Knowledge Transfer: Community Animation Workshop

knowledge transfercommunity animation project

A Radical Approach to Engagement – Traditional Arts Meets High-End Special Effects Technology.

The University of Bradford has recently pioneered a radical approach to engaging children and young people in learning about technology and the arts, thanks to funding provided by the English Arts Council. Young people engaged with youth services in the Bradford area were invited to take part in innovative performance art and digital media sessions held at the University.

The sessions had a tangible output for the young people. The result was four one-minute “motion-captured” animations containing original music and dance – produced by the participants themselves, with the help of experienced workshop leaders. This was packaged on a DVD which also contained a video documentary about the workshops, filmed as they were taking place by local film-maker and lecturer, David Robison. The participants were also able to take away their work on their mobile phones, video phones and portable Play-stations.

The first stage was conducted by Tasmin Little Music centre. In a weekend workshop, the participants created four minute-long pieces of original music. This music was then used as an emotive background to choreographed dance, with the help of choreographers from Theatre in the Mill, a professional theatre in Bradford. The next stage was to “motion-capture” the dances.

Motion-capture is used in Hollywood films and involves getting dressed up in a tight lycra suit, with dozens of white bobbles attached to it. These bobbles reflect light into cameras positioned in a circle around the room. This information is then fed into a powerful PC, which ‘captures’ the motion. Normally this kind of technology would only be available to the likes of George Lucas or Peter Jackson, but for a few days at least, ordinary kids from Bradford were able to gain access, and the benefits are obvious. The workshops introduced the students to a variety of disciplines including music, theatre and high-end information technology, and the participants thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the hard work. It also helped to bring the University closer to community groups and allowed the workshop leaders to collaborate in a new and unusual way. The captured performances were then animated by artist Peter McClory.

The sessions were organised by the University-based Simula Media Services, an industrial and community engagement ‘off-shoot’ of the University, and they drew in several staff from the University and from various parts of the community.

The documentary film was publicly showcased during the summer at the Bradford Festival and has been distributed on DVD to community and arts organisations across the region, as an example of best practice, and with the aim of bolstering support for future events of this nature. The workshops were funded as a ‘one-off’, but the organisers hope to gain funding for future events and to build on the successes of this experimental project.

Freda Shafi from the Centre for Community Engagement has been organising the creative workshops as part of her work at Bradford. She said: “This project introduced a number of young people to a range of groundbreaking creative resources. The workshops helped build confidence, practical skills and personal development, whilst the film will be a permanent reminder of their achievements.”

A copy of the documentary film is available for broadband users.