At A Distance Together

Creative Tasks to Accompany Isolating Times  

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In April 2020, following the COVID 19 Pandemic, Scotland was in lockdown. 

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Our main priority during this time was to remain connected with our two core groups The Women’s Creative Company and Shared Space. Unable to meet any of them in person, we recognised that many of our community collaborators were simultaneously very isolated, very bored, very busy and very stressed. 

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From April 2020 we shared creative tasks from invited Guest Artists with our groups and complemented these with online creative sessions, where members shared their responses and experiences, got creative and remained connected with one another. 

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At A Distance Together, which ran until March 2022, had 3 main strands:  

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Creative Packs 

Creative Packs offered our groups quality creative explorations from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The packs contained weeks' worth of multi artform tasks and arts materials for participants to respond in text, image, textile, print, video, drawing and sound form. 

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We created a private digital platform for participants to share their responses and connect with each other, written instructions had translations provided and cheerful, user-friendly instruction videos uploaded each week.   

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We delivered 192 Creative Packs direct to the homes of our group members. 

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Regular Creative Sessions

We ran 36 cross-artform creative sessions for our groups, facilitated by Guest Artists exploring a wide range of creative skills and practice and safe supportive spaces for group members to remain connected and creative. Alongside these two strands, we also created opportunities for a more holistic wellbeing and connection with 8 online wellbeing and social sessions. 

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With thanks to all the guest artists who supported the project: Tawona Sithole Rachael Morrison, Najma Abukar, Catrin Evans, Paria Goodarzi, Raisah Ahmed, Greer Pester, Bircan Birol, Alice Mary Cooper and Francisco Llinas Casas, Layla Roxanne-Hill, Lynda Radley and Lucy Cathcart Froden. 

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Digital Engagement  

We created a private digital platform for participants to share their responses and connect with each other, written instructions had translations provided, and cheerful, user friendly instruction videos uploaded each week.   

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With funding support from Connecting Scotland, we sourced and delivered 37 Chromebooks / iPads, 32 home MiFi devices, provided data top-ups, IT support and interpreting for group members experiencing practical challenges to online access, as well as the development of AMP's accessibility framework of delivery moving forward. See more info here.

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Accessibility has always been at the heart our projects, and we are glad to be part of a wider, and necessary conversation within our communities and cultural/funding sector surrounding digital access. 

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"Goodness, I so enjoyed the packs for so many reasons! Firstly, it was exciting, building expectancy as to what the project would be that week. There was also joy in the knowledge that others were participating in the same project. A real feeling of being connected.

 

I also liked the many forms of media explored. This challenged me creatively. I loved seeing the images that the others created, amazed actually! I loved it all!" 

 

Group Member

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