- Digital Fiction Samplers
- Introduction
- A Team's Map
- Flying B's
- Rough C's Map
- Rough C's Duck Adventures
- Captain D's
- Easy E's
© Ebb and Flow 2011
WHAT?
Ebb and Flow is a collaborative digital fiction project exploring the often contradictory concepts of technology and literature. Digital fiction, with the creative process at its heart, uses a spectrum of digital techniques to develop, extend and communicate stories. A contemporary take on the timeless art of telling tales. This is the eighth collaborative arts project the partners have undertaken over the past decade.
WHO?
Five Suffolk Schools, Beacon Hill School, Deben, Kesgrave and Stoke High Schools together with St Joseph's College were joined by partners Kate Pullinger, award winning author, who led the project, digital authors Tim Wright, J R Carpenter and Chris Meade with University Campus Suffolk, Andy Campbell of One to One Development Trust, Simon Gleen of Netphobia and Project Director Tony Newman from artsroute. The project was funded by the Department for Education under the Independent / State Schools Partnership Scheme.
HOW?
The stories are based on the River Orwell – a river that joins Ipswich and
Felixstowe where the 5 schools are located. To set the scene, gather ideas and
collect digital material – video, photographic and sound – 75 pupils and staff
sailed down the River Orwell in September 2010. During the Autumn this material
was brought to a series of four workshops at University Campus Suffolk. Here the
teams, The A Team, Flying Bs, Rough Cs, Captain Ds and Easy Es, each made up
from members of the different schools – worked with the authors to collaborate
on creating stories. With each workshop led by a different author, the results
were eclectic and exciting, limited only by the creativity and imagination of
the pupils.
Over the winter months the teams met virtually to continue the work on a
dedicated website, organised by Simon Gleen at Netphobia. In the Spring of 2011,
Kate Pullinger led two more workshops at St Joseph's College where the pupils
shared their work, swapped ideas and planned progress be-fore submitting their
stories to Andy Campbell of One to One Development Trust. Andy then created this
website to showcase the Teams' work.
COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
For the past decade a number of Suffolk Schools have collaborated on a series of
creative arts projects, led by St Jo-seph's College in collaboration with
artsroute. The schools involved were: Beacon
Hill School, Charsfield Primary School, Copleston High School, Deben High
School, Kesgrave High School, St Albans High School, St Joseph's College, Stoke
High School, Westbourne High School.
PAST PROJECTS
2001/2
Earth Words – An exploration of man's harmony with the environment with resident
artist Liz McGowan. The final exhibition was a sculpture trail in the grounds of
St Joseph's College. (Approx. 85 pupils and 8 staff involved). Sponsored by
BTExact.
2002/3
Junk Culture – An exploration of man's use and abuse of the environment using
discarded materials from the three schools to create sculptures with resident
artist Clare Iles. The exhibition formed part of the IP-art 2003 Arts Festival
(Approx 110 pupils and 11 staff involved). Sponsored by BTExact.
2003/4
Dream Works – A celebration of man's creativity and imagination with resident
artist Maggie Campbell. The project was based around Shakespeare's Midsummer
Night's Dream. There were two performances in July 2004. (Approx 80 pupils and 9
staff involved) Sponsored by BTExact.
2004/6
Double Vision - (Funded under the ISSP scheme). An exploration of Ourselves, Our
Roots, Our Community using digital technology. The exhibition in 2005 was a
series of short videos devised by the pupils under the guidance of artist in
residence David Blandy. These were exhibited in the schools and at the Ip-art
2005 Festival in Hughes TV and Audio in Tower Ramparts. Partners, BT and
Goldsmiths College. There was a further exhibition of work in July 2006 for the
Ip-art 2006 festival at Hughes TV and Audio. (Approx 120 pupils 12 staff)
2005/6
Ice House – (Funded under the ISSP scheme). An archaeology technology project,
excavating an ice house and using interactive whiteboard and digital technology
to research, record, and present an exhibition and develop curriculum materials
for KS3. Exhibition at SCC, Russell Road, July 2007. Business partners: SCC
Archaeology Services, East Anglian Daily Times, MLM Consulting Engineers.
Exhibition: July 2006. (approx 220 pupils and 15 staff)
2006/8
Auto|Mobile (2007) SENSE (2008) – (Funded under the ISSP scheme) A modern dance
project working with Random Dance, DanceEast, the Ipswich Borough Council and in
2008, Suffolk County Council and Britten Sinfonia. A series of dance workshops
led by Random Dance culminated in a site specific performance in the Crown
Street Car Park for the Ip-art Festival in July 2007. In 2008, working with
composer Stevie Wishart and Britten Sinfonia, the pupils com-posed and performed
the music for the dance – led by Wayne McGregor | Random Dance - in a further
site specific performance at Endeavour House in Ipswich on July 10 & 11 for the
Ip-art Festival. (approx 230 pupils and 20 staff)
2009
Out of the Box – two GATE writers' workshops, short story competition and Young
Peoples' Slam with authors Vanessa Gebbie and Matt Thorne, April and July 2009.
Sponsored by BTExact. Approx. 60 pupils and 5 staff
20010/11
2010/11 Ebb and Flow – (Funded under the ISSP scheme). A digital fiction project
led by award winning author Kate Pullinger, together with digital authors, Tim
Wright, J R Carpenter, Chris Meade, and partners University Campus Suffolk,
Simon Gleen of Netphobia and Andy Campbell of One to One Development Trust.
Following a river trip and a series of workshops, students collaborated on
digital fiction stories inspired by the River Orwell, culminating in a dedicated
website commissioned in July 2011. Approx 75 pupils and 8 staff.
Tony Newman
Projects Director, artsroute
The A Team group have written a series of stories that flow down the River Orwell in Google Maps.
Here is an extract from The Adventures of Flo
Bored and lonely. That is how I felt the day I took it upon myself to leave my comfortable apartment on Neptune Key. I had the resolve for adventure - and where better to start an adventure than the immediately locality. The River Orwell is right on my doorstep, so it seemed logical that this is where I should start...
As I sail down the river gazing into the murky river I question whether this was a good idea. The excitment faded as we slowly moved along the river but then in the distance I saw a shadow of something I hadn't seen before...it seemed to be a rusty orange shell of an old boat. As I stare at the remains of the ship I can't help but imagine what it was used for...a tour boat...a ferry..or maybe a merchant ship...Check out the project on your desktop computer to continue the adventure!
The Flying B's decided that they wanted to create an interactive newspaper.
Here's an extract:
"Professor Biggs, from the department of Psychology at Oxford University, has spoken out today on his research on witnesses memories. He now believes that the Soldiers from the River Orwell attack have been tampering with witnesses memories to try and cover up the invasion..."
Check this out on a desktop computer - it's got some very funny videos in it and pages you can grab hold of and turn with the mouse.
The Rough C's have written a series of stories which are embedded inside a Google Map.
The stories are all about the adventures of various ducks on the River Orwell and represented by a different coloured rubber duck on the map.
Here is an extract from A Duck's Adventure
I waddled along, it was a typical morning for Ipswich. The sun forced its way through the tall buildings, people were rushing by, checking their watches, late for work... again. The smell of a fresh river was overpowered by the pollution and exhausts of cars, boats and buses.
I found some scraps of bread, they were thrown at me by an old crippled man in a trilby hat which was worn out and ragged.
As I ate the stale crust I lost my balance, I was enjoying it so much I didn't realise what was happening and where i was going. When all of a sudden I fell. Down the edge of the river wall. I had never fallen before, it was like I was flying.
It was a shame to experience the pain of landing though. I thought i would land directly in the river. A nice cooling and relaxing splash. But no, instead I landed on something I heard the humans call a "boat"?Check out the project on your desktop computer to read the whole series!
Captain D's decided to create an amazingly colourful interactive map full of stories.
This project is best viewed on a desktop computer or iPad, but here are some samples of writing from the map!
The cold air thrashed harshly on my face,
But I still looked out at the sea,
I stood on the boat, overwhelmed,
That was the most magical moment for me.
There was a beautiful view of water rippling,
Waves foamed as they lapped at the boat,
Bright rays of sun created a bridge-silhouette,
And in the distance, a single tree stood, remote.
Caws of seagulls shrieked through the scene,
But they failed to drown out the waves' sounds,
They rose and crashed against the surface of the water,
They blocked out all voices from my surrounds.
Warm spurts of sunlight dried me,
But salty drops of water showered my face,
The wind flew through my hair, sending it backwards,
On the moving river, I felt the boat rock gently with grace.
The cold air thrashed harshly on my face,
But I still looked out at the sea,
I stood on the boat, overwhelmed,
That was the most magical moment for me.
And that is my most treasured memory.
by Leigh
THE CASTLE
The Castle is one of those places that everybody seems to avoid, for no particular reason really, just the fear of an isolated ruined castle sitting in the middle of a bone dry moat that is in a state of disrepair. The fact that it looks as if it would topple over with just the weight of a feather leaning against it probably doesn't help the matter. I am the National Trusts Health and Safety Officer, which, in conclusion, means a lot less than it sounds. I am just simply the person that wanders round old historical buildings to see whether they would fall down or not if a couple of members of public had to pay to go and look at them.
On my visit there I had quite an unusual experience. An extremely unusual experience...
I climbed the steps to the draw bridge, well what once was a draw bridge and entered into the great hall of the castle. The old castle was cold and the icy air from outside was coming in through all the broken windows and doors. This room was very unsafe as the floor boards were creaking and cracking and were easy to trip over so I wrote down in my notebook...
"The great hall- creaky floorboards, not safe to walk on, needs major repair. Broken windows and the draw bridge is not really there."
Whistles and creaks were plentiful, for a moment I thought the castle was whispering and sighing or saying something but then... how could it? That was just not normal, not that the castle was normal, actually it was far from it. So I carried on clip board in hand, walking along my path. I noticed something, not that it was anything to do with health and safety but I think it made me feel safer to write everything strange down, like someone was with me I supposed.
"There are no shadows."
Panic set in but I carried on, forcing myself to walk.
I decided next that I would go to the dungeons. I had no idea what I would find down there. What I had seen terrified me but it had not prepared me for this. The door to the dungeon creaked open, as the chains on the other side swung and bashed against the door. Murky shapes flicked about... All the shadows were being kept in this room and I had let them out! One after the other they fled and I followed the trend and fled too...
by Alice and Elizabeth