Co-Creation: A Shared Process of Storytelling

Description
Co-Creation: A Shared Process of Storytelling is a peer-reviewed workshop delivered at the CILECT Congress 2025 at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico. The workshop introduces co-creation as an educational, ethical, and collective process in filmmaking. It draws on Ursula K. Le Guin’s carrier-bag model of fiction, Paulo Freire’s dialogic pedagogy, Donna Haraway’s relational storytelling, David Abram’s phenomenological attention, and Jane Bennett’s work on material agency to situate collaborative animation as a shared inquiry shaped by place, gesture, and relationship.

Participants work outdoors through en-plein-air storyboarding. They observe their immediate environment, respond to one another’s drawings, and build a short visual sequence from a non-human perspective. The method foregrounds collective authorship and low-impact production, emphasising attentiveness, reciprocity, and situated narrative practice. Examples from Seek and Hide (2019), ExEd24 En-Plein-Air (2024), and Anima Mundi: In The Garden – Giggles in the Greenery (2024) demonstrate how shared image-making can support inclusive learning and ecological awareness.

Synopsis
The workshop explores co-creation as a practical method for collaborative storytelling. Participants work on site, drawing and responding to each other without fixed outcomes. Through this process, the workshop examines how narrative emerges through shared attention, environmental context, and collective decision-making. The session concludes with group reflection on authorship, ethics, and the role of the environment in shaping story.

Workshop Specifications
Title: Co-Creation: A Shared Process of Storytelling
Event: CILECT Congress 2025
Theme: Courage, Conviction, and Compassion
Location: Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico
Date and Time: Tuesday 28 October 2025, 11:00 to 11:45
Session: Workshops 1
Moderator: Barry Dignam
Conference Programme Reference: Workshops 1, 11:00 to 11:45

Video Link: https://vimeo.com/kimnoce/co-creation
Padlet Archive: https://padlet.com/maanimationlcc/co-creation-a-shared-process-of-storytelling-n7at3052ppr3g9uy
Congress Website: https://www.cilectcongress2025.com/
Biography 1 https://www.cilectcongress2025.com/copy-of-dominica-harrison
Biography 2 https://www.cilectcongress2025.com/copy-of-deepanjjan-roy

Workshop Format
Participants:
• observe and storyboard outdoors
• work from a non-human perspective
• respond to one another’s drawings
• upload selected images to Padlet
• reflect collectively on authorship and environment

Themes
Collective authorship
Dialogic and relational storytelling
Ecological and place-based practice
Inclusive pedagogical structures
Shared meaning-making

Purpose and Impact
The workshop tests co-creation as an ethical and pedagogical method within international film education. It contributes to the CILECT community’s ongoing discussion on collaborative learning, ecological approaches to filmmaking, and collective authorship. The session extends UAL’s research into sustainable and participatory animation, feeding into the Animated Environmental Rituals research network.

Biographies
Dominica Harrison is an award-winning interdisciplinary filmmaker and educator based in the UK, specializing in animation direction and illustration. Born in Moscow, she received a traditional art education before moving to the UK. Dominica's graduation film, 'Illusions,' garnered awards at international animation festivals. She contributed to the acclaimed film 'Loving Vincent' (2017) and created notable works such as 'Chado' (2020) and 'Anima Mundi' (2025). Dominica is currently a lecturer at the University of the Arts London (UAL).
www.nicaharrison.com
d.harrison@lcc.arts.ac.uk

Kim Noce is an Irish and Italian an immersive maker based in the UK, specializing in animation. She holds an MA in Animation from the NFTS/RCA. Her work has been showcased at over 500 international film festivals and exhibited in art galleries worldwide. Kim has collaborated with prominent clients, including the BBC, Channel 4, TATE, National Portrait Gallery, and the Barbican. Notable films include Love-in-Idleness (2016), and Cities of Ladies (2022). She currently serves as the Course Leader for MA Animation at the University of the Arts London (UAL).
www.kimnoce.com
k.noce@lcc.arts.ac.uk

Additional Information
CILECT, the Centre International de Liaison des Écoles de Cinéma et de Télévision, is the global association of film and media schools. It includes more than 180 institutions worldwide and supports collaboration, research, and dialogue across film and moving-image education. The CILECT Congress brings together educators, researchers, and practitioners to share approaches to teaching filmmaking, with a focus on ethical, cultural, and artistic dimensions.
The 2025 Congress, held in Guadalajara, explored the theme Courage, Conviction, and Compassion and featured keynote lectures, conference papers, workshops, and committee meetings across global regions.
Workshop programme link: https://www.cilectcongress2025.com/schedule-1

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