Shared sitting

Family Identity Sitting

Two or three related people in the same room, mapping where their identity journeys overlap, split, and still cannot be spoken in the same words.

Several generations sitting together on a bench outdoors
Related sitters need not agree. The sitting records the disagreement as part of the journey.
Format
Shared sitting
Duration
One long sitting, or two shorter ones
Where
Paper room, York Street, Sydney
Fee basis
From AUD 1,850 for two people

A Family Identity Sitting is for related adults who need a shared record and cannot produce it at a kitchen table. Typical rooms: adult siblings after a parent’s death; a parent and an adult child before a citizenship ceremony; two cousins who were raised in different countries and have never compared the stories they were given.

Each person speaks in turn. We map where the journeys overlap (a ship, a street, a school) and where they split (a name that one person kept and the other dropped). The finished note is a shared document of eight to twelve pages. It does not force a single family story.

Two people is the usual number. A third person can be added if everyone consents before the date. Children under eighteen are not sat with; a parent may bring a child’s question into the room as their own.

The fee starts at AUD 1,850 for two adults, including one sitting of three hours or two sittings of ninety minutes, the shared note, and one round of corrections. A canvas for one member of the family is a separate commission.

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