Diverse stories of life in city told by 'inspirational' project

VIDEOS, poetry, art and objects which tell the diverse stories of people in Sheffield have gone on show, following an innovative project which has seen undergraduate students working with mental health service users.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Jun 2010, 14:23 BST
Updated 14th Jun 2010, 14:23 BST

The unique "Storying Sheffield" course involved students and people who come from families who have never been to university working and studying together to collect, record and produce stories about their lives.

Half the participants were second-year undergraduates at Sheffield University and the other half, who are short-term students, are people who use mental health services provided by the Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.

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The exhibition, at the university's Jessop West Exhibition Space, includes a range of video, digital art, paintings, conceptual art, objects, poetry and sound files.

Kathryn Littlewood, one of the short-term students on the course, said: "This course has given me confidence to express myself in ways I never thought possible. I have been astounded by the enthusiasm, determination and empathy shown by the students we have worked with. They are an inspiration."

Dr Brendan Stone, the course leader from the university and a Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust governor, said: "Storying Sheffield involves undergraduates and local people sharing their skills and experience in order to create artistic representations of life in the city.

"It's a wonderful project to be involved in as people from very different backgrounds are learning and collaborating together – and also creating some fabulous work."

Storying Sheffield is set to run again in the next academic year.