Participatory projects:
Community & education work

Fowler+Sumner regularly work on community particpation and education projects in media arts, often designing projects from the ground up and working in partnership with other arts organisations, agencies and local authorities.

Inspired by technology

Fowler+Sumner have a combined 15 years experience working in community settings. We are excited by the creative potential of new communications and computing technologies, and in other commissions we are exploring the ways in which the growing prevalence of domestic media tools like mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras and public web spaces can be best exploited in participatory arts and community cohesion/mobilisation.

Sustainable working

In all our work we aim to equip participants to work independently beyond the scope of contact time with artists. We can provide project sheets, hints & tips, and skills to make the most of readily-available technology. And we actively promote the use of free, open-source software: for every unaffordable software suite that professionals use to create digital arts, there are free equivalents that are as good, and easier to use, than their expensive pro counterparts. Anyone with a computer and access to the internet can equip themselves with all the tools they need to replicate what they learn in workshop environments.

We are currently managing and delivering a high-profile three-year participatory project for young people in Shropshire using this process.

Hyperlink

Fowler+Sumner manage and deliver this cutting edge new media participatory project for Belmont Arts Centre in Shropshire. The project was designed by Martin during his role as Assistant Director at Belmont. He now manages the project, and works as artist on part of the project. Arron is lead artist on the project.

We are working with a wide range of groups in the 13 - 18 age range, including groups isolated in rural locations; a group of teenagers with learning difficulties; and groups excluded from mainstream education.

The project is developing the use of creative technology and open source software, encouraging young people to access readily-available resources in more artistic and creative ways. The project documents the work online, going live in November 2007.

Scope of participatory work

Fowler+Sumner work with the broadest range of groups on participatory and education projects.

We have worked in a wide variety of community settings, from youth clubs to retirement homes; schools, exclusion units, residential units and children’s homes; in community centres, cafes, shopping centres and on street projects. We have worked on intergenerational projects, extensively on consultation projects, reminiscence, archive and celebratory commissions; and we have worked on regeneration projects in Portsmouth, Dover, Plymouth and most recently in Telford.

We regularly work with at-risk and isolated communities, including young offenders, economic and rurally-isolated groups, refugees and asylum-seekers, adults and young people with learning difficulties or disabilities. So we are keen to work across communities, and prepared to work in challenging environments.

Project portfolio

We have worked on a wide range of projects over the last ten years. These are just a sample of the work we have completed:

• Working with young people in Pupil Referal Units on an interactive CD-ROM, combined crafts and digital media exhibition;
• Working with young people in the care system to complete an extensive documentary video survey on looked-after children and their educational experiences;
• Working with adults with learning difficulties on a farm to create animations relating to their work;
• Working with young refugees and their peers in a Dover school, creating video and photography relating to notions of migration;
• Working with a professional football club and excluded young people to design t-shirts for the Kick Racism Out Of Football campaign.

Contact us for further details on our project portfolio and the extensive experience we have in a wide range of participatory and educational arts delivery.

Project design & co-ordination

Fowler+Sumner regularly design and co-ordinate projects on behalf of organisations, including bid-writing and evaluation processes. We are happy to work alongside other arts organisations, agencies and local authorities to develop new initiatives or deliver funded projects.

Our specialism is media arts, but by this we refer to a broad range of activities, including video (narrative, linear, non-narrative, non-linear), sonic art, digital music, photography, animation, design, performance & installation work, interactive design. We use the terms digital art and creative technology to refer to the tools of our trade.

Combined arts

Whilst our skillset is principally working with creative technology, we are collaborative in our practice and often work in combined arts environments. This has included working on a digital art & craft project; several theatre projects with live video; an interactive animation of painted works; drawing for digital animation; woodland craft and video; working with musicians on music video and live performance projects; curating and exhibition using new media; even combining food with animation at the annual Church Stretton Food Fair in Shropshire.

Tools for documentation & evaluation

Digital tools and creative skills in media arts can be effective ways to document and evaluate any project, even non-arts work. We are actively developing unique tools for documentation and evaluation - both processes and technology. Contact us now for further information on how we can help you with your monitoring and evaluation.