Virtual Visionaries
Created alongside twenty students with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, VIRTUAL VISIONARIES was a large scale immersive video installation that was exhibited at Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle.
The project partners included Dryden School, Sir Charles Parsons School, Beacon Hill School, Hedley’s College, Great North Museum and Novak. The project was funded by Arts Council England and Sir James Knott Trust.
Beacon Films worked on a one-to-one basis with each student, with the support of school staff. The team filmed the young people taking part in activities they enjoyed and then showed the material back to them to see what visual or audio cues they responded to most positively.
Through this gradual process, the team created 20 individual films, which took it in turns to focus on the unique personalities of each young person. These visuals were connected together by a creative soundtrack which was also made collaboratively with the students. Musician: Simon Tarrant worked with small groups of young people to create a mesmerising score.
All this work culminated in a two-channel video installation at Great North Museum, which exhibited between 22nd October and 4th November 2022. This included a projection onto one of the gallery’s walls, and a synchronised circular projection onto its floor.
The young people came from the schools to experience their exhibition. It was the first time that any of them had their own work shown in a museum or gallery space.
In particular the floor projection was very popular because many young people's natural posture is to look downwards. Some may find 'looking up' quite challenging. The ground projection was also easy to interact with. The young people enjoyed walking on it, and some even got out of their wheelchairs and lay on their projection too.
We carried out audience feedback and out of 97 responses, 84% rated the exhibition either 4/5 or 5/5.
Virtual Visionaries - Single Channel Version
Virtual Visionaries - Behind the Scenes - Made by Daniel Ratcliffe.
