Skins Storytelling in Cyberspace (or, How to Translate The Oral Tradition Into Virtual Reality)

Skins is a specialized workshop that has been created by a team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal academics and artists to specifically address the unique world view of Native youth. Taught by game-industry professionals, 3D animators, computer programmers, artists and storytellers, Skins will teach Aboriginal youths how to create their own virtual environments. The workshop covers traditional storytelling as well as important topics in game and virtual environment production, including: art direction, 3D modeling and animation, sound, and computer programming. A unique and important aspect of this workshop is the inclusion of elders who will lend their considerable expertise as storytelling consultants. As such, they will help ensure the authenticity of cultural elements, ensure that the language is correct, and provide moral support to the young producers. Additionally, we are creating a pool of mentors from the professionals who will be teaching the workshop. These mentors will be committed to guiding the youth through to their finished projects.

In this way, Skins can provide an avenue through which elders can pass on their knowledge to the next generation, and an opportunity for the youths to explore their culture via a new medium that is exciting to them. In the process, the youths gain instruction and mentoring in storytelling, narrative development, 3D modeling, visual design and computer programming. This project intends to empower Native youth to be more than just consumers of these new technologies. It will show them how to be creators and builders themselves, able to participate in determining the future of cyberspace.

Skins will be prototyped at Kahnawake Survival School in September 2008. Once completed there, we will refine the workshop according to feedback from the participants and create a Workbook so that other communities can offer the workshop to their youth. Visit the Skins blog at skins.abtec.org.

One Pager here.