The Virtually There project in Ireland
Welcome
Protocols
Acknowledgment of country
This explored the ‘now’ of our online world in response to COVID-19 as a tool for Artists to creatively adapt practice to facilitate online creative encounters with community.
We heard from Julie Forrester speaking live from Ireland about her experience with the ‘Virtually There’ project with Kelly Drummond Cawthon (Second Echo Ensemble) and Sheree Martin (The Little Red Art Shed) sharing their own early stage explorations into ZOOM and Blue Jeans as online platform options.
This is the 45 minute Zoom recording of Julie’s presentation with Q&A at the end.
“Thanks for inviting me to talk to the ArTELIER artists it was fun to share that stuff in another direction on the other side of the world!
I wish I could have stayed up for the rest but needed to grab my zzzzz for the next day, would love to see some avatars, so will keep checking in to your wonderful resource.
Here’s some info on the apps:
Stopmotion Studio Pro is the app - it is available for iphone, android and apple and pc desktops though much better on phone than desktop, it’s useful to have both - get it here https://www.cateater.com/
The other software we used has all expired pretty much since I got it on the iPads (2016!), sketches pro is still there and works well, autodesk sketchbook is cool for a bit of fairly limited motion stuff but fun effects, I am sure there are other great apps out there now, its just about but any current image compositing stuff will work in combination too with stopmotion studio. There are also other great stopmotion apps - really I think its a personal choice as much as anything, as with much software I have found that what works best for you may not be at all intuitive for me.. so out there and go a hunting - also kids are great teachers so if you are not techy (like me) they will show you how to do it.
In the classroom we used Collaborate and the Interactive Whiteboard, standard in UK schools very CLUNKY but had its own charm as we got to know it, most of the animation conversations with kids took place on this interface”
Julie is a Cork based artist, her work engages with random and rhythmic encounters with the everyday, where outcomes take the form of drawing, sculptural, photographic, moving image or other manifestations. Julie graduated in sculpture from the Slade School of Art, London, has qualifications in Community Arts Practice and Multi Media and holds an MA in Art Process from Crawford College of Art And Design. Passionate about the transformative power of creative practices, Julie has been working on residency in community settings since the 1990s with Cork Community Art Link, Triskel Arts Centre, Tigh Fili, Ogra Chorcai, Backwater Artists’ Group. and Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership. She is currently an education panelist with The Crafts Council of Ireland and The Crawford Art Gallery and works out of her studio in Cork City.
This image shows student avatars that lived on Julie’s studio desk - the practice of "proxy" in remote and virtual learning/play
Virtually There is a long-term project that places artists in schools via virtual technology. Running since 2007, the project supports artists to connect from their studios with teachers and children in the classroom, engaging in contemporary art practice that stems from the artists’ own studio practice.
At present, eight schools across Northern Ireland are working with eight artists from North and South and further afield.
The project has its own dedicated website, www.virtuallythere.org.uk, where you can closely follow its progress.
Here are some images from her work - she will speak for about 30 minutes about her work with the project and discuss the challenges and potential of working remotely.
Sharing our Practice:
Kelly Drummond Cawthon will speak about her work using bluejeans https://www.bluejeans.com/ and how this works with her communications and creative development with Second Echo Ensemble.
Sheree Martin (The Little Red Art Shed) will talk about her recent experience with online program delivery in Hobart.
Watch Sheree’s presentation here
