ULTRALAB DIGITAL CREATIVITY AT THE V&A – 10 DECEMBER 2004

Together as a team at Ultralab (1990 - 2006) we’ve worked really hard over the past five years to challenge and empowered people worldwide with the potential of digital technologies for creative purpose. Together we’ve had a lot of fun, made some great friendships and we’re hearing all the right noises from all the key people who push us, and challenge us to take our research further, and deeper.

Friday, the final day of the 2004 projects was probably one of the highlights of my time here at Ultralab (1990 - 2006).

31 Ultranaut’s have been involved in SummerSchool / Ysgol Haf / Digital Creativity this year….from Graham and Greta checking the DVD structures, to Claire managing the guest logistics and school liason, Neil cleaning audio, Tony Browne working close with young people in Derry, Michael Hartley in Ayr College, Alex doing the SMS and Graphics, Jonathan liasing with visitors, and Geraint running around the V&A with a microphone interviewing the audience…..it would be impossible to say thanks to everyone without missing someone out…..

This year we’ve been followed, broadcasted and exposed on BBC Television, we’ve built up a reputation that we’re so key in this area that we’re now advisors on panels which were previously places you found historical film industry experts, we’ve proved others are now looking in our direction, these days, we sit next to them, and genuinely have the coolest ideas.

Our teams have worked in Derry, with communities considered divided, we’ve worked with prospective University and College students, and young people who live in Rural communities, we’ve been focused, we’ve been efficient and we’ve been brilliant at bringing people together to be creative, share ideas and we’ve been enabling, critical and supportive. We’ve met nice people, we’ve met some dodgy rogues, and we’ve had our fair share of bumps and smiles along the way. We’re still chasing some outstanding money, this was the first year where we met and worked one of those people you meet in life that you wish you had not met, but we’ve learned from that, and we’ll build and develop from our learning.

On Friday over 500 people attended the V&A from all over the UK to witness and celebrate the special event held to showcase the creative output from our 2004 portfolio of digital creativity projects. Each year we’ve tried to spread out which Ultranauts attend, and no matter what year, and what team work the V&A, it always goes like clockwork.

For me, it was not the event that was special, it always is. My highlight was being one of the Ultranaut’s who worked in a team which was so close nit. Everyone knew what they were doing, and everyone did everything they could to make the 2 events in the lecture theatre run without hitch. All Ultranaut’s performed and delivered one of the most amazing celebrations I’ve ever attended. Imagine two Ultralab (1990 - 2006) teams working together on different floors with 10 groups of people who all want to know what is going on, want a t-shirt, want to know where the toilets are, want to know what they have to do, or where to store their bag, or how long they have got to eat, or where they can buy tea or coffee, or who’s having an affair with Deidre in Coronation Street……its crazy….but everyone got the answer, everyone was in the right place at the right time, and no, Hal is not having an affair with Deidre in Coronation Street.

So, a huge well done to all the team at home, and at the V&A who did so much to make the ‘Digital Creativity’ (new name for SummerSchool) project end with such a bang….

….and not forgetting everyone involved in a SummerSchool based project, or involved in the production of the DVD set, which is a pretty special achievement in its own right….

Thanks everyone

—-PRESS INFO:

On Friday 10 December Ultralab (1990 - 2006), Anglia Polytechnic University‘s (APU) groundbreaking learning technology research centre brought together project partners from around the globe for the 2004 Digital Creativity celebration. This event, run by Ultralab (1990 - 2006) and hosted by the Victoria & Albert Museum in the prestigious lecture theatre was being held for the fifth year in succession (year one, and launch were hosted at the Millennium Dome).

During the whole day event, over 500 people attended to watch young people from around the UK present their work to the audience. Ultralab (1990 - 2006)‘s digital creativity projects spanned Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England as well as the APU Summer School, which Ultralab (1990 - 2006) hosted in July in association with APU‘s DACS and the APU Regional Office. Also represented were projects from New Zealand, Australia and Singapore, and young people from Tasmania chatted live through the Internet to explain the story behind their work.

BBC television, who have been broadcasting Ultralab (1990 - 2006)‘s digital creativity projects over the past few months were on hand to give careers advice (and free giveaway stuff!) to the audience of researchers, parents, nans and the press.

Ultralab (1990 - 2006) provided on screen expert advice and creativity critique for the BBC Blast programme, which is a place for young people to share their creativity. In 2002 Ultralab (1990 - 2006) undertook a key research project with Children’s BBC (CBBC) to find out if and how children coped making their own short films (young people were challenged to produce content for BBC channels themselves (Input CBBC))

This was the fourth time the V&A had hosted the digital creativity event, which was launched in the zone designed by Ultralab (1990 - 2006) in conjunction with Tesco at the Millennium Dome back in 2000. Next year Ultralab (1990 - 2006)‘s pioneering project with Creative Partnerships to build a qualification around digital creativity will build on lessons learned, and strive to create a certificate in creativity for everyone (more information at: www.i-cert.net).

During the performance, Ultralab (1990 - 2006) used the latest digital communication technologies to beam in a school from Australia who are respected for their creative edge who had taken part in the celebration of digital creativity:

Peter Lelong technology director at Fahan School, Tasmania, Australia reflects:

“Having the opportunity for my students from Years Nine and Ten to work so corroboratively with the Ultralab (1990 - 2006) was an empowering experience. Imagine asking students to work through their holidays on a class project and then to turn up at 5.30 am during the first weekend of the holidays to be part on an online conference?

Each of the girls have gained so much from the opportunity to work with the team at the Ultralab (1990 - 2006). The proof of the pudding is in the fact that each of the girls in Year Ten involved in the project has now enrolled in the Certificate II Multimedia course for 2005.

Normally I have two to three girls enrolled. Following work done with creative media activities such as the ‘Digital Creativity DVD project’, students are now much more engaged with ICT as it is now taught at Fahan school.

In 2005 we are working on a State wide (Tasmania) project, linking students together around the world as part of the Ten Days on the Island cultural festival. The innovative work being done at the Ultralab (1990 - 2006) has been the catalyst for change in a number of our schools here in Tasmania.”

David Anderson OBE, Director of Learning & Interpretation at the V&A said:
“At the V&A we only show the best and if Ultralab (1990 - 2006) do not come to us and use another venue to show the creativity of young people, I’ll personally want to know why”.

Since 1990 Ultralab (1990 - 2006) has been pushing the boundaries of digital creativity in projects in all sectors of education.

Ultralab (1990 - 2006) has been working hard over the past few months building a DVD containing all the work from all the digital creativity projects, the double dual layer disc set DVD was given to every young person that took part in the project.

Richard, Ultralab (1990 - 2006) & Matthew Eaves, Ultralab (1990 - 2006)

For more information visit: Digital Creativity

Digital Creativity Celebration huge hit to audience at V&A

An audience of three hundred attended the 4th annual Summer School creativity celebration at the Victoria & Albert museum in London. The event, which showcases the movies by the children is projected in the V&A’s prestigious lecture theatre, which they then defend from questions from the audience was an amazing experience, as ever, for all involved.

The event, run in conjunction with SEEVEAZ was broadcast internationally over the Internet. Neil, technician at the event and his team put on exceptional technical performance made perfect by the input, interaction and positive comments from the audience.

Prior to the presentation, hosted by Professor Stephen Heppell was the work from around the world, including the project in conjunction with TVNZ (New Zealand), the Belfast peace project and a movie from our friends in Singapore was shown and well received by the audience.

Once again Ultralab (1990 - 2006)’s SMS service accepted over 400 text messages from the audience, who were able to text to a big screen throughout the event.

For the first time Notschool.net joined the project, producing three excellent movies.

Greg Childs, from Childrens BBC, guest speaker at the event commented on how the work the children were doing really did matter to the future of British Television.

Ultralab (1990 - 2006) and SEEVEAZ would like to thank once again the team at the V&A for their support in the project, and to the Children for their once again exceptional, head turning, internationally renowned creativity.

Each child went home with a certificate, DVD containing their work, a Summer School branded hoodie, and the memories. The Ultralab (1990 - 2006) team enjoyed a Pizza Hut on the way home!

2001′s Digital Creativity Summer School films celebrated at V&A in London

The results from the 2001 project are amazing, with 17 excellent movies. The movies were turned into a DVD and exhibited at the V&A (Victorla and Albert) museum in an evening celebration of digital creativity managed by the Ultralab (1990 - 2006) team. Click to watch the audience arrive.

The film ‘Tacky’ stretched the possibilities of iMovie 2, ‘Tragedy’ was partly filmed at 4am, and the girls from ‘Ordinary’. Ordinary is a movie containing lots of face painted children defended their movie exceptionally well infront of a live audience at the V&A…

Teacher in Audience: “Why have you got your face painted throughout the movie? face painting is not ordinary”.

Girl from ‘Ordinary’ Film: “To a face painter, face painting is ordinary”.

December’s event at the V&A was attended by the DfES and the press, a spectacular achievement for all involved. The very first DVD to be produced by Ultralab (1990 - 2006) was built and presented to every child who took part in the project.

The movies have since been showcased at conferences and presentations worldwide. At one conference the BBC saw the work and began discussions with Ultralab (1990 - 2006) on a potential project where Children make their own television.

Click to watch Tacky or Tragedy or to watch the V&A event highlights for 2001, or click here to watch all the other movies from 2001.

Greg Childs from the Future TV department at Children’s BBC was the special guest speaker.

Ultralab (1990 - 2006) Team:
Stephen Heppell, George Variopoulos, Matthew Eaves, Hamish, Mark, Neil, Richard, Claire Gregory, Colin Elsey and Alex

Some images from the event:

2001 Ultralab Summer School DVD Production complete

Ultralab (1990 - 2006)’s first ever DVD production has been completed and pressed 1000 times. Congratulations to all the team involved in a day and night production. The disc contains all the work from the 2001 SEEVEAZ Summer School and will be given out at the 2001 V&A event, one copy to each researcher involved in the project.

Films included on the production include:

Spectacular, Vital, Tragedy, Dazed, Tacky, Hopeless, Aqua, Fast, Superfluous, Ordinary, Phobias, Posh, Attractive, Smooth, Emotions, Brittle and Torn

Team: George Variopoulos, Matthew Eaves and Alex

Emotions Film Research Project starts with SEEVEAZ

The next Summer School project called ‘Emotions’ has begun with a new batch of ‘Researchers’ had to ‘tell an emotional’ story about a word. Each child picked one word out of a hat out of a possible 100 words. The first challenge, in groups of 4, was to decide which of the words picked out of the hat by the groups members should be made into a film.

In groups the young people will need to decide from the words they have pulled at random, which of these will they make a film about? This challenge requires the groups to bond quickly in order to being their tough challenge.

The film had to last for no more than 3 minutes, have a suitable soundtrack, loop and contain the word and names of the Researchers involved in the movie.

If the films created by the young people are good enough they will be included in a DVD production and displayed at the V&A museum in December.

This project is funded for the second year by SEEVEAZ, the South East of England Virtual Education Action Zone.

Transformation Digital Creativity Project concludes at the Millenium Dome

SEEVEAZ (South East of England Virtual Education Action Zone) approached Ultralab (1990 - 2006) to ‘do something creative’ with children during the month of August 2000. The ‘action zones’ were set up as part of a government initiative to support schools within regions who had not fully adopted technology within their teaching and learning. SEEVEAZ became the only ‘virtual’ action zone in the country and worked closely with Ultralab (1990 - 2006) throughout its five year life-span (starting in 2000).

SEEVEAZ initially challenged Ultralab (1990 - 2006) with young people from its regional schools which were considered ‘gifted and talented’ but were also ‘not performing to their potential.

The objective of the first summer school was to give a ‘touch challenge’ which would try and test the young people involved in the project to ‘raise their game’ when returning to academic lessons after the summer break.

Ultralab (1990 - 2006) Director, Stephen Heppell challenged the young people with a project called ‘Transformation’. The young people were given still cameras and computers and set the task (in groups) to ‘tell the story of transformation from one state to another in a series of still images’.

The completed pieces of work were exhibited at the Millenium Dome, where Ultralab (1990 - 2006) worked with Tesco to design ‘The Learning Zone’.

One of the seven movies, ‘A Century of People’ is based on the ageing process in humans. The movie starts with a pregnant woman, then a newborn baby, then a one year old right through to a one hundred year old person. The movie points out the differences between the ages that you would not normally notice. There are a hundred photographs, one for every age.

The movies produced by the children from the SEEVEAZ schools in Essex and Kent were so exceptional and led to the 2001 project ‘Emotions’, which budget was allocated to for the purchase of equipment schoolwide.

Lots of lessons were learnt from the initial pilot project which went on to being and formulate the Ultralab (1990 - 2006) formula to running an effective digital creativity project on a global scale.

Some of the movies are here on digitalcreativity.org, click below to watch them: