Past projects

LIVES ON LINE 2002-2003
Lives on-line was a year long performance, visual art and web-design program with teenagers who have been excluded from school. The project was based at the Norwood Secondary Centre pupil referral unit and developed by Yun Kung Ko, Caoimhe McAvinchey and Fortune Cookie web Design Company.

The first phase of the project was a visual arts and performance residency that explored the issue ' what matters to you?'. There were many responses to this question: family, love, music, money, nothing and everything. The work created by the group in response to this question was curated for the performance installation WHAT WE THINK where the audience was invited to literally step inside another space to see and hear for themselves what these young people thought.

The group then developed, through a series of visual arts, performance and design workshops, a website www.south-side.co.uk presenting their thoughts on human rights.

The young people at the PRU are on the cusp between childhood and the next phase that no one quite knows how to name or to handle - not quite adulthood but a no man's land riddled with pressure to be something and confusion as to what that something is. Cultural projects can do something to articulate this gap. They can distract and entertain idle hands for an afternoon. They can encourage minds to think in a different way about things and that lasts for longer. We can never fully know the impact but we do know that something happens to allow people to see themselves and the world around them just that little bit differently. This is what some of the young people had to say about their experience:

'In drama, we have learnt how to use our body to make letters, tell our feelings through art, talk on camera, film each other and also record ourselves on a mic. You will see from our work that it is a bit unusual for drama but it's ok.' Carlina, aged 15

'In drama we have been doing all sorts of things - body movements, drawing, acting, video recording, sounds, painting and thinking in our heads.' Juliann, aged 15

'The part I most enjoyed was going out in the snow and doing the video diaries.'

The visual arts and performance residency was supported by Bromley Council and the website project was supported by the Arts and Business New Partners Award.