In a bid to help busy Brits rediscover moments of literary escapism, Canary Wharf will install the first ever Short Story Stations in the UK next month. The unique concept will put fiction at the fingertips of on-the-go Londoners, printing one, three or five-minute stories at the push of a button.
Launching on Thursday 4th April and situated in three locations across Canary Wharf – Jubilee Place Churchill Place and Crossrail Place Roof Garden – the stations will provide minutes of fictitious distraction to the thousands of people passing through each day.
Stories are dispensed at random, meaning that readers can enter a literary lottery and enjoy excerpts from classic authors, such as Lewis Carroll or Virginia Wolf, or a totally new piece of work –all across a variety of genres, including romance, science fiction, crime and more. Whether in between meetings, waiting for friends or grabbing lunch with family; there’s a story for everyone.
The brainchild of French company, Short Édition, the Short Story Stations have been launched across the globe, from Paris and Hong Kong to San Francisco, but this is the first time they will be available in the UK. The stories are printed on demand using eco-friendly papyrus paper and do not require ink or cartridges, aligning with Canary Wharf’s ongoing sustainability programme, ‘Breaking the Plastic Habit’.
Lucie Moore, Head of Arts + Events, Canary Wharf Group says: “We are excited that Canary Wharf is home to the next chapter of the Short Story installations. We’re all so busy that it can be hard to find the time to finish a book, so we hope these short stories provide the perfect ‘bite sized’ content – even if for just a few minutes.”
For more information on the event at Canary Wharf, please visit: www.canarywharf.com
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press Office
Canary Wharf Group plc
T: 020 7418 2166
E: pressoffice@canarywharf.com
Notes to Editors
About Canary Wharf Group:
Canary Wharf Group plc has overseen the largest urban regeneration project ever undertaken in Europe, designing and building more than 16.5m sq ft of London real estate, which now houses local and international companies and renowned retailers.
The Canary Wharf Estate is a major retail destination comprising around 1m sq ft across five shopping malls, including the award-winning leisure development, Crossrail Place, housing one of London’s most stunning roof gardens.
It also has world-class, year-round arts and events programme offering over 200 diverse and culturally inspiring events performed throughout the Estate.
Canary Wharf Group is a wholly owned joint venture between Brookfield Property Partners and the Qatar Investment Authority.
www.canarywharf.com
Instagram: @canarywharflondon
Twitter: @YourCanaryWharf
Twitter: @CanaryWharfGrp
Twitter: @Level39CW
About Short Edition:
Short Édition is reviving the timelessness of storytelling with its original Short Story Dispensers. The Short Édition vision is to make literature accessible to all, by putting short stories – whether they be fiction, poetry, comics strips or children’s stories – into the hands of readers. Founded in 2011, the company launched the Short Story Dispenser concept in 2015 and has now started to reach readers on each corner of the globe – from Paris to Hong Kong to San Francisco. Original and simple, the Short Édition connected Short Story Dispensers print out short stories for free at the touch of a button, in both unexpected and everyday places. Users simply press a button to choose and 1-, 3- or 5-minute story, and the dispenser prints an original short story on a scroll, eco-friendly paper. Short Édition has now dispensed more than 3 million short stories written by 8,000 independent authors. The company even has an online community of 290,000 readers who have signed up to receive more original content, with already 30 million short stories accessed via the Short Édition website.
www.shortedition.com