User:Docspond
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
docspond
- Name:Christopher Jon Luke Dowgin
- Location:salem, Massachusetts
- Email Address:
- My Websites:
A Walk Through Salem
A Children's Story with a Profit Line to Save Salem,Ma
In 2006 a novel idea was brought forth by Christopher Jon Luke Dowgin to remedy a long standing
A Walk Through Salem initial pages have been shown in the month of December 2007 in Old Town Hall during the Open Studios. Members of the Chamber of Commerce and town officials were on hand to see how A Walk Through Salem could transform local merchants shops into whimsical illustrations to attract new growth of tourism throughout the year. The project was met with mixed results. Jenifer Beal from Salem Main Streets organization was excited about the prospect and added suggestions of working with a local Scavenger Hunt Company.
Save Our Schools
Salem, Ma has gone through economic troubles since January of 2008 with the layoffs of several employees of their school District. A Walk Through Salem will be donating artwork to the next Carlton School Auction to support Ward Two Children. A Walk Through Salem is looking forward as well to working with the Carlton School and others to use a live actor representing Mr. Zac. This actor will promote reading, develp a deep knowledge of the town that the children live in, and endow a deep sense of wonder in their lives.
The Story Line
Salem for years has had a red line that leads tourist throughout town to its local shops and historic sites. A Walk Through Salem is in the works of creating a Blue Story Line. Starting at the tree illustrated above (that is in front of the Salem Knights of Columbus inside the historic Salem Commons, tourist will be welcomed to take pictures of the stories main character, Mr Zac, sitting on a bench in bronze facing the tree. Much reminiscent of the statue of coach Auerbach in Faneuil Hall in Boston. This bench will be left open for local industries to take advantage of digital cameras and wifi technology to send travel photos instantly to love ones throughout the world depicting travelers sitting with Mr. Zac. Framing these photos will be sponsored adds from local merchants in town gaining accessibility to the global community. As tourists and fans alike of the book travel the "Story Line";, they will be brought to historic sites, old geological places of interest, and into the local merchant's shops. Merchants will welcome them in by displaying Blue Plaques reminiscent of those throughout London. These plaques will cue in the reader to the original artwork transforming the shop into that of one of whimsy. The original artwork will hang in the back of all the participating shops. In hopes that readers will venture in to see the art and be inspired to make whim sales on the way out. The tourist will be able to buy from the merchants usual stock and that of a line of A Walk Through Salem merchandise. The red line has had mixed efficiency, leading from the lack of instructions to the tourist on its purpose. But A Walk Through Salem will overcome this by explicit directions. A front piece will be created instructing you to bring your book to Salem and follow the map. The map will lead you to all the illustrations in the story by following the blue story line starting at the unzipping tree in the common. The story is framed around the interactivity. It indulges the reader into the narrative. The story welcomes you, quite literally to walk through Salem with Mr Zac as you turn the pages.
Mr. Zac: Who is He?
Mr. Zac is based on the Ed Wynn character of Uncle Albert from Marry Poppins and William Jennings Bryan of the popular notion he was used as the foundation of the Cowardly Lion character in the Wizard of Oz. It is of interesting note too also mention, Ed Wynn had turned down the role of the Wizard in the film because he thought his acting was not good enough. And reality is stranger than fiction sometimes, because William Bryan Jennings hated monkeys more in real life than his fictional counterpart as he was the prosecuting attorney in the Scope's Trial
So Mr. Zac will meet you under the tree as you bring your copy of the book and talk directly to you. Much like in the fashion Bruce Willis would turn to the audience on the TV show Moonlighting. After his introduction he will remove a large magnet from his pocket to open the giant YKK zipper on the tree. As the zipper unzips, the skin of the tree is pulled back by large wooden clock works, and exposes a large opening for you to follow him through into the other magical, whimsical side of Salem. Where Carriages are pulled by flying fish, the Hawthorne statue smokes a Clarabell the Clown Bubble Pipe, and Vikings Storm Dead Horse Beach.
|
Bryan as a Munchkin |
Ed Wynn Could of made a good Wizard of Oz |
Mr. Zac |
The Structure of a Fairy Tale
A Walk Through Salem will follow the structure detailed in the famous Vogler Memo to Disney of the importance of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth in the writing of their future scripts. This memo has proved successful in The Lion King and all of those that followed! The story is an initiation tale as much is Pinocchio with its night journey of the soul, Eschenbach's Percival and the Journey of the The Fool to compassion, Bastion tribulation's in The Neverending Story to Self-Actualization and Individuation. Some find this as the crucial role in the Holy Grail stories and spiritual Alchemy as described by Ionna and Richard Miller. Much studies of myth and fairy Tales came about after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire when Germany was looking for its own self identity after the shadow of the empire was removed. This progress was followed also by Andrew Lang, Sir James George Frazer in Scotland, and finally Joseph Campbell in America. The tale is ancient, it comes in many forms, it is updated to modern tastes and cultures, and is always a success! You think George Lucas was taking a leap of Faith.... Star Wars is just the most modern telling of the journey of the hero we all must take!
Follow the Journey
This might be the first time with the advent of our modern technology you the reader can follow the creation of a fairy tale. At A Walk Through Salem you can follow the tales creation from photographic research, to sketches, and final composition through their web pages and uploaded videos and web cams of Christopher Jon Luke Dowgin painting in real time.
Historic and Old Geological Features of Salem
A Walk Through Salem will highlight not only historical places from where Alexander Graham Bell introduced the Phone, inspirations of H.P. Lovecraft, Hawthorne's haunts, but more... We will bring you to a time when the Salem Commons was a partial swamp with the different ponds on it. A place that held ancient mysteries of Viking landings marked by strange rock formations in the harbor called the Northmen Rock. The old seawall below one of the nations oldest cemeteries. As most of Salem is built on old land fill, A walk Through Salem will show you were the old water lines were.
Other Literary Landmarks
Like:
- Paddington Station; famous for Paddington Bear
- Kings Cross station; famous for Harry Potter
- Kensington Gardens; of Peter Pan Fame and Marry Poppins
- Sarehole Mill, Birmingham; the land of Tolkien
- Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada; The home of the original real life Winnie the Pooh
- Boston Commons; Make Way for Ducklings
- Central Park, New York City; Alice in Wonderland Statue
- Desmet, North Dakota; Laura Ingalls Homestead
For a more thorough list specializing in Literary spots in England,click here!
External References and Citations
- William Bryan Jennings and the Cowardly Lion
- Disney and The Wizard of Oz
- Scope's Trial
- Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada; The real Story of Winnie the Pooh
- H.P. Lovecraft and Salem, Ma
- Read A Walk Through Salem from the Beginning
- Journey of the Hero within you
Next up
- Share your knowledge of a website by editing its DomainPage.
- Search for and edit WikiPages on the things that you care about.
- Give organizations constructive feedback by using Influence Us.
all the bestruss
