THE
Wayfinder
Mobile Storytelling Studio
I acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of lutruwita/trowunna. I recognise the rich history and culture of this island on which I live and acknowledge the palawa/pakana, the continuing custodians of the land, for caring for Country and their deep spiritual connection to it.
As a story-based business, I recognise the value of continuing Aboriginal knowledge and cultural practice, which involves storytelling as a way to understand history, culture, language and connection to Country. I stand for a future that profoundly respects their stories, culture, language and history.
welcome
The purpose of The Wayfinder Mobile Story Studio is to travel around and collect stories and conversations and share them through the intimate art of audio storytelling.
The Wayfinder is a mobile recording studio designed and built in Tasmania. It is a professional sound booth with acoustic insulation properties and has been carefully designed to make people feel comfortable and relaxed and conducive to conversation.
The story studio was an idea born from the imagination of its creator, Helene Thomas. Inspiration has been drawn from the US initiative StoryCorps and the BBC’s The Listening Project, where stories are preserved in order to build connections between people.
You are welcome to come and tell your story, engage in conversation, or record your life journey. Helene will facilitate the process required to record and bring your story to life.
If you have a storytelling project and require a quiet and intimate space for stories to be shared and collected please get in touch and we can make the project happen, together.
About
Helene Thomas
"Stories are important because they help us understand and empathise with people, places and situations that may be unfamiliar to us. Through hearing other people’s stories we realise we’re not alone with our experiences. We make sense of the world, others and ourselves through stories".
Helene is a Tasmanian born, Hobart based award-winning creative audio producer.
Helene often works with personal in-depth narratives to create immersive, intimate, audio experiences. She has been producing audio features and documentaries for nearly fifteen years. She learned very quickly that telling people’s stories comes with significant responsibility so she made this the topic of a PhD study. Through her research she developed a practice that involves slowing down and making deeper human connections to ensure a more responsible and ethical storytelling.
Since the creation of The Wayfinder she has been engaged with a variety of community and arts storytelling projects in collaboration with Midsumma Festival in Victoria, Big hART, the City of Hobart, Salamanca Market, the Huon Valley Council, the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival, Hydro Tasmania, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, The Unconformity festival and artists featured in the Ten Days on the Island festival.
"I consider every story a living spirit. This is why I take my time and allow myself to go deep into the lives of others as they share their lifeworlds with me. It is a privilege to step into people’s lives and hear their stories."
Our Stories are Precious
A very dear friend of mine died just after his 94th birthday. At the time of his death I was working on a story about his life. You see, I had been recording us in conversation over the course of many years.
Some of these conversations were about what he did for a living, his first real love, his married life, his adventures around the world, his love of poetry, our friendship, and how he was coping with ageing and loss of independence.
I didn’t realise it at the time that these recordings would be so precious. Hearing his voice helped me deal with my grief, and now, many months on I listen to him. His voice is of great comfort. In his voice I can hear his demeanour and it’s as though we are sitting together again in his lounge room sharing endless cups of tea and cake.
As a professional story collector and creator of audio stories I see immense value in recording not only our stories, but our voices, because it is often the voice that will be the most comfort to us when our loved ones are no longer here.
I specialise in holding space for people to share what is in their hearts and minds. I have been making audio stories for nearly fifteen years and I hold a Doctorate in the story collecting process. It is one of my greatest pleasures to listen to people open up and share deeply about their lives, and to give these stories back in the form of beautiful audio pieces.
It can be both healing and transformative to have someone give their undivided attention as they listen. The benefits of story sharing are immense.
Record Your Life Journey Today
To hear more stories from The Wayfinder listen at
Testimonials
Amy Stevenson
'The Chameleon Architect'
“You have created a beautiful story woven together in a way that covers so much detail and captures the essence of Ross...I feel like we have an honest representation of him in the 30-min piece (due to your slow-journalist approach & broad interviewing)... It is healing to have a platform to express Ross' achievements, rather than his death."
Tom Wootton
Synchronicity Stories - 'Tom's Story'
“Oh my god!!! You’re a genius – I love it!!! …you’ve cut it together so beautifully… I can honestly say I got massive tingles and a giant lump in my throat inside the first minute. My parents will cry their eyes out listening to this! This is a gift Helene – I can’t thank you enough!!!!!"
