Storying Sheffield- Chronicling the memory of a city

by Startacus Admin
We have learned many things since the beginning of our 'Startup Cities’ tour, but what seems most prevalent (no matter where we go) is that a city’s value is so much greater than the mere the sum of its parts.
Stripped back to their bare bones, all cities are basically the same. Whilst geographical locations and superficial details may vary, when it comes down to it, all cities are just a collection of buildings and other man-made structures, clumped together in a higglety-pigglety sort of way… nothing more.
So how then can a city have a particular ‘atmosphere’? Why is it when you step off a train in Glasgow you are immediately enveloped in an undeniable friendliness? And why does Bristol have a surprising aura of creativity and colour?
Of course, the answer is a simple one. A city is not defined by its buildings, roads and bridges… but by the people who live there, the collective cultural memory that they hold and its distinctive power to shape the cities atmosphere.
It’s a concept which is easy to identify, but very difficult to account for...
Storying Sheffield
Storying Sheffield is a project based at the University of Sheffield, which is delving deep into the collective history, memories and experiences of the city.
They are putting together a chronicle of the ‘life’ of Sheffield, through the creation of stories and other creative representations of its people, their lives and their identities.There are many strands to the project, which is bringing together a diverse range of people and allowing them to see their individual story as part of a much wider experience and a contribution to the development of the cities individual and unique culture.
The project is, as their tagline claims, ‘a cloth of woven stories told’ encompassing poetry, prose, video, sketches, paintings and performance- all unapologetically (nay proudly) everyday, commonplace and real. Often they are the ‘untold’ stories – those which are marginalised, repressed, disregarded, ignored, or stigmatised
The Putter- A Story that Saved the Scissors
At Startacus we are firm believers in the power of a good story - a human story told truthfully can move you in a way that defies all sense and reaso n- much like the city itself, a good story is worth eminently more than the sum of its parts.
An excellent illustration of this is the case of Ernest Wright & Sons, the last remaining handmade scissor manufacturers in the UK. They featured in a strand of ‘Storying Sheffield’ called ‘Steel Stories’ which Marked the 100th anniversary of the invention of stainless steel - a pivotal moment in the cities history (for obvious reasons).
So compelling is this video that it received over half a million views on Vimeo, created a flood of thousands of orders, brought this generations old family business back from the brink of closure and helped to maintain the last survival of a once booming British trade. Quite a feat wouldn’t you say?
The Putter
The film documents ' Putter ' Cliff Denton literally a putter togetherer of scissors . This Film is part of Storying Sheffield , part funded by the Arts & Humanities department under Professor Brendan Stone at The University of Sheffield . Music and Sound Design by The Black DogWe doff our caps to the good folks at Storying Sheffield and urge one-and-all to pay a visit to their website and lose yourself in a Sheffield Story.
Did you know that this (September) is our Sheffield Startup month? Why not share your Sheffield startup tale with the world?
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
The Yorkshire-based tech spin-out, FourJaw secures major funding to assist with developing its technological solutions for the manufacturing sector

The lowdown on Jack & Bry, the innovative London-based startup that makes a range of plant-based meats, all from Jackfruit

Week Gen-C is a week long calendar of events focused on entrepreneurship and careers, aimed at helping young people affected by the covid pandemic in the North West of NI

Leading startup community, YSYS launch 4 days of innovative online conversations and a range of new initiatives with the core theme of “Access”

Jean Gamester from Toastmasters International shares her tips on bringing back some of that old normal and staying fabulously virtually connected

Karakuri is a London-based startup that's using robotics to create innovative solutions for the catering sector

Planning to launch a fashion brand this year? Here are a few basic tips that will help you do just that and get your business off to the right start

Bippit is an online platform and app that helps companies to support the financial needs of their employees - not just via their salary

2021 may be a challenging time to start a business, but these tips should help you get it right...

Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event
Published on: 11th September 2014
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- FourJaw’s six figure venture capital boost 1st Mar 2021 The Yorkshire-based tech spin-out, FourJaw secures major funding to assist with developing its technological solutions for the manufacturing sector
- Week Gen-C to offer career and entrepreneurship respite to pandemic-hit youth 1st Mar 2021 Week Gen-C is a week long calendar of events focused on entrepreneurship and careers, aimed at helping young people affected by the covid pandemic in the North West of NI
- #YSYSAccessWeek: Building a diverse, inclusive and accessible tech startup ecosystem 28th Feb 2021 Leading startup community, YSYS launch 4 days of innovative online conversations and a range of new initiatives with the core theme of “Access”
- Startacus and Hatch Enterprise offer speed networking IWD-inspired event 24th Feb 2021 Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event