Artists’ Workshop: Practical and Conceptual Approaches to Storytelling

CCMS hosted a workshop exploring both conceptual and practical approaches to using intimate stories of intergenerational trauma, memory, and community.

This workshop explored both conceptual and practical approaches to using intimate stories of intergenerational trauma, memory, community, and personal history in creative practices.

This workshop was designed for artists of all disciplines who are navigating ethical considerations when telling stories or creating work rooted in family, community, or personal history. Participants were encouraged to move beyond identity politics and instead craft powerful art that amplifies underrepresented voices.

Topics covered included working with archives, futurism, and art making in the diaspora. The talk was facilitated by filmmaker Rame Ibrahim and Interdisciplinary visual artist Noor Ghazal, and the workshop featuref a presentation followed by an open discussion.

About the Speakers

Rame Ibrahim is a Palestinian-Canadian filmmaker whose work delves into the reality of Palestinian politics of displacement, intergenerational trauma and agency. His films, including Eid, Ahmed, and Prisoner, have screened internationally, with Prisoner being shortlisted for the Young Director Awards and Arab Film Festival. He holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia and is an alumnus of the DOXA and VIFF mentorship programs.

Noor Ghazal is a Lebanese interdisciplinary artist, cultural producer and community organizer based in so-called Vancouver, BC. Noor’s research and art practice is rooted in Arabfuturism and exploring ways of future building through the retrieving and revival of stories and histories as methods of deciphering and speculating about pasts, presents, and futures. When Noor is not art making, she is advocating for local artists and organizing a diverse array of events that showcase MENA/SWANA arts and culture with the hopes of creating more visibility and building community.