Imaginate, Scotland’s national organisation that promotes and develops theatre for children and young people, has just launched its latest schools project, In a New Light. This project is a collaboration between artists and children who face barriers accessing the arts in Scotland, Bangladesh and Singapore.
Three experienced artists, Gudrun Soley Sigurdardottir in Scotland, Kamruzzaman Shadhin in Bangladesh, and Renee Chua in Singapore, will work together with young people from each country to explore the collective voice of young people in relation to the current ecological crisis.
In a celebration of diverse stories, cultures and experiences, In a New Light will connect children and artists across borders through contemporary performance. The groups, that include one from St Ninian’s Primary in Edinburgh, will meet online from early October till December 2020 when they will participate in a range of arts activities encouraging creativity, reflection and collaboration. The project will culminate in the creation of a performance using original text, movement and song, with young people and artists working collaboratively across the three countries.
In A New Light is a partnership between Singapore’s The Artground, that aims to provide positive arts experiences across a variety of art forms for children from birth to 9 years; Bangladesh’s Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts, a multidisciplinary platform that aims to make art that responds to the local history and culture and Scotland’s Imaginate.
The project has been developed as part of the Arts for Good Projects 2020 from Singapore International Foundation (SIF), following the participation of Imaginate’s Creative Development Director Fiona Ferguson in the Arts for Good Fellowship. This is an annual programme that brings together individuals from diverse sectors all over the world to harness the power of the arts to enhance cross-cultural understanding and create positive social change.
The three representatives, Fiona Ferguson, Renee Chua of Singapore and Salma Jamal Moushum of Bangladesh, met during the 2018 Fellowship when they decided to collaborate on Arts for Good projects.
Fiona Ferguson said “Connecting children and artists across borders forms the foundation of In a New Light. We are delighted to have been selected as an SIF Arts for Good Project and hope to take this opportunity to celebrate diverse voices of children and to share their ideas and hopes at this time of uncertainty.”
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 