TRAME, the first meeting: three things in the suitcase and your name

Organized by FACEWORK and TRAME, the event is dedicated to getting to know one another through drawing, writing, and sharing. The presentation offers three approaches to self-expression, leaving each participant free to choose what to share.

Eight meetings to start telling your story

“Scritture plurali” is the series that opens this stage of the TRAME journey. The presentation announces eight meetings and many activities, with the first meeting on Wednesday, October 28 at the City of Turin’s Intercultural Centre, at Corso Taranto 160. The common thread is telling one’s story through words, images and discussion.

The material also introduces the FACEWORK team: Greta Vaira, president of the cooperative; Filippo Braga, social support worker and anthropologist; Alessandra Marcoccio, social support worker and social worker. Their three profiles introduce the cooperative within the workshop presentation.

Three things in the suitcase

"You're leaving tomorrow, and you can pack three things with you": the first prompt invites you to choose what to bring and to describe it. Drawing and writing are two ways to give form to your choice, which you can then share with the group.

The question invites you to imagine a departure and choose what you would like to have close to you. The limit of three things gives the exercise a precise shape: you need to select, decide what matters and find a way to explain your choice. A drawn object or a written word can become the beginning of the story.

Beyond a single definition

“I am… and I am not just…” is the second prompt. An open-ended sentence that leaves room for different aspects of one’s identity: interests, roles, abilities and relationships. Here too, the sequence is the same: draw, write, share.

Combining "I am" and "I am not only" opens up space to add something about yourself. An initial definition can be expanded with another word, an image, or an aspect of your life you wish to share. The assignment leaves the sentence incomplete precisely so that each person can continue it.

The name as the beginning of a story

Who chose your name? What does it mean to you? The questions appear in the presentation in Italian, Arabic, French, Russian, English, Bengali, and Urdu. The same invitation spans different languages and brings the story to a personal level, without suggesting a one-size-fits-all answer.

A name offers a different starting point from a suitcase: it draws attention to what we are called and the meaning we attach to that word. The two questions connect the person who chose it with the person who bears it today. Answering may mean sharing a memory, explaining a meaning or taking time to reflect on one’s relationship with one’s name.

Draw, write, share

These three words recur in the prompts and give the workshop a rhythm. Drawing allows you to begin with an image; writing leads you to choose words; sharing brings the story into contact with the group. The presentation’s prompts can thus be read as a passage from personal expression to meeting others.

The three activities focus on getting to know one another: they are starting points to develop through the voices and choices of the participants. Drawings, words and sharing accompany this first step of “Scritture plurali”.

The next meeting

The work continues on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the next meeting indicated in the presentation. This story adds to the TRAME diary, from the project’s introduction to its development.