by Rishi Bates (Senior Professional Youth Worker - Community Connections Plymouth City Council)
Back in early 2018 the Out Youth Project worked together to create a ‘Respect’ Graffiti Wall to brighten up the garden space at their centre. During this project the lead Youth Worker, Alison Feek, discussed an idea with two young people, Claire & Salina, about how to make a stone wall into something more interactive…They created interactive Augmented Reality images and an app to bring the wall to life! This was the conception of Igneous Interactive!
Following this Claire and Salina then attended a Creative Jam in Gijon, Spain in April 2019, immersing and learning more about creative tech and its creative application with European Partners (see here and short videos here & here). On their return, it became obvious that both Claire and Salina had a passion and zest to explore new creative possibilities. Thanks to the Atlantic Youth Creative Hubs (AYCH) project, this was achievable. We began exploring the next step forward…
Igneous Interactive are currently been supported and nurtured as creative aych Interns with Fotonow, a local Community Interest Company (CIC), who work on the impetus of ‘Visual Culture for Social Change’.
In collaboration with Fotonow (CIC), Karen Ingham, and Igneous Interactive, we kicked off their AYCH internship with an immersive Virtual Reality and Mental Wellbeing project funded by AYCH and The National Lottery Community Fund; ‘SHIFT…Between our selves’.
We are still in the evaluation phase, and the report and film will be following shortly (pictures here). Prior to this, we worked with Igneous Interactive to buy and build PC’s powerful enough to run Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) software. After a few late nights, the PC machines came to life!
With the machines built Igneous Interactive delivered several AR workshops over the summer period of 2018. There first time as facilitators and educators with young people!
As a way to explore, the potential of an income-generating stream, Igneous Interactive worked with Fotonow to run a series of short immersive workshops during the Ocean Studio’s Makers Market Weekend, and they had a very busy couple of days!
Following the success of this pilot, Igneous Interactive will be running future public events in partnership with Fotonow, and recently Igneous supported Fotonow’s 10th Anniversary party, inviting guests to immerse in VR space!
At present, we are working on a Mayflower 400 bid, exploring new creative projects for 2020, and planning for the next international Creative Jam in Santo Tirso, where Igneous will be delivering as experts! Watch this space! For more information about Igneous Interactive, visit their website here.
