A striped suitcase
Story

The Quantum Leaps of Zara: The story of a time traveller

Fictional story mixing history, pop culture and time travel

In May-July 2024, thirteen participants took part in the second edition of the Online Creative Residency from Europeana’s Digital Storytelling Festival. Lida Tsene created a story and social media postcard series that mixes time travel with pop culture!

by
Lida Tsene

Exploring the theme of 'journey',participants worked with mentors in animation, social media, collage art, storytelling with 3D, and creative writing.

To read Lida's story, visit The Quantum Leaps of Zara: the story of a time traveller on Shorthand Stories.

Postcard with text: Dear Mother and Father, I hope you are well, Antarctica is so beautiful, though it's so col and windy. Today, I shook hands with a penguin. Senidng freezing kisses, Zara
An urban square with a variety of buildings, and a cobbled street.

About the author

Who am I?

I am an academic with a PhD in social media. I have taught in the field of applied communications for more than 15 years, with a focus on digital media.

I am also Art Director of Comicdom Con Athens, a big comics festival in Athens, Greece, and founder of Athens Comics Library. I use comics and creative storytelling as a tool for education, healing and community empowerment and, with my team, we have been designing and facilitating workshops for various audiences and communities for over a decade.

What is my project about?

It’s a fictional story that uses the trend of scrollytelling, using words and images in a creative way. Playing around the ‘Journey’ theme of the residency and mixing it with my pop culture references, the story is about time travel, responsibility and environmental sustainability.

Why did I apply to the Digital Storytelling Festival Online Creative Residency?

Storytelling is my passion so I never miss a chance to dive deeper into the field and become a member of a community of peers. For me, it is always fun and engaging to learn new ways to craft compelling and impactful stories and to exchange experiences and knowledge with other people sharing the same passion for stories.

What have I got out of the residency?

Some new tools and ideas on how I can be a better storyteller and of course a better understanding on how I can use the amazing Europeana.eu content.

What will I do next?

As for the future of my project, I intend to continue exploring the themes of journey under the lenses of ecological belonging, maybe in different story formats.