There was a time when all stories were new, but with centuries of history behind us, it becomes increasingly difficult to come up with something completely original. That is why so many plays and films are adaptations of books. The challenge nowadays is not to tell a good story, but to reimagine an old story with a fresh perspective.
Authors
Natasha Soobramanien and Luke Williams will explore the art of retelling in a series of
Saturday Seminars at the Serpentine Gallery. They will look at all forms of re-telling, from transcribing, translation, adaptation, myth, and fan fiction. It is a good opportunity for creative writers to gain free insight, knowledge, and advice on how to improve their own writing, but will also of interest to anyone who has passion for stories, or criticised a book-to-film production.
Soobramanien and Williams will discuss authors such as Helen DeWitt, Lydia Davis, and Georges Perec, but their main focus relates to the current exhibitions on display at the Serpentine Gallery. Egyptian artist,
Wael Shawky navigate through truth and legends with puppetry, while
Jake and Dinos features sculptures about controversial dark humour.
11th January - Strategies of Retelling
18th January - Rewriting, Retelling: A Reading Workshop
25th January - Rewriting, Retelling: Writing Workshop