The World Where I Am is a project that explored music, photography and film as a means for engaging with and telling the story of our local surroundings.
For many of us during lockdown, our immediate communities and the natural world around us became increasingly important. With varying restrictions around travel and outdoor exercise, we explored more of our local area, met more people from our immediate community, and spent more time in the nature that’s on our doorstep.
The World Where I Am encouraged groups of young people and adults to continue this connection alongside artists, and explore how creativity can be harnessed to share the local community from their perspective to the wider world. With a focus on outdoor learning, groups learnt how to use field recording equipment, digital cameras and animation software to capture the local natural or urban environments that are significant to them.
As one of the artists involved, I often worked together with musician and workshop facilitator David Trouton. We worked with three groups of young people around Stirling, pupils with behavioural difficulties at Fallin Primary, pupils with additional support needs at Ochil House and young people who are supported by Plus Forth Valley.
Here are the wonderful films they made:
Most of this beautiful project took place outside, presenting new opportunities for different techniques, but also difficulties to overcome. We were weather dependent as both Dave, the musician and I relied on using artwork or equipment than didn’t like rain! Some of the participants were wheelchair users so careful choices of accessible outdoor locations were made.
David Trouton runs Engage with Music, and has a life time of experience working with children and young people of all ages, as well as composing music for theatre.
