psychotherapist using a therapy based on the metaphor as indispensable for healing. Theatre director and actor, he leads theatrical reading groups for professionals and amateurs. He organizes psychodrama meetings. He lives and works in Rome.
Véronique Méquio: fairy tale editor of the French version of the fairy tale. Narrator of the French version of the audiobook. She lives and works in Paris.
Andrea Caroline Manchée: translator and editor of English version of the fairy tale. Narrator of the English version of the audiobook, opera artist with a silky voice. She lives and works in Rome.
Yolanda Zerboni: creator of the illustrations of this first fairy tale and of the heros. Nationally renowned painter. She lives and works in Rome.
Francesca Crini: graphic designer of this fairy tale and illustrator as well as graphic designer of the following ones, artist specialized in mandalas. She lives and works in Ostia Antica.