These stories have never happened

Olha Shylo

“These stories have never happened” is a one-hour audio walk around Dieburg where listeners dive into 4 different time-periods: Roman Times, Medieval, WWII and present-day.

Unlike city guides and tours, participants are immersing themselves into the narration of the audio walk, interact with the environment and follow the instructions of the voice.  Sometimes that voice tells a story, sometimes it explains the direction, gives a task or suggests to play the role of a character, so the listener can connect the dots of the city history.

The idea of the project is to raise awareness about the negation of history and bring public attention to the importance of remembering. Do we actually know what was happening here few hundred years ago? What shaped the town as we know it today? Do we learn from and remember our past? The name of the audio walk also encourages listeners to decide whether such stories actually happened or they are just fiction and never took place. Hopefully, the project can become one of the tools for citizens to practice their memory and bring the past into their present.

The concept of an interactive audio walk was inspired by German collective Rimini Protokoll, who actively work with acute social topics in theatre and create award-winning site-specific projects in cities all over the world.

Listeners can participate in a walk anytime they want by scanning the QR code in front of the Museum Schloss Fechenbach in Dieburg and complete it next to the Dieburg Friedhof. The only thing participants need is headphones and mobile data on their smartphone. The audio walk is in English, but a German voiceover might be added soon.

This format allows the project to exist even after the death of the author and contribute to the cultural landscape of Dieburg, suggesting a new format of leisure and cultural activity for locals and visitors.“

More info about the author on Instagram: @manjater