Developed with support from public funding by Department of Culture, Media and Sport. We spent March, April and May 2021 exploring creative ways to address loneliness and social isolation resulting from the impact of Covid-19.
We threw the obvious title “The Loneliness Project” out the window. After a year of near-constant lockdown we felt it was important to offer people a more positive outlook. How could we help people break out of their ‘bubbles’ in a fun, colourful and positive manner?
After not been able to see or touch their families and friends for a year people needed a sense of real connection. What better way to make meaningful contact than with the simple forgotten Art of Writing? In a world of mobile phones, email, text and WhatsApp, how many of us take the time to put a pen to paper?
The #See You Soon pack of postcards was designed to encourage people to send creative messages and ideas to family members, friends and neighbours.
We took time to have our now familiar “creative conversations” with a diverse range of contacts who are working with families, seniors, young people and people who are experiencing isolation across Fenland and West Suffolk. We worked with community leaders and creative practitioners who understood how their localities and neighbourhoods had been affected by the pandemic.
Connecting is what #See You Soon was all about – making a move to do something positive. Smile, Reach Out & Say Hello! Our new See You Soon section of the website is coming soon!
This case study is part of our project evaluation for 2019/2020.
Art in the Fens with artist Kaitlin Ferguson was one of the first Creative Conversations in Isolation commissions. With Kaitlin, we trialled new ways to use digital creative activity to encourage connection with the green spaces on our doorsteps.
We’ve worked with Kaitlin before on the Brandon Tales and Trails event so this was an opportunity to respond to the changes we all faced in the pandemic through different creative activity. People were finding connections or reconnecting with nature on their daily walks during lockdown and Kaitlin’s project showed simple art projects and interesting techniques to make a creative response to the Fenland landscape.
Kaitlin was commissioned to deliver four online ‘make along’ tutorials to be shared through IGTV on Instagram and promoted through new environmental partner networks that align with current strategic activity in Fenland.
The videos were shared through our social media channels over four weeks. The launch of the project coincided with ‘Celebrate the Fens‘ Day on 20th June 2020, which was hosted by @FascinatingFens.
Pictured above: Two screenshots of Kaitlin’s video workshops – On the left, drawing plant materials from observation, and on the right using felt to create a textural representation of the soft strata of the Fenland landscape.
This case study is part of our project evaluation for 2019/2020.
In this case study we’re looking at the Young Producers Programme developed in partnership with 20Twenty Productions C.I.C. 20Twenty use creativity and participation to build essential life skills in young people and provide mentoring and career opportunities for them within the creative sector.
Through this project, 20Twenty supported two young artists to develop skills as creative producers through co-designed activities for and with young people.
The Young Producer Programme has been established to build the skills of young artists into audience focussed art producers, whilst increasing the relevance of cultural opportunities for young people, particularly those based within March. 20Twenty Productions supported two young producers to develop and deliver programmes of activity whilst working towards the Gold Arts Award.
Right: Image from the Tagged & Filtered project [Description: A young girls photo is obscured by writing of negative words like “ugly” and “loner” across the image.] Left: Logo from the Viral project [Description: An image of a virus cell with the word “VIRAL” across a background of blue social media icons.]
Tagged and Filtered
Young producer Nicola Baxter was commissioned to develop her ongoing artistic themes into a co-produced series of workshops across Easter half term with a group of young people identifying as female. Tagged and Filtered was a series of workshops developing photography skills through the exploration of identity, selfies, online safety and engagement to inform a new interactive digital exhibition. This mentoring project was to develop Nicola’s work further through an audience focussed approach.
Young Producer Libby Ward was the second commission in this partnership. Libby has a BTEC in performing arts and had been a performer with the Connexions youth group in March. Libby’s proposal was a theatre in education offer exploring mental health issues in local schools. This project plan changed in response to the pandemic and through inspiration from a shift to digital productions.
Watch the Spell for Understanding video presented by Centre 33.
A SPELL FOR STANDING IN ANOTHER’S SHOES
Stir with a spoon and drink in the first light of dawn.
Take the sight of an owl on a long-distance flight
The sound of Gorillas, chest-beating at night
The companionship of one hundred dogs
The patience of badgers who cross roads in the fog
Inside this spell is the shape of our days
All that we are, not all that we say,
This spell must include all that is true,
So stir in a unicorn’s miracle horn,
the noble heart of a lion, the smile of a snake
A giraffe’s dream of the stars
And make no mistake,
Most important of all, hidden away,
a spider’s web, broken, and mended again.
Drink our potion, hear our spell, look us in the eye
Put on our shoes and walk by our side.
These screenshots from the video show the young carers taking part in art activities during these Zoom sessions with the artists.
We commissioned artist Hilary Cox Condron to collaborate with a group of young carers and Centre 33, Cambridgeshire charity supporting young people. Together they did creative activities and tried different artforms with guest artists Bel Greenwood, Dan Donovan and MarketPlace Creative Agent Colin Stevens. Their responses became a poem, expressive paintings and a short film that was shared as part of Young Carers Action Day on 16 March 2021.
Amanda at Centre 33 said about the project:
“The art project has been amazing and having the opportunity to work with some amazing talented people has been really inspiring for the Young Carers. We can’t thank Hilary, Colin, Bel and Dan enough for their great work in putting together the film clip for Young Carers Action Day. The reaction to the clip from parents and the Young Carers was “wonderful”. The clip has also been shown in school by some Young Carers Champions. Thank you to everyone involved.
The Young Carers wanted their voices heard about what it is like for them, what their life is like and what qualities they have which they carry forward into their day to day work.
The Young Carers produced some wonderful art work, drawing and painting. They got to look at animation, putting clips together with sound effects as well as working with a writer to put together a spell/poem to get their voices heard. Hilary, Colin, Bel and Dan were so good with the Young People, they engaged them, gave them confidence and really inspired them to continue with Art in its different forms. I am feeling so proud with what they have achieved, that they worked so hard and we’re really pleased with the end results – their engagement has been brilliant.
We have Young Carers that have grown in confidence thanks to everyone. Young Carers that at first wouldn’t have their cameras on as they were shy and then they completed sessions with the camera on and enjoyed showing their art pieces. We had a Young Carer that was so quiet she didn’t speak to them by the end of the sessions she was chatting most of the time in the session and putting across her views more in speech.
Excellent Project, amazing people I look forward to the next one.”
Thanks to Emily, Erin, Pheobe, Lennon, Paige, Kezia, Amber and Sophie
Supported byCentre 33 Amanda Cawthorne and Richard Cross
Project fee: £5,400 (equivalent of £180 per day for 30 days)
Location: We envisage a combination of remote online working and, government restrictions-permitting, delivery in locations in Fenland and the Forest Heath area of West Suffolk.
Deadline: Please apply by 10am, Friday 9 April 2021.
The Project
We have commissioned Dance Theatre Company Casson & Friends for a community engagement and audience development project as part of our programme for 2021.
Originally scheduled for 2020, this project was postponed due to Covid-19. As a result, we have an opportunity to learn from the ways Casson & Friends have developed their work in response to the pandemic, and produce a participatory choreography and dance project with local communities in Fenland and the Forest Heath area of West Suffolk.
The Producer will work with the MarketPlace team and Casson & Friends to manage the following planning and delivery schedule phases:
1) Planning – logistics, creative planning, engaging community members and artists
2) Creation – the activity itself, practical engagement with the community, live performance and filming
3) Post-Production – premiere and promotion of any filmed elements, follow up activity, signposting and evaluation
![Right: Image from Tagged & Filtered project [Description: A young girls photo is obscured by writing of negative words like "ugly" and "loner" are scralled across the image.] Left: Logo from Viral project [Description: An image of a virus cell with the word "VIRAL" across a background of blue social media icons.]](https://www.cppmarketplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Case-Study_YPP-Viral-Tagged_Infographic.jpg)
