Dressing the Protagonist: Stories We Wear

Ideal for over 12-18-year-olds

The Event
Weronika Stelmach invites you to explore identity, culture and community through storytelling and imagination, using clothing as a narrative tool in this interactive workshop.

Imagine a protagonist, a character navigating the world, who may be inspired by themselves, their family, their culture, or entirely fictional. Through guided prompts, you’ll explore who this character is, what they care about, and what challenges they face. Clothing becomes a key storytelling device: what does the character wear, and why? What memories, powers, protections or signals are held in these garments?

Using a mix of writing, drawing and discussion, you will build a short story or character profile that draws on themes of memory, belonging and self-identification. The workshop will encourage you to reflect on how clothes help us perform, protect, express and transform ourselves and how we might rewrite or reclaim our own stories through what we wear.

The workshop will be relaxed, playful and accessible, with no prior writing or creative experience required. The aim is to create a reflective environment that brings a sense of curiosity and childlike joy to the act of storytelling and dressing, helping you to see your everyday life as a rich narrative landscape.

About Weronika Stelmach
Weronika Stelmach is a Bristol-based facilitator, artist and organiser working with storytelling, textiles and participatory workshops. She runs Weaving Change, a creative practice that explores clothes as a form of everyday storytelling and how what we wear carries memory, identity and meaning far beyond trends or consumption.

Much of her work centres on well-worn wardrobes: mending, making with second-hand textiles, and reflective activities that invite people to think about the stories held in their clothes. She’s interested in how garments become witnesses to our lives, carrying traces of who we were, where we’ve been, and who we are becoming. Through workshops she creates playful, accessible spaces where participants can explore these ideas through imagination, writing, making and conversation.

At the heart of her practice is a belief that stories are not just something we consume, but something we live and tell every day, often without noticing. Clothing is one of the most immediate and joyful ways we do this. She aims to bring a sense of childlike curiosity back to dressing and self-expression, creating environments where people can slow down, reflect, and reconnect with creativity in ways that feel grounded, inclusive and fun.

Tickets

• Financial aid tickets/concession : £4
  For anyone who would otherwise be unable to attend on a standard ticket
• Standard ticket: £7
• Pay it forward ticket: £9
  If you're able to pay a little more, it helps subsidise Financial Aid tickets
• Carer: £0
  As part of the booking process, we'll be taking parent/carer contact details - this is so parents/carers can drop off their child at this event if they are happy to do so. 

About Storytale Festival

Since 2019, Storytale has run its annual children’s storytelling festival right in the centre of Bristol. We believe that all children should have the chance to be inspired by the power of stories, whether told, heard, read or watched. Our festival aims to be affordable, diverse, and supportive of our amazingly talented local writers and artists.

To find out more about Storytale Festival, and any other events and activities we’re cooking up, visit our website at https://www.storytalefestival.com/

Directions
We The Curious is in Millennium Square in the centre of Bristol. There is plenty of cycle parking, it is a short walk from many city centre bus stops and 20 minutes from Bristol Temple Meads. You could also get a ferry!

If you are travelling by car, the venue is within the Bristol Clean Air Zone so you may incur a fee if you use a vehicle. There is a car park directly underneath the venue, with 22 blue badge spaces and lifts for access. Use BS1 5LL to get to Millennium Square Car Park.

More details of how to reach the venue are here Getting here | We The Curious

About the venue
We The Curious is an interactive science museum, with a cafe, shop and main entrance. Storytale Festival is on the top floor, accessible from the side door that opens out onto Millennium Square, very near the shiny metal Planetarium. Look out for our signs and volunteers who will show you where to go.

Once you are in the door, there is a lift to the top floor, with accessible toilets and a large main room (The Rosalind Franklin Room). There will be buggy parking, a cloakroom and activities in that space. The events will mainly be taking place in rooms that immediately join onto the main room. There is also a balcony space outside. You can see photos of the spaces and take a virtual tour on the We The Curious website: Rosalind Franklin Room | We The Curious and The Annexe | We The Curious

We will have headphones and a sensory space.

Storytale Festival tickets DO NOT allow you entrance into the museum itself. You can buy museum tickets here Ticket information | We The Curious

You can see more details about the venue, entrance, facilities etc here AccessAble - Your Accessibility Guide

Location

We The Curious, BS1 5HL