How can a drawing trigger an idea and grow into a story that inspires?

The Visual Pitch Lab is a hands-on afternoon workshop for Wolfson College students, researchers and Fellows built around a simple idea: an image can trigger an idea, and an idea can grow into a story that inspires.

Rather than illustrating a topic directly, participants draw freely and associatively, letting images emerge from their own mind rather than from a fixed brief. These drawings become starting points: prompts to notice, follow and develop into a short story about a question, idea or piece of research that matters to the drawer.

The workshop combines free drawing (loosening the hand and the mind), association and reflection (finding what a drawing suggests, sparks or reveals), and storytelling (shaping these sparks into something others can follow and remember).

No artistic experience is needed; the drawings are exercises in thinking, not artworks. By the end of the session, each participant will have a short sequence of drawings and a spoken story built from what emerged, discovering how images can open up ideas that words alone might not reach.

Programme

14:00–14:10 – Welcome: a warm-up drawing

14:10–14:30 – Free drawing: letting images emerge

14:30–14:50 – From image to idea (association exercise)

14:50–15:40 – Building your story sequence

15:40–16:00 – Peer gallery walk

16:00–16:20 – From story to pitch (60-second stories)

16:20–16:30 – Closing reflection

Workshop Facilitator

Dr Stefanie Reichelt (https://cargocollective.com/StefanieReichelt) is a Wolfson College member, and a strategic and innovative company and research site developer working at the intersection of art, science and entrepreneurship. She led the scientific imaging core at the University of Cambridge for 16 years, translating her own imaging research into commercial systems now used worldwide. She later supported climate-tech start-ups in Berlin and developed Teufelsberg into a campus for political, creative and scientific encounter. Stefanie will be delighted to share creative and strategic methods for communicating ideas.

Details

This event is open to all and free to attend - please register your place.

This event is the first event of WCRN's continuing series, Bring Your Research Questions, this academic year.

Access

This event will take place in the Roger Needham Room on the second floor of the Chancellor's Centre. It has step-free access with a lift and there is an accessible toilet located each floor of the building.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk

Wolfson College Research Networks

The Wolfson College Research Networks are the College’s central hub for research activity, fostering excellence in learning, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Organising and curating a diverse programme of academic events, the Research Networks support the College’s research hubs and initiatives, and facilitates knowledge exchange by connecting scholars across disciplines within Wolfson, the wider University, and industry.

To receive updates on forthcoming events and opportunities, please subscribe to our mailing list (https://lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscribe/wolfson-research-networks?previous_action=info).

Description supplied by the event organiser.