The Saint Louis Story Book Photo Booth is a living sculpture with a big dream. It was designed by Susan Colangelo and utilized by Susan and filmmaker Denise Ward Brown in the inaugural Story Stitchers’ public event, A Grand Bazaar, at the PXSTL site in conjunction with the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis in June, 2014.
By the invitation of United Story, the Photo Booth visited the Food Spark event held at PXSTL, to collect video interviews of guests answering crowd-sourced questions on the Delmar Divide.
In July and August, 2014 the Photo Booth visited the PINK House in Pagedale and Building Futures in Old North St. Louis to promote literacy. In partnership with the Life Foundation, the Photo Booth renewed discussion about reading as community members were invited to join the Saint Louis Story Stitchers Leaders Are Readers Club, step into the Booth for their Polaroid portrait, and then share a memory about learning to read on video.
The Photo Booth was installed in the gallery at the Kranzberg Arts Center’s Gallery February 6-28, 2015 as part of the Saint Louis Story Stitchers series of public events for Black History Month. Guest were invited to step into the Photo Booth and trade their Polaroid portrait for their video taped thoughts on the question, “What does Black History Month mean to me?” Some of the stories collected were featured in the Perception Isn’t Always Reality 2016 Community Video Sketchbook screening at Kranzberg Arts Center, February 5, 2016. Visit the Perception Isn’t Always Reality project page to view these videos.
The Photo Booth visited the MS Evening of Hope event to collect portraits in the summer of 2015. Participants visited the Stitchers Storefront Studio and told videotaped stories about life with MS in the Photo Booth during the fall, 2015. A video was made following these interviews and premiered at Kranzberg Arts Center, February 5, 2016 as part of the 2016 Community Video Sketchbook. The video is also utilized by the organizers of the MS Evening of Hope.
Below are samples of the Polaroid portraits generated in the Photo Booth.
For more information or to schedule a visit with the Photo Booth please contact us.
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