global digital creativity research & workshops

The Cleveratom Team (Alex, Matt and Hal) were delighted to be invited back to the Anglia Ruskin University to work with Ian Ericson to run the 2007 Anglia Ruskin Summer School.

For the past five years Hal and Matt from the Cleveratom team have been involved in the project (2002-2006 under the Ultralab flag as staff at the University). Both Hal and Matt are also part of the Anglia Ruskin Alumni, both students of the University many years back.

This year the challenge was to engage with a group of young people considering University and put them through a two day creative challenge.

Within minutes of arriving the young people were out and about using digital and video camera technology to bond in small groups and make a first attempt film.

At the end of day 1 the young people had learned how to use iMovie, GarageBand and iPhoto and we’re challenged to make a 100 second ‘Point of View’ film, they had one day to do it.

The completed work was celebrated in the Micheal Ashcroft Building Lecture Hall and a DVD was produced and distributed to every participant.

Our team also took time to talk to the young people about University life, expectations and opportunities. An enjoyable experience was had by all, and as ever, some really creative work achieved in a very short period of time.

Here are the movies:

 Phone Camera movie of Hal MacLean talking to the Summer Schoolers...: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 1 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 2 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 3 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 4 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 5 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Birdie (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Flats 65 - 75 (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Handbag (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 In the Eyes of God (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Victimz Inc (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup

Hal MacLean and myself spent this evening with the young people and their families from the Bromley Learning Alliance 2006 Summer School, in Bromley. We headed down to celebrate the animation work created by the young people over the summer months.

The challenge which was set back in July this year was to create a modern day comic book, in animation, photography, sound and film.  The ‘tough task’ was called ‘Twist of Fate’ and had ‘no right answer’, as ever.  The young people are giving an induction session to the technology and project, they then return to their collective schools over the summer to undertake the challenge.
We have been working with Merril Haeusler (Director) of the BLA since her days with SEEVEAZ (South East of England Virtual Education Action Zone). It was refreshing to see Merril at the event, and hearing her relate back to the early days back in 2000 when she first launched the project with us. If it had not been for the investment by Merril both financially, and more importantly her belief in what young people can do with creative technoloies I really do question where we would be today. As my last official presentation event for Ultralab it was nice to be in the company with Merrill, who was at my first ever Ultralab engagement back in 2000, at the Millennium Dome in London (Read about it here).

We’ve come a long way since that early project, travelled the world, impacted on broadcasters, governments, education establishments and policy makers. We still have a lot of work to do, together.

So here they are, the creative comics created under the banner of ‘Twist of Fate’ by the tallented young people of the Bromley area, enjoy:

 Changing Dreams: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Podcast Video: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Space Pigs: Play Now | Play in Popup
 The Restless Race: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Twist of Fate: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Unlucky Lottery Ticket: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Wacky William: Play Now | Play in Popup
 World Cup 2006: Play Now | Play in Popup

Today the Saffron Walden County High School and Partner Primary Schools came to Ultralab to spend the day with myself and Hal MacLean to work on the DVD case designs of their Summer School project. For this challenge the young people involved in the project learned how to work with the Photo Shop application.

Thirty young people spent the day at the lab, showcasing the work they had achieved over the summer period. The work will go on display to an evening audience at a cinema in Cambridge later this year.

Some of the young people were tasked with making a DVD containing all of the work, this process was done using Apple’s iDVD.

Click here to read about the first time the group of young people were at Ultralab for their training session and challenge setting exercise.

Click here to read about the First Day of the Summer School on August 3rd.

Here is the DVD art created by the groups, while at Ultralab, to reflect the content of their completed films:

Click to expand the images.

Some of the groups also completed a DVD Disc image:

The Summer Challenge, which is set by Ultralab was called “Outside the Box”.

We invite the young people on the project to add comments below to introduce their work before we actually post their completed projects here on the site.

Well done everyone, exceptional work.

All the young people who took part in the ‘Input CBBC’ project in Sheffield and Hull headed on coaches to BBC Television Centre to spend the day celebrating the hard work undertaken on the project.

Late last year the young people from schools, city learning and community centres were invited to participate in an Ultralab/BBC Research Project which would investigate what young peoples television would be like if young people made it themselves without the intervention of adults.

Computers and cameras where placed in the centres the young people would be working from and time was given on the BBC’s Digital Channel if the work created is ‘good enough for broadcast’.

The participants spent some time touring the various television studios at TVC, spending some time in the Blue Peter studio, and Top of the Pops. Some of the young people were filmed while in the Blue Peter Garden.

View some of the pictures taken at the event.

The research project is incredibly important for Digital Creativity, such an important organisation such as the BBC getting behind user generated content is a huge step for us, and we’re expecting an explosion of projects from this point onward focusing on creativity using information technology.

The young people spent the day at TV Centre sharing their work with a wider BBC audience, two of the participants went on television to talk about the work they have been doing, here they are:

 Input CBBC on BBC xChange Programme: Play Now | Play in Popup