DreamIt: The Story So Far
Our brand new project DreamIt, funded by the Postcode Lottery, launched last month and we’re pleased to report it’s going very well.
DreamIt is a new way of working for us, as we combine the two things we’re brilliant at, creativity and digital technology, but this time extending this over a longer period and working with four different artists. Writer Susan Mulholland was first up to work with the brilliant members of Chopwell Youth Club and we popped into the latest session to see what they’ve been getting up to.
“These first few sessions have been brilliant, the girls are so creative! I’ve devised a range of different exercises that ask them to imagine themselves in the future and, from their ideas, a story has started to emerge. I’ve really appreciated how hard they’ve worked and their willingness to try new things - even poetry!”
“I’ve always quite liked writing and I’m really enjoying it because there are so many different options, it’s not just, like at school, it’s ‘write this’ ‘just do that’ and ‘do it right’ - here it’s really diverse.”
- Jasmine
“Susan gave us colours and we had to describe [them] in different ways … it was kind of calming.”
- Ava
“It has been wonderful to see all of the young people's creativity come out in these sessions. I have never seen them so engaged in the work they’re doing. The tutors have been fantastic in keeping them interested and drawing out their best stories. Some of them may even be able to change the future with their ideas, I can’t wait to see what they do with AI”
- Chanise, Youth Worker
The next stage for the group is to work with film-maker Ronnie Johnston on developing images using the latest AI technology. Susan thinks this way of working has been so beneficial already:
“The way the project has been structured, with each artist being able to collaborate with whoever is working with the group next is excellent; it’s been so exciting to work in this collaborative way and I can’t wait to see the girls’ ideas and the future world they’ve started to create in words, starting to take visual form.”
Well done everyone, we look forward to checking in again soon.