Launch of a New Creative Film

Media content: A group of aspiring young filmmakers from Dowdales School in Dalton-in-Furness will be re-visiting South Lakes Wildlife Animal Park - one of the many exciting locations they used for a new film entitled Cecil and the Penguins that addresses the important issue of climate change.

The young people will be able to mingle with the very stars of the show... the PENGUINS.

Cecil and the Penguins was commissioned as part of an extensive project called Climate Change Explorer by Cumbria Arts in Education and Helix Arts. This programme has involved nearly 200 young people from Dowdales School and the Drop Zone centre embarking on an amazing exploratory journey that has enabled them to work with artists, scientists and filmmakers and made them more aware of climate change and its effects.

The timing of the film premiere has been given extra significance with the recent Live Earth concert and the torrent of ‘headline grabbing’ bad weather, which has caused chaos across the world – people have pointed the finger of blame at the doorstep of Global Warming… as climate change, in one way or another, will play a major role in the lives of generations of people to come.

In addition to producing the film, the project has involved young people learning about climate change through a range of different subject areas, including English, Art, Religious Studies, Drama, Geography, Philosophy and Media. New media artist Adam Clarke has been working at Dowdales School and Drop Zone since February this year and will continue until the end of the year.

Adam’s fresh and innovative approach has fired the enthusiasm of everyone because his ways of working really appeal to young people. Through filmmaking, animation, VJ-ing, philosophical discussion and many new media technologies, Adam has engaged young people and adults alike. After the screening of Cecil and the Penguins, Adam will be showcasing some of the exciting work carried out, including a climate change rap video – and getting people to come and have a go.

Cecil and the Penguins was made in association with local a Bafta award winning film company, Shoreline Films. The world premiere will be shown at Forum 28 in Barrow-in-Furness on Thursday 12 July with an extra special guest of honour - PAUL ROSE, international explorer & TV presenter (Paul has recorded a special pre-premiere message of encouragement for the young people that is available to the media on request) – Paul Rose unfortunately won’t be present at the afternoon media opportunity.

Paul Rose said: “The future of the Earth is in the hands of the next generation of field scientists. I have tremendous faith in them as they return from their investigative work “ground-truthing the planet” with insightful, meaningful knowledge and opinions that will help us to globally share technology and skills.”

“We have to explore the world to truly understand our planet. It’s one thing to see global warming stories on TV or in the press – quite another to ski across Greenland seeing huge puddles of water or flying over the Antarctic Peninsula and seeing floating ice shelves.” (Find out more about Paul Rose by visiting www.paulrose.org)

One of the key partnerships in the project has been with the Environmental Change Network (ECN), based at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Lancaster – they have been part of the project since it started and have provided the scientific data, which the young people and the artists have explored and interpreted creatively. (Full details of the creative and scientific elements of the project are listed in the main body of the press release).

Media contact: To register your interest in the aforementioned media opportunity please contact Garry Smith of Strictly Press on 0191 289 2809 or 0789 9910823, alternatively via email - news@strictlypress.co.uk

After the premiere of Cecil and the Penguins the material will be available to view online via www.globalvoice.org.uk/cce

Photography and interviews: All parental media permissions are in place for the press-call; a broadcast quality copy of Cecil and the Penguins, frame grab images from the film and the special Paul Rose pre-recorded message are available to the press on request.

“READ ALL ABOUT IT, READ ALL ABOUT IT… CLIMATE CHANGE EXPLORER.”

Full PR & Quote section: The following detailed press release will have details about Climate Change Explorer and provides lead quotes from (1) Viv West - Project Coordinator for Cumbria Arts in Education; (2) Teri Sayers - Project Coordinator for Helix Arts; (3) Adam Clarke – artist in residence at Dowdales School and Drop Zone; (4) Ian Booth and Jeremy Malcolm – Dowdales School; and (5) Andy Sier – Science Liaison Officer for ECN.

The forthcoming Climate Change Explorer website is designed to be an interactive online resource which will give young people the opportunity to share information and artworks inspired by issues around climate change. It is a groundbreaking education resource due to be launched in the autumn of 2007. The aim of the website is to give people [young learners and teachers] the chance to absorb and contribute information about climate change.

Climate Change Explorer has been supported by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Arts Council England and Creative Partnership Cumbria.

Climate Change Explorer – a programme developed by Helix Arts in collaboration with Cumbria Arts in Education has developed creative and scientific partnerships spanning two phases over a four year time period.

The creative elements of the project have been informed by staff of the Environmental Change Network (ECN) based at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Lancaster. Their climate change scientists and data they have gathered over a long period have helped inform the project.

As the science partner in the project, ECN has embraced the project as a fantastic opportunity to inform a wider audience about their research. ECN has been very impressed by the ways in which the artists Adam Clarke and Lorraine Berry have taken climate change data and found new and creative ways of communicating it to different audiences. Their work, and that of the young people, will be seen on the website.

The media is a very powerful tool of communication that can sway people’s way of thinking – this is why Climate Change Explorer’s website will provide a crucial educational resource for young people to investigate for themselves the environmental issues that will shape their future. Climate Change Explorer is all about freedom of choice – the creative facility enables its users to read and input material.

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Climate Change Explorer has undertaken two key phases of research and development since its inception in 2003.

The ball started rolling with the introduction of artist PETE ROGERS who worked closely with both Dowdales School and ECN – the culmination of the intensive work was the creation of a high tech Pod – which included the information wall and a cool Virtual Gallery.

A key element of Phase 2 is the on-going residency for new media artist ADAM CLARKE who produced informative multimedia work with the young people. The project has meant the young people at Dowdales School and Drop Zone have been introduced to fantastic new skills. It has also offered the opportunity for the young people to work alongside professional practitioners and widened their horizons to include a whole new world of career choices.

Phase 2 has seen artist LORRAINE BERRY create a web-based e-book feature breathtaking fractal images and moving musical sequences based on scientific data (samples of the images can be provided on request). ECN have been impressed and excited by the way their research has been portrayed so that it can be enjoyed by everyone.

Term: fractal – a fragmented geometric shape that can be subdivided in parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole (referenced from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Climate Change Explorer aims to encourage new partnerships between key individuals working in environmental arts, education and science. The project will implement this whilst exploring new ways of thinking about climate change.

To find out information about Cumbria Arts in Education and how your school or college can get involved with Climate Change Explorer please email viv@cumbriaarts.co.uk or call (015394) 30259 or visit www.cumbriaarts.co.uk
For further information about the work being developed by Helix Arts please email
info@helixarts.com or call (0191) 241 4931 or visit www.helixarts.com

It's our choice, it's our world and it's our future.... Climate Change Explorer.

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QUOTE SECTION:

Cumbria Arts in Education:

Viv West – North West Project Coordinator for Cumbria Arts in Education, said: “This project has a vital role to play for the young people of Dowdales School and Drop Zone, as the issues being raised have paramount importance to their future. The crucial element has been the opportunity for self exploration as the young people can learn on a much deeper level if they have had the chance to find things out for themselves.”

Viv states that the project has far excelled the team’s initial expectations and this has to be credited to the strong partnerships forged during the programme.

The aim of Cumbria Arts in Education is to increase opportunities for young people and the wider community in Cumbria to work with and benefit from the skills and expertise of professional artists - www.cumbriaarts.co.uk

Viv adds: “A particular strength of the project is the opportunity to work with hard to reach young people. In many ways this is the most challenging aspect of the project, but also one of the most rewarding. We are hoping to develop this in the future by building on the trust and good relationships established during Climate Change Explorer.”

Helix Arts:

"Putting a creative spin on the serious subject of Climate Change has been a great way for the young people to express their worries and fears about the environmental situation currently affecting our planet," said Teri Sayers, Project Manager for Helix Arts.

Helix Arts specialise in the development of projects and initiatives that explore the role and potential of the arts in a social context.

Teri underlines that the collaboration between science and the arts had major impact across the school’s [Dowdales] entire curriculum.

Teri continued: "The project has been a wonderful experience that has encapsulated the young people's feelings using new found creative skills that will also be valuable in other aspects of their learning.

"Helix Arts is keen to stress that our work isn't about preaching environmental issues to the young people, it's more about raising awareness and developing skills that will enable the individuals to acquire their own judgements and opinions on the world around us."

Adam Clarke, Filmmaker:

“At its core, my role as the New Media Artist in Residence has been about engaging young people through creative processes to explore climate change and how it might affect the planet both locally and globally,” said Adam Clarke.

Adam delivered his creative project work by using puppet making, animation, plasticine avatars, T-shirt design, poetry, rap and digital filmmaking. Adam facilitated creative approaches that encouraged staff and students to ask questions and voice their own thoughts about climate change. He worked extensively across the teaching departments within Dowdales School, as well as with the young people at Dropzone in Barrow in Furness.

Adam adds: “It has been an inspiring and informative project, for me as an artist, and for all those taking part.”

Ian Booth and Jeremy Malcolm, Dowdales School:

"The young people have benefited from a broadening of the curriculum; creating and developing new skills and ideas by using new media to explore the important issues of climate change. The project has offered the students and teachers a unique opportunity to work with artists in a creative and exploratory way, within their usual school environment,"

Ian and Jeremy continued: "It has always been the project's premise that the creative arts would be a great way to engage young people with the concept and issues that surround climate change. This project aims towards raising awareness and developing personal responsibility with young people and approach the other important areas of global citizenship and the environment in general."

For further information about Dowdales School please visit www.dowdalesschool.co.uk/home.htm

Environment Change Network (ECN):

Andy Sier – Science Liaison Officer for ECN, said:

“Climate Change Explorer has given an element of empowerment to the young people of Dowdales School, it has been a fun way of engaging them with serious scientific issues that will play a big part in their future.

“Science is quite often reported in the press showing scientists and politicians referring to technical jargon, which makes some people want to switch off. But I think that projects like Climate Change Explorer allow young people to use creativity to voice their opinions about the world in which they live, important when they are used to adults making the choices that will affect their future.”

For further information about ECN please visit www.ecn.ac.uk