Tina Carter explains how different communities and artists are coming together through a project in Kent.
Expressive Feat Productions has been commissioned with its partners to deliver a large-scale community arts project across four Kent boroughs. The aim of the commission, Common Ground, is to investigate a ?sense of place and identity in a period of great change? responding to the high concentration of development along the Thames Gateway. Our aim is to create a film based on the journeys of four characters, each representing a community partner in the project. The characters will be devised through stories gathered from the communities using writing, story-telling and performance-based workshops. Having finalised the script with the screenwriter, the communities will work with regionally-based artists to physically develop the characters ? as large-scale puppets or costumed elements brought together through dance and movement. The script will come to life through the constructed characters assisted by their community creators and will be filmed at strategic locations in each borough. A screening of the final film in each area with an accompanying exhibition and documentary will draw the project to a close.
As with most projects, this all works on paper, and after a few attempts it could even work to budget, but there are potential obstacles to be met along the way. How do we locate the different communities? How do we ensure that each individual is benefiting from their participation? How do we solve any clashes between the groups? Is it really possible to bring about social and cultural cohesion through one time-limited arts project? And, more essentially, will people be interested enough to volunteer their time and effort into making the project work? What about potential creative and artistic clashes between the professional artistic team and the communities? interpretations? In fact, when you really think about it there are huge areas for concern when undertaking any project that aims to work with large numbers of people all working towards their own agendas!
However, there are obviously some incredible plus points. We?re only at the very start of the project, and already we have had excited responses from community groups and individuals around the region all wanting to know how they can get involved. We have a highly qualified writer keen to work on the script and a body of artists eager to offer their support. Of course, we are all involved for our own reasons, but these don?t necessarily have to clash. One community group is keen to increase awareness locally of their work and aims to increase its numbers through involvement in the project; another has already undertaken comprehensive gathering of stories in their area and sees this as an ideal extension of their literary work; local amateur writers are keen to put their stories to the test, whilst youth groups will interact on a project that will offer them the chance to be creative, learn new skills and meet a diverse group of professional and local people.
For the artists, specialists in our own fields, this is an exciting and terrifying opportunity. The multi-disciplinary nature of the project was a deliberate decision to be as inclusive as possible; to provide a variety of opportunities to participants who may otherwise have felt excluded from a single artform focus. Where some will be keen to work on the story-gathering and development, others will be more interested in getting their hands dirty with the construction of the characters. There are also opportunities for people to work in front of and behind the cameras on both the creative and documentary films, as well as photographic and editorial works needed for the exhibitions.
After all, if a project offers no challenge, is it really worth undertaking?
Tina Carter is Artistic Director of Expressive Feat Productions.
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