Digital Discoveries across Cheshire East

Cheshire East has launched SHIFT – a brand new borough-wide programme celebrating digital arts and tech in 2017 and beyond. Featuring a jam-packed series of events and hands-on activities, from exhibitions, installations and workshops to talks, tech meet ups and pop-up maker stations – SHIFT is bursting full of inspiring and creative things to do, see, create and experience for novices and professionals alike, of all ages and abilities.

Whether you’re a code loving kid, a techie beginner or whizz, a family in search of something new or even a digital pro making the next award-winning app – these forthcoming events offer something for all across the region.

Discovering and experiencing the digital world in unique and surprising places is very much at the heart of SHIFT and with this in mind, its opening commission is the Premiere of Living Sculpture (Virtual), on Platform 6 at Crewe Station from Monday 10^th March.

This digital and interactive installation has been created by award-winning, Liverpool based artist Laurence Payot who uses the public realm as a stage to make out-of-the-ordinary things happen.Through this brand new piece, the artist invites the visitor to interact with the art work to bring it to life. Fusing the traditional craft of drapery fabric and an old illusion technique, with coding and LEAP motion tracking, the artwork and the visitor come together to create a breathing piece of material. Two ‘players’ can interact with each other through the cloth, as it changes shape, texture, and colour. Interactive coded sound is also manipulated in the process.

Living Sculpture (Virtual), is the result of a two-year collaboration with evolutionary scientists at York University, exploring the symbiotic relationship between Laurence’s artworks and people.

SHIFT clicks into action for families from February half term with a family programme designed to inspire little people with big ideas and digital dreams. From February 20th both Crewe Library and Macclesfield Print Mill will run a fantastic and fun series of digital maker sessions, workshops and activities introducing new technologies to mini makers across Cheshire East. All sessions – including wearable tech, art with conductive ink and circuit making – will get brains buzzing and fingers flapping over keyboards, coding and crafts.   Additional themes for family half term events during the year include: future cities, transport and food; bio-hacking; e-textiles and ethical hacking.

Artists One Five West embark on an ambitious, interactive, community-led oral histories project in Bollington from 2-4 June. Tales of the Town brings together the artists with local anthropologist, Zak Tanaml and Bollington residents. Between them they are capturing local tales to be transformed into sacred storytelling objects created by the One Five West Collective, These will be displayed in different locations across the town centre, created and inspired by the natural landscape, people of the town, and local industry; such as cotton and lace, wood and wool. People walking in front of these objects will trigger sensor technology, and when activated the recorded stories will be played for those to hear. Join the artists at Bollington Arts Centre Family Day on June 3 to uncover the secrets behind their work.

SHIFT is delighted to join forces with The National Trust when a brand new digital art installation is launched at Little Moreton Hall – its iconic Tudor Mansion in Congleton – from 26 July. This brand new, site specific work will be created in response the property’s stunning building, setting, moat and manicured garden as part of the ‘Trust New Art’ Programme also funded by Arts Council England. This programme offers new interpretations of the charity’s historical properties and will also feature an accompanying events programme.

Several new works of art and installations will be launched throughout the SHIFT programme – sited throughout Cheshire East in public spaces, unused buildings and historical properties.  They have been invited and developed through an open call as well as in collaboration with the programme partners.

Digital discovery will take place right across the region throughout the coming year, offering everybody – from artists, tech professionals, schools, students, families and anybody in between – the opportunity to learn, take-part, have fun and uncover the wonders of all things tech. In partnership with FACT – the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology in Liverpool – SHIFT is delighted to announce its FUTURES PROGRAMME. This is a mobile maker space which will bring interactive activities to where they are least expected, from rural markets, to urban high street – making engagement with the digital world as accessible as possible. The programme will feature a mix of pop-in, drop-in sessions, coding and gaming workshops to more formal day long courses for students and professionals.

Kicking off at the Sandbach Transport Festival (22-23 April), FACT’s mobile maker platform will enable visitors to imagine the future of transport through hands-on activities. Throughout the spring and summer, the programme will visit Congleton, Crewe, and the Just So Festival at Rode Hall – offering a number of eclectic workshops from speculative design to future cities and more.

Full details of the FUTURES PROGRAMME and all the forthcoming SHIFT events – from talks, professional skills workshops, a symposium, dedicated schools programme and discovering how to get involved as a volunteer or host – visit the website: www.shift-digital.co.uk

February Half Term Programme:

Sessions run from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm for children accompanied by a grown up. All events are free but some places are limited. Details of how to reserve a place are listed where relevant below

Monday 20th February
Makey Makey Human playable keyboard

Use your body to make music in this quite literal hands-on activity – where each child’s hand becomes playable. Take it in turns to tap out a tune and make different sounds through the power of touch and a bit of tech. It’s not every day you can become part of a human keyboard. Crewe Library. Drop In 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm. Suitable for all ages. Free

Tuesday 21st February:
Copper Circuits Workshops

Join one five west for a creative copper circuits workshop.  Make your very own take home light-up posters and cards from a very simple circuit made using copper tape. When the circuit is completed with a push button, the led will light up. This fantastic workshop offers the fundamentals of how circuits work. Timed sessions run from 10-12 and 1-3. Each session lasts 45 minutes.  Crewe Library. Suitable for ages 7 and upwards.  Booking:  01270 375295 crewe.library@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Makey Makey Human playable keyboard

Use your body to make music in this quite literal hands-on activity – where each child’s hand becomes playable. Take it in turns to tap out a tune and make different sounds through the power of touch and a bit of tech. It’s not every day you can become part of a human keyboard. 10am-12pm Macclesfield Print Mill, Drop In. Free. Suitable for all ages

Wednesday 22nd February:
Interactive Monster Makers

Even tiny tots can learn about tech this half term. In this drop in family workshop, use conductive ink to create a circuit and make your very own take home monster. Bare Conductive is non-toxic electrically conductive ink that enables everybody and anybody to draw circuits and connect electrical components. Crewe Library. Suitable for all ages. Drop In 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm

Create your own Light up animal badge or flower bracelet

Using simple e-textile components, and the most simple and basics of circuit building, crafty kids can create and customise their very own wearable tech badge or bracelet to brighten up their weekends before a return to school beckons! Suitable for ages 5 and up, Macclesfield Print Mill. Session runs 10.00am, 10.45am and 11.30am. Booking via the Print Mill’s facebook page: www.facebook.com/theprintmillmacc/ 

Thursday 23rd  February:
PatternCraft

Discover the joys of crafting, fusing old and new technologies. Come along to create an 8×8 punch-card  design using traditional punch and hammer. Feed your card into the reader and by the magic of Python code, converting the physical holes into binary files of 0s and 1s, build it on a Minecraft Map. Family drop in activity. Crewe Library. Drop In 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm. Suitable for all ages. Free

Interactive Monster Makers

Even tiny tots can learn about tech this half term. In this drop in family workshop, use conductive ink to create a circuit and make your very own take home monster. Bare Conductive is non-toxic electrically conductive ink that enables everybody and anybody to draw circuits and connect electrical components. Macclesfield Print Mill. Suitable for all ages. Drop In 10am-12pm

Friday 24th February:
Create your own Light up animal head badge or flower bracelet

What nicer way to the end the week than with a spot of LED lunacy… Using simple e-textile components, and the most simple and basics of circuit building, crafty kids can create and customise their very own wearable tech badge or bracelet to brighten up their weekends before a return to school beckons! Crewe Library. Suitable for ages 5 and up, Booking:  01270 375295 crewe.library@cheshireeast.gov.uk  10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm

SHIFT is supported with £90,000 using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Ian Tabbron, Senior Relationship Manager, Arts Council England said, “The SHIFT programme will demonstrate East Cheshire can become a leader in digital arts. There will be many opportunities for people of all ages to take part in activities with professional artists and designers. Along with colleagues from the Arts Council, I look forward to getting involved in a wide range of events over the next year.”

As Creative Director Louise Shannon comments: “SHIFT offers new platforms for engagement including art commissions, learning experiences and networking opportunities. Significant Arts Council investment ensures that high quality arts programming is accessible to a wide audience, whilst ensuring a legacy of digital activities in the region.”

Councillor David Brown, Cheshire East Council’s Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for Culture said, ‘We are delighted to see such an ambitious programme of digital creativity and participation launching in Cheshire East.  SHIFT offers Cheshire East’s residents and businesses the opportunity to engage in a diverse range of creative digital practices from early years education to professional development.’