Creativity connecting people during the COVID-19 crisis
Updated: 30th April 2020
Despite social distancing and having to stay at home, creative practitioners, cultural and community organisations in Torbay are finding innovative ways for residents to get creative, listen to music, poetry and spoken word; encouraging people to watch performances, read books, feel uplifted and still enjoy life. A number of opportunities are also cropping up for creative practitioners as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Culture and creativity gives communities hope, and brings people together even when they must be apart.
“You have to make beauty in dark times” (Artist Walter Bockhorn)
New initiatives from Torbay’s cultural community
By sharing some of these projects, we hope to help you to come up with your own ideas to use creativity and digital communications to #CounterCOVID19Creatively if you feel able to. Over the coming weeks there will be more projects and ideas, and we’ll share these here and via our Twitter and Facebook channels.
Sound Communities: Shipwreck Radio is a social action initiative led by young producers at Ocean Youth who are responding to the current situation including schools closing. Young producers plan the content which provides a channel for local musicians and spoken word artists to share their creativity during a time when performances have been cancelled. Community groups or schools wanting to work remotely with their participants can also create a podcast. For details contact [email protected]
Richard Chappell Dance: Local choreographer Richard is inviting dance artists, students and professionals to join him in one-to-one Skype creative conversations, to stay connected, stay talking and keep some form of momentum continuing with their work.
Robert Garnham: Robert is a spoken word artist based in Torbay who has set up Big Poetry Goes Viral on Facebook with regular curated shows and open mics.
Libraries Unlimited: Staff from Torbay’s libraries are continuing to get people reading, with an increase in titles available to borrow as e-books or e-audiobooks and live events for children on Facebook, including story time and Music, Rhythm & Rhyme.
Coach House Arts: The Celebrate Chelston Willow Wander project (part of Torbay’s Great Place Scheme) has swapped its community-based willow-weaving workshops for home-delivered kits. Vik Westaway, Kate Richards and Laura Carus are supporting the community remotely to make and display their creations in their gardens for other people to appreciate as they take their daily walk. They are aiming to continue to build a sense of community and collective endeavour whilst we must all stay at home.
Step In Time is a programme for older people who normally meet to dance together and follow strength & balance exercises. They are now dancing together online during self-isolation as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, using videos classes on YouTube.
Torquay Museum: Digging into their archive, Torquay Museum are sharing rare historic photographs of the local area, and are taking requests! They are also featuring an “Object of the Week”. Check it all out on their Facebook page.
Torre Abbey: The Torre Abbey team are keeping their future visitors connected by sharing an ‘A to Z of Torre Abbey’ on their Facebook page and have adapted their Young People’s Photography Competition so people can get snappy despite the government restrictions. And have you tried Monkercise yet?
Emberlense Productions & English Riviera Film Festival: John Tomkins has been making good use of technology to interview film industry experts from around the world. All the episodes are available on the ERFF website.
Hugh Nankivell & Lucky 7 Music Club: The venue might be closed but music leader Hugh Nankivell is starting a new series of the Lucky 7 Music Club on Zoom. Hugh aims to bring people together in an inclusive way to make music, talk about theory and history. The group so far has been very mixed in ability and experience, with people aged from 2-70 joining in. You need an instrument but you may have played it very little, a lot or never before! Find out more.
Other organisations are curating many other inspiring examples from around the world, including March Network.
Image: still from “We’re not made to isolate” by film-maker Joshua Gaunt, part of the 2016 ‘Just Ask’ project
