We’re pleased to have commissioned three South West artists to create digital projects that reflect on what the last year has taught us about ourselves, our society and the changes that are needed when we finally emerge from this crisis.
Hannah Baxter-Freeman, who recently completed the Northcott’s Emerging Artists programme, will create a short film about the strength people have found in the face of adversity. Using a montage of moments captured by a broad range of participants, In Search of Rainbows will mix spoken word and an original soundtrack to reflect on the positives as well as the pitfalls of lockdown.
Alistair Debling‘s Hope in the Face of Heartbreak will use AI generated imagery to explore the queer community’s ability to adapt, evolve and survive a pandemic and the coronavirus’s own processes of mutation, adaptation and survival. Part survival guide, part disco, the film borrows its name from José Esteban Muñoz’s landmark essay on queer futurity.
Lucy Bell, a Devon-based writer and winner of the Kevin Elyot Award will invite school-age children to interview elders towards creating two new films about resilience across the generations. Performed by pension-age actors, Grown Ups will weave together moving, poignant and humorous perspectives on this unique moment in our history.
The first of our The Time Is Now projects were commissioned soon after the first lockdown in March 2020 and included podcasts, a community choir, a digital conversation about life in suspension, an online game and BOOM!, a film about mental health which has gone on to win numerous international awards. The new projects will be shared on this site and via our social media channels over the coming months.
We had such a positive reaction to the first iteration of The Time is Now commissions – they enabled us to support artists in new ways and continue to engage our audiences whilst the theatre was closed. We’re delighted to be working with three more artists on these digital projects to help us think about the changes we’ve experienced at this time and the changes we want to make for the future.
Helen Bovey, Northcott Producer