Part of the picture
Materials/preparation
• Find pictures that tell a simple story. Cut them into two parts in such a way that separately
the two images encourage the viewer to read the situation in a way which is quite different from the way they would read the situation if they read the two images together as a whole.
• Put the two parts of the picture in an envelope. You need one envelope per participant.
Instructions
1. Ask participants to get into pairs.
2. Give each pair two envelopes.
3. Tell participants to take turns to open an envelope and give their partner one part of the picture inside. Let the partner say what they think is going on in the picture, who the subject is and what they are doing.
4. Then, the first participant should hand over the second piece and ask their partner what they think is happening now that they have the full picture.
5. Go on to talk about:
• What surprises were there?
• How often do people accept what they see and forget that it may not be the “whole story”?