Learners – Dunure

 

Learning in Dunure took place on multiple levels with different demographics.

 

The multi media students made their preparations under the guidance of artist and teacher, Trent Kim

The StudioFV film makers (longterm unemployed/people with longterm conditions) gathered film footage and vox pop interviews with

 

Audience participants and local residents (councillors, community leaders, business owners) who had never thought of new media arts as something that could support their heritage tourism aspirations

 

Committee members of Dynamic Dunure (a community development trust emerging as the engine for the regeneration of the village of Dunure)

 

Other UWS New Media Arts staff and students.

 

The learning takes place on discrete levels with multiple layers of complex learning within each level:

  • UWS students are learning how to employ digital technology in a creative medium. They are doing this as an applied project within a community setting so that the digital arts are being created within context and practice. The context is an exploration of how digital arts can support the community aiming to regenerate their beautiful historic town, castle, harbour and scenery post fishing industry. The practice is socially engaged: co creation with key activists and community members as well as representatives of South Ayrshire Council (politicians and officers). Within the practice context they are also learning about the development of funding applications – again working in an applied process with an approach to South Ayrshire Council’s Local Stories funding stream
  • Local activists and community leaders are learning how to work with artists to employ digital technology in support of the regeneration of Dunure. In this case, with the creation of a pilot for an annual digital festival of light projection using the historic ruin of Dunure castle as the projection screen.

 

Dissemination of learning is also happening on different platforms and in different contexts:

– UWS Students and staff members disseminating via social media,

– UWS influencing SCQF in terms of understanding new approaches in participatory arts

– Dynamic Dunure disseminating via tourism and Visit Scotland as part of the process of attracting visitors to Dunure (especially the castle and historic lighthouse)

– Studio FV disseminating their involvement in the project via social media

 

Additionally, StudioFV made a process  film  of the activity that reflects all the aims, objectives, context including interviews with UWS students and staff as well as members of Dynamic Dunure, the Community Council, the local authority, the business community and uninvolved local residents of the town.

Questions for exploration in the film are raised in the document ‘Liz Gardiner and Trent Kim, Another Dialogue (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eeXEnC8RBjDK2KATSgt344U0ioMHeEgE/edit)

  • What is the difference between arts development and cultural planning as evidenced clearly in this Bridging Digital project?

Both arts development and cultural planning can be evidenced in the Dunure experience.

  • Who are the ‘artists’ and who are the community learners?

In the Dunure experience the artists learning digital techniques are the UWS students and the StudioFV filming team of long term unemployed young people making the documentary for digital consumption. The community learners are the people of Dunure but the learning is not located within arts development for the people of Dunure. Rather, they are learning how they can harness artists, digital technologies, festivals and celebrations to amplify their local resources, attract visitors, raise profile and ultimately achieve their ambition of having a dedicated heritage centre). Other learners are politicians, community leaders and activists whose  learning is also located within the context of cultural planning.

  • What is being learned?

In the Dunure experience, artists, community members, politicians, community leaders and activists are all learning together. This kind of journey of learning is the underpinning of the work of Fablevision: there is no didactic pedagogy demonstrating step by step process. Rather, there is a research question (in this case, what can digital technology offer to the aims of the community of Dunure in terms of their regeneration post fishing industry?) and we all explore that question together to find innovative, creative solutions. Of course there is some craft teaching for the UWS students and the StudioFV learners as they grapple with new techniques and equipment but very quickly, as in all master/apprentice situations, the students streak ahead of the teachers (in this case Trent Kim and Liz Gardiner) exploring new horizons and making new discoveries.

Community members, politicians, activists and local Council leaders were already talking about the development of an annual digital arts festival.

In terms of measurement of success, this is probably the most dynamic demonstration of a powerful outcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learners

RWH1697

 

The Renfrewshire Witch Hunt 1697 project is a local history community project: a longitudinal research and learning project developed as a partnership between RWH1697 (a community charity which was set up in 2012 to raise awareness of the story of Christian Shaw and to try to obtain a pardon for those wrongfully accused of witchcraft) and Fablevision whose commitment to creative approaches in community development had supported the project to grow.

The learning took place on two discrete levels with multiple layers of complex learning within each level:

  • Local activists, historians, community heritage experts and community leaders are learning how to work with artists to employ digital technology in support of the regeneration of Paisley and Renfrewshire through the application of digital technology. In this case, with the creation of a pilot prototype for a more developed AR digital walk. All 5 stations are
  • The practice is socially engaged: co creation with key activists and community members, UWS student Robert Mackie, artist Trent Kim and StudioFV as well as representatives of Renfrewshire Council (politicians and officers), the Scottish Government (local MSP’s Natalie Don who is working to obtain a pardon), the Witches of Scotland (who are the key group in Scotland working at a political level on the pardon).
  • UWS student Robert Mackie was learning how to employ digital technology in a creative medium: doing this as an applied project within a community setting so that the digital arts are being created within context and practice. The context is an exploration of how digital arts can support the community aiming to regenerate their beautiful historic town of Paisley.
  • StudioFV learned about AR: how to translate film into digital applications.

 

Dissemination of learning is also happening on different platforms and in different contexts:

– UWS Students disseminating via social media,

– Renfrewshire Council politicians and officers disseminating via social media and ONE REN, Council channels

– UWS influencing SQA in terms of understanding new approaches in participatory arts

– Scottish Government MSPs  disseminating via Witches of Scotland as part of the process of gaining a pardon for those accused of witchcraft and simultaneously highlighting the tourism potential of Paisley and REnfrewshire in this regard.

(especially the Gallows Green, Witches Well  and historic tondo under which the ashes of the accused are buried)

– Studio FV disseminating their involvement in the project via social media

Additionally, StudioFV made a process film of the activity reflecting the aims, objectives, context and delivery.

Community members, politicians, activists and local Council leaders are already talking about the development of signage from the town centre to the Gallows Green as well as a plaque in the Green itself at the witches well that will host the QR code and teach visitors and local people alike about their history.