Virtual Visionaries
Created alongside twenty students with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, VIRTUAL VISIONARIES was a large scale immersive video installation that was exhibited at Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle.
The project partners included Dryden School, Sir Charles Parsons School, Beacon Hill School, Hedley’s College, Great North Museum and Novak. The project was funded by Arts Council England and Sir James Knott Trust.
Beacon Films worked on a one-to-one basis with each student, with the support of school staff. The team filmed the young people taking part in activities they enjoyed and then showed the material back to them to see what visual or audio cues they responded to most positively.
Through this gradual process, the team created 20 individual films, which took it in turns to focus on the unique personalities of each young person. These visuals were connected together by a creative soundtrack which was also made collaboratively with the students. Musician: Simon Tarrant worked with small groups of young people to create a mesmerising score.
All this work culminated in a two-channel video installation at Great North Museum, which exhibited between 22nd October and 4th November 2022. This included a projection onto one of the gallery’s walls, and a synchronised circular projection onto its floor.
The young people came from the schools to experience their exhibition. It was the first time that any of them had their own work shown in a museum or gallery space.
In particular the floor projection was very popular because many young people's natural posture is to look downwards. Some may find 'looking up' quite challenging. The ground projection was also easy to interact with. The young people enjoyed walking on it, and some even got out of their wheelchairs and lay on their projection too.
We carried out audience feedback and out of 97 responses, 84% rated the exhibition either 4/5 or 5/5.
The Film (single-channel version)
Behind the Scenes Documentary (made by Daniel Ratcliffe)
Andrew Coats, Creative Director at Beacon Films said: “The school’s deep knowledge of each young person, and expertise in interpreting students’ responses was crucial in building a genuinely collaborative process. The installation is a fascinating insight into the unique personalities of a group of young people who usually find themselves overlooked by the arts world. We hope that this project will be the start of a bigger exploration of how young people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities can be brought closer to culture: not just by enjoying art, but by creating it too.”
Dr Kate Holden, Learning Officer at Great North Museum: Hancock said: “We are delighted to have been working with Beacon Films and the schools on such an inspiring project. We are working to bring new perspectives to the museum and those of these young people will give insights not only to our visiting public, but also to our own team as we support learning and access to culture for all.”
Claire Wear, Lead Co-ordinator for Sensory and Creativity at Sir Charles Parsons School, one of the partners on the project, said: “Charles Parsons School was delighted to be contacted and asked if we would be interested in our students with profound and multiple learning disabilities taking part in making a film. It was lovely for our students to be able to showcase their individual personalities through their responses to various activities they were part of. Students were fully involved in the process and showed real enjoyment when participating and watching their films back. The whole project has shown us that children and young adults with profound and multiple learning difficulties and complex needs can be part of the wider world, taking part in new cultural experiences and adventures.”