We are fascinated by the powerful role that stories play in creating a sense of place, both as a design tool and a way to engage with everyone surrounding a project including clients, consultants, and users, both grown-ups and children.
We are exploring this in various ways in our work. We have written fairytales inspired by places and worked with children to illustrate and communicate these ideas. (140 Boomerangs) We have used stories as a way to personify existing landscapes and design proposals (Blackburn, Moor House, The Longest Bench, Fleeting Bench for Cass), and even let fictional characters design things themselves! (Freya and Robin, Kielder)
We write ourselves, drawing inspiration from physical characteristics as well as folklore and mythology, and have also collaborated with other writers. We are very keen to explore and develop these ideas further, particularly in landscapes with rich histories and through working with children.