Proposal Project: Nanoplex
contact: Kari Nygård, Kayle Brandon, Graeme Hogg Email: nanoplex@cubecinema.com Website: www.nanoplex.cubecinema.comIntroduction
The Microplex is small but the Nanoplex is smaller. This is because it is scaled down for children and young people. Scaled down and simplified, the systems and controls are reduced to chunky objects for play and enquiry. The Cinema is a complex environment consisting of machines, processes and people in constant communication. As well as utilising and paralleling cube systems we need to make space; Nanoplex is the version of the cube that accommodates and makes way for young minds, encouraging active learning creativity and providing opportunities for young people to help build and create their own culture. Education has been a driving force in the history of the Cube: everyone is self taught. There was no manual on how to program and run a cinema in the beginning, no guide or model to base ourselves on, no instructions with the building. Everything has come from trial and error, from trying and sometimes failing. In the wider sense, this has contributed to success of the Cube.1. You and your work
Active education has been crucial for our development and is embedded in our foundations. Nanoplex was conceived in order to translate the Cubes educational framework into terms understood by children. Adapting the space and facilities can happen on several levels; conceptual as well as practical, rigid as well as fluid. We see Nanoplex as a step toward providing young people with new opportunities to access and produce a program of contemporary arts and education on their own terms. We feel that The Cube Cinema is mature and diverse enough to develop this new branch. Nanoplex needs a robust and sustainable platform, to achieve this we intend to go through a period of research and development to answer questions, form links, identify partners and condense vision. Developing a program of educational activities will help establish a new way for people to come and participate in the Cube, hopefully leading to new recruits and members. This will prove critical in the long term survival of the Cube. The envisaged output of this period is : Pilot projects including screenings and workshops, production of a website to showcase and promote, sourcing educational and arts organisations in order to form partners, networks and program ideas. Kayle Brandon, Greame Hogg and Kari Nygaard will be leading this phase of Nanoplex, We will be working as a group and separately on specific areas. We each bring relevant skills, and experience to the project: Kari Nygaard: Animator/ Filmmaker Kari Nygaard has been a volunteer at the Cube Cinema from the very beginning and is currently working as a visiting artist for Creative Partnerships, Bristol. She works as a part of an initiative called 'the Creative Team' enabling young people in schools, teachers and artists to work together to develop childrens creative skills. Kayle Brandon: A practicing artist and core staff to The Cube Cinema, she been developing a practice and work which maybe of specific interest to young people. The work often deals with playful enquiry, exploration of space and social situations, she is interested in creating workshops and residency in learning environments that inspire creative approaches. Graeme Hogg: Has been active at the cube since its inception in 1997. He is interested in planning and developing collectively in an auto-didactic environment. His interests in education stem from recent experience looking after his own children. Currently the Cube has been the cultural centre for the Creative Partnerships project 5x5x5, in collaboration with early years school Four Acres and Artist Shirley Pegna. All involved enjoyed the experience and found the Cube as a setting interesting and exciting. The experience has proven successful and we will continue work with Four Acres and Creative Partnerships: both have expressed interest in our Nanoplex project and we intend to continue working with them.2. Making it happen
We have drawn up a five areas to focus on : 1.Questions To interface and relate to educational movements both state and independent we need to do more learning, fact finding and enquiring of our own: How can an organisation as independent and self-managed as the Cube form partnerships with schools, colleges and communities of children? How does the Cube conceptualise an educational project or event? What does the Cube see as its community in terms of people to draw from or aim its activities at? (We are particularly interested in notions of 'Inner-city') What are our Legal requirements? How does our auto-didactic learning and collective approach relate to conventional learning methods ? What age groups will we be working with? Only by going through a focussed enquiry into these things and their relation to our existing infrastructure can we begin to build Nanoplex. 2. Educational and creative Models We intend to look at a range of Educational models to inform and inspire our vision. This may include fact-finding trips, conference attendance and research. Current identified interests: SummerHill, East Anglia, Suffolk Reggio Emilia, Italy Home Education. (HEAS- home education advisory service). 3. Links, Partners, Networks and resources. We aim to encouraging cross curricular collaboration and build relationships between both schools and cinema educators/ artists. We will undergo an analysis of community needs; within physical and cultural geography, and ultimately offer partnerships within a wide catchment area. Current links : 5x5x5 Working with Reggio Emilia learning strategies within a collaborative project for early years children. We will be continuing work with Four Acres School after the success of The Cube as the Cultural centre in the recent 5x5x5 project. Dove Street action group A community organisation that organise activities for the Dove Street estate which were they live. We neighbour the estate and have been working with them at times in relation to specific projects. Creative Partnerships Creative Partnerships is a government-funded national initiative, established to develop schoolchildren's potential, ambition, creativity and imagination http://www.creative-partnerships.com/ 4. Pilot projects and Programming We envisage small projects to come out of this phase, these will be programmed and integrated into our current program of events. 5. Document Website We intend to produce a research and development document and website to inform and showcase the early stages of the project. The Website will also have admin and communication tools: Contact data-base, maiiling list, links page, and diary 'format' for archiving and planning. Administation Nanoplex will have a bank account and administration tools to deal with finances, contacts and communications effectively. We aim to work from December to March on this phase3. The Finances
Fees £1800 Travel £200 Pilot 1 event costs £300 Pilot 2 event costs £300 Pilot 3 event costs £300 Publicity £200 Programming and Web £200 Materials £200 Documentation £100 Total £36004. Benefits
This project will extend our personal practices: we are interested in 'Arts in education' and building on our knowledge of running The Cube and other creative projects. The Cube as an organisation will benefit from new audiences and the wider community. This in turn will have an impact on the overall practice of the Cube. Many areas of activity will benefit from the new learning and education dimension. The project will reach: Children and Young people, Parents, Educators, Cube volunteers and the wider community from across Bristol and even the West Country.5. Meeting our aims
Nanoplex will make a positive change to people here by providing the chance to take part in a high quality arts activity. It will invest in the creative talent of artists and individuals as well as supporting excellence and new ideas. As the Cube is an open, volunteer based enterprise anyone can join in and participate. The existence of Nanoplex then increases opportunities for cultural diversity in the arts.6. Evaluation
Some aspects of this research will be rooted in documentation namely the report and published findings. We will be looking to evaluate the overall effect of Nanoplex by documenting discussions and conducting interviews with members of staff as well as participants. Some online tools planned for other projects within this application (Trailer-Trash) can be adapted to assist in evaluation. Having immediate access to reviews and discussions can help keep this process current and ongoing. We will be happy to give presentations and organise talks about this or any other area of our practice.