The Quiet Enchanting draws inspiration from The Great Resignation of 2022. We’ve interpreted this moment as marking a transformation from mass disillusionment with the status quo, and imagined how such a transition might lead to a rewilding of the soul, and city.

Rather than follow the illusory clock time of capital that organises life and labour, the characters of The Quiet Enchanting disavow clocking in and out to re-attune themselves to the cyclical time of the seasons, of celestial bodies and tides, and in doing so, find a new sense of purpose that nourishes mental and ecological health. Recognising their latent power to change the systems, the protagonists listened to the groans of the earth and responded with care and gratitude, freeing the Thames from man made trappings and acknowledging its liveliness, they worked collectively to restore socio-ecological equity. As part of the worldbuilding process, we crafted a short poetic narrative to immerse ourselves in the history, characters, sounds, species and feel of the new-yet-familiar London.

What emerged from these conversations was the acknowledgement that whilst there is no shortage of expertise in specific fields, there lacked the thing that binds these disciplines and ideas together, and brings them into the world through action. How can we collectively imagine climate positive futures? As storytellers we are in a position to do this work of seeding narrative visions that ignite a sense of hope and possibility. Our inquiry opened up many potentialities to be realised through experiential futures, investigative design, collaborative workshops and mythmaking. And the insights and imaginings surfaced from these conversations laid the foundations for what would become The Quiet Enchanting.