CASE STUDY
youth video
Centro Colombo Americano and Educational Institution Antonio José Bernal in Medellin, Colombia September ‘09 - December ’09
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX : CASE STUDY of YOUTH VIDEO
Theme: Identity and Territory
Mayfield Arts Newbury House Art Action Toolbox: Case Study Video background Deirdre Walsh travelled to Colombia on a Youth In Action European Volunteer Service (E.V.S.) for three months in 2009 along with two other Irish volunteers. The three volunteers worked with the Centro Colombo Americano and 9 secondary schools in Medellin on a Youth Arts Festival. This festival was run as part of the Desarte Paz community art programme by the staff of the Paul Bardwell Gallery in the Centro Colombo Americano. Mayfield Arts Newbury House have been working in partnership with the Centro Colombo for many years and have also hosted Colombian volunteers in Mayfield on EVS programmes. The theme of the this project was Identity and Terriitory, and each of the schools chose a different medium to express this theme. The students of Antonio Jose Bernal wanted to focus on the identity and territories of displaced or intinerant people, many of whom came to Medellin fleeing violence.
Facilitators: Deirdre Walsh (Ireland), Over Alvarez (Colombia) Participants: Students from Educational Institution Antonio José Bernal in Medellin.
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX : CASE STUDY of YOUTH VIDEO
HOW DID WE DO IT? Step 1: Enabling Creativity & Storyboarding The group began with an exploration of the theme of displacement and itinerant identities. The students decided they wanted to focus on methods of communication as as a way to visually express the distance displaced people are from their families and friends. Non-formal participatory games and excersises were used to explore and develop the theme. This included using theatre excersises to allow the students to express themselves with their bodies as preparation for acting in the video. The students drew
Step 2: Shooting the video The students began by interviewing people who sell goods on the streets near their school, many of whom were forced to leave their homes and go to the city. The facilitators and the students agreed on a list of questions before going outside. The students were aware that some people may not want to be interviewed, but everyone they approached was happy to chat to them about their perspective on displacement and identity. The students created short drama pieces about a phone conversation to family and friends far away and also about a displaced family.
Step 3: Editing the Video and the Exhibition
The facilitators edited the video using Moviemaker, which is an application found on most P.C.s. They consulted the teenagers about their vision for the final video before editing, and also received music from the teenagers to include on the soundtrack. The facilitators also built a phone box for the video installion in the gallery and covered it with a collage of images taken during the workshops. One of the students came into the gallery to help paint a backdrop for the installion. The final video was displayed on a television inside the phone box during the Youth Arts Festival in the Centro Colombo Americano.
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX : CASE STUDY of YOUTH VIDEO
IMAGES OF THE FINISHED WORK
To view the final video folllow these links: Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKyhMZLf0Q Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfmg-TBPFQ0 Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/user/mayfieldarts?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/yGJwi5IH64s