Every Object Tells A Story

Everyone has a particular object to which they attach a special meaning or story. Every Object Tells A Story is a participative website that allows people to explore the stories and meanings behind collections of objects, to create their own stories and share their own interpretations and objects online.

Led by the Victoria and Albert Museum in partnership with Channel 4, Ultralab and three regional museums, Every Object Tells A Story focuses on the art of storytelling. It uses the personal meanings and histories behind objects to get people to look at them in new ways. It will inspire them to create their own stories and share their interpretations and objects of personal significance with a growing online community. Video, audio, text and pictures combine on the site to offer an enticing, accessible route into the content. Users can choose to browse the hundreds of objects featured, or they can search for a particular theme or person. They can decide on the level of information they want on an object, from the stories conveyed through text and pictures, to the richer experience offered by accompanying video and audio. They will be encouraged to add their own interpretation or object to the collection, by uploading text, images, video or audio onto the site or by sending text and images from a mobile phone. In so doing, they will be adding to the website's content and demonstrating how a single object can convey different meanings to different people.

While the project has specific relevance to all key stages of the National Curriculum in English and literacy, its fascinating stories and wonderful objects will also appeal to a much wider audience. Outreach sessions in regional partner museums will encourage people to get involved in the project locally and a video booth will travel around England, visiting shopping centres, libraries and bus stations, to enable people to capture their object and story in a short video. This will then be uploaded onto the site.

In addition to the national and local publicity given to the project, Channel 4 will promote the website from a number of its programmes, ensuring a wide appeal and providing an added incentive for people to contribute their content.

Every Object Tells A Story will launch in March 2005.