(r38 - June 24th 2011
A new exhibition is about to open at Woodhorn - the result of months of intensive work with hundreds of young people from all over Northumberland.
(r38 – which literally means “create” in Leet, the language used by programmers and online gamers – is the creative response by young people to the recent Miners’ Picnic at Woodhorn and the exciting Videogame Nation exhibition running at the attraction. They have worked with artists and illustrators overcoming boundaries to learn new skills at the same time as developing an appreciation of their heritage.
Juliet Hardy, Creative Mentor with Time Travel Northumberland based at Woodhorn is very proud of the final results.
“It has been an amazing project and a real challenge for some of the young people to work in disciplines they have never tried before to create work for this exhibition,” explained Juliet. “They have been asked to visit places they wouldn’t normally go, interact in ways they never imagined, and then go on to interpret their thoughts to engage other young people and wider audiences.”
This exhibition is just the latest project facilitated by Juliet through Woodhorn’s Time Travel Northumberland programme which aims to engage with young people with the archives whilst developing their confidence and skills base for future learning through music, art and film to become ambassadors for change and develop future audiences. It is part of NE-Generation funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK.
“(r38 is a young person’s interpretation of historical content,” said Juliet. “It is also an attempt to break down barriers that exist that discourage young audiences using the archive. It has been a challenging process but it has been very rewarding and I’m sure people will find the drawings and illustrations very interesting.”
The exhibition has an interactive element too and an illustration competition for all ages with a prize voucher for the winner.
The exhibition runs from 25 June until 28 August 2011.