Scotland Educational Trip - Day 5

A quotation found at the Scottish Storytelling Centre

"Stories are told 'eye to eye, mind to mind, and heart to heart'". This is too well said. This evening, we left the Scottish Storytelling Centre feeling lost, perplexed, overwhelmed, tangled, and refreshed. These colours were nothing unlike the weather we had today.

The innovative music still lingers as I write this and somehow it wants to speak through the impromptu narration. I don't want to argue. I let it in...

The stage starts empty - not exactly - there is a drum set, an electronic piano, and a harp, each behind a square painting of some symbolic value - a woman trying to ignite a fire; an unlit fire; someone carries the moon (I am purely trying to name these paintings in my own imagination).

This echoes well with the artwork greeting us at the reception room of Glenalmond College we visited in the morning. 

Angus Cheng stole the show by appearing out of nowhere. This YWPS graduate has grown taller and more mature yet keeping his humbleness. In his senior form he chose his own jacket as uniform - his outfit gave him a professional look, be it a business man, an educator, a manager, or an architect, I sense a lot of pride in the way he led us around the gigantic campus. He didn't recall hugely about YWPS, just that he played the violin, and he sang.

The harper starts. She sings a traditional Scottish lullaby about a mother looking for her lost baby in the dark woods, followed by a few more pieces telling stories of relationships. Mind to mind, heart to heart. The harp and her voice speak a universal language.

Woody Law (2nd from right) and his brother met Mrs Lam and Mrs Ho.

The world is in fact designed to be universal. Seeing Woody Law (graduate of YWPS) wearing a kilt as a student of Strathallan School gave us all a pleasant surprise.

​Mrs Lam and Mrs Ho skipped part of the planned tour this afternoon to be involved in a more adventurous narrative as they hired a cab from Glenalmond College to ironically their competing school to meet Woody and his brother. To our Headmistress, this visit was the best so far. Stories should always have a surprise element, and she got hers.

The lead singer in red takes the floor and interacts with the drummer and the harper. The group incorporates poetry into painting, songs, music and videos. They call it "an audiovisual exploration of the 'inner child' concept through folklore song and film"; I see it as a daring journey in a dark forest, taming nocturnal creatures with equally mystifying and addictive voices. She is approaching the den where the baby is kept. She is drawing all the creatures nearer at the same time. There, she listens to the distinctive breaths from the occupied den. There, she hums a tune so low and echoing to build a unique connection.

She brings us vision and circumstances, characters and twists. I see life from the fusion of the music she creates, eye to eye. 

After the show: Gift presentation and purchased!

I had been bringing a copy of my literary project in my backpack in case someone poetic would pop out during our visit - yet I hadn't met anyone of that kind. Tonight, I found this lady in red.

I thanked her for the stories she gave me through her creative performance. We do need more artists like her to keep arts alive and young. The show might not have had a lot of people in the audience, but each one of us was inspired as if we had read a book of musical poetry, listened to songs of innovative literature, danced a new dance in mid-air, with a glass of fine Scottish Whisky.

Mrs Lam discovered a story at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

This was what she saw inside.

A journey becomes memorable when it is discovered and unfolded through improvisation and experimentation. I found a good story today. 

Dr H C Lee

P.S. I don't have questions to ask today. Perhaps you should be the one asking...be inquisitive and explorative!