If you’re looking for a way to record and preserve your memories of lockdown for the future, the Tangible Memories bookmaking app by Stand + Stare could be the answer….
How will you look back on this time in years to come?
Right now we are living day to day, sometimes in a blur of sameness and at other times scrabbling for a moment of calm amidst the noise of video streaming. We will all remember Lockdown 2020 and will talk about it in years to come, but how much of the detail will we recall about how we survived this period when we were stuck at home?
With Tangible Memories you can save and share your stories in an interactive book. The app is a super simple way to record the stories of your lockdown life, either on the go as they happen, or in a more careful and considered way. It helps you collect and collate your images and audio recordings in one place and preserve them in an interactive book that is easy to share with loved ones, whether in person or by post.
“I’ve been making a book with the kids during the lockdown: We’ve got recordings of imaginary alien landings from our walks on the common, serious chats about dens and the odd outpouring from me in my occasional solitary moments! I like the way you can just do it without really thinking too much and then suddenly you look back and realise you’ve made a whole book. We’re looking forward to sending them to the grandparents”. Lucy Telling
Have you got photos from your daily exercise walks, a splodgy rainbow painting or a home-made mask? Could you make a recording of Thursday’s clapping for the NHS, a conversation with your homeschooled child or a diary entry as you try to make sense of the new normal? All these little life-savers will become reminders - artefacts even - of your way through this strange and sometimes difficult time.
Tangible Memories walks you through each step. For each page you add a photo, an audio recording and a little bit of text. The pages you create can then be turned into a beautifully printed book. When printed, the audio recordings are represented by attractive shell illustrations. A scan function within the app recognises the shells and - as if by magic - plays back your audio, allowing you to hear the voices or sounds you have recorded straight from the pages of your books.
Each Tangible Memories interactive book is unique and personal to you. It makes the perfect keep-sake or a gift for a loved one. There are so many ways to use it…. Will you create a bedtime story for the grandchildren? Make a diary of your mad-cap homeschooling projects? Create a personal diary or a lockdown cookbook? With the Tangible Memories app, you can make a personalised book of this extraordinary time to look back on (and show how you survived!) in years to come.
“I have quite a few old paintings in our flat that my grandfather painted. I’ve always wondered what the stories are behind them and so I have been recording my Dad (over Zoom) as he describes when and where they were painted and what my grandfather was hoping to express.” Barney Heywood
Ideas for interactive books
There’s so many ways you can use Tangible Memories to make an interactive book. Here’s a few ideas to get you started…
One Walk a Day - a record of your daily exercise
Homeschooling Mayhem - the tears, the creations and a little bit of laughter
The New Normal - interactive diary entries
Lockdown Quiz Book - a round up of the best online quiz questions with audible answers
Lockdown Cookbook - Feeding the family without flour
Gifts for Grandparents - Sending love-filled stories in the post
In Memoriam - preserving the photos and memories of a departed loved one
Growing Food - steps towards self-sufficiency and growing seasonal veg.
Click here to download on iPad from the Apple App store, android and phone versions available soon! For further information click here
Stand + Stare
Stand + Stare develop innovative and beautifully-crafted ways to share stories that combine digital and physical experiences. Their work spans commissions within the heritage and museum sector, one-of-a-kind experiences for commercial clients, dynamic academic collaborations and direct engagement with local communities. Their projects connect people through multisensory experiences in the form of interactive exhibits, apps and workshops. They make work that is accessible, creating shared experiences that a whole community can enjoy.