Intent: To understand how we can use trips for primary research and inspiration
Implementation: Through preparation and engagement with the exhibition
Impact: Primary research for future projects (Asset pack for Thunder Lotus, Game Jams for Neversoft, for example)
Soft skills: Investigation, communication, time management, empathy, critical thinking.
Industry: Professionalism, audience awareness. Level designer, character designers
SMSC: Ethical representation in media, engaging with peers and exhibition staff
Context:
For over thirty years, the Ipswich Caribbean Association (ICA) building on Woodbridge Road was an important social and cultural hub for the town. Variously known as the Caribbean Centre or the Caribbean Club to its users, it functioned as a space for music, education, martial arts, food and conversation until its closure in 2010.
The ICA Project revisits the building (which was demolished in 2012) through specially commissioned photography, newly collected oral histories, and archival materials made public for the first time. These elements all come together in an exhibition at the SPILL Think Tank that uncovers and explores the significant cultural and social impact of the ICA; its history, its programmes, and its importance to the many people and groups which used its services and facilities.
The ICA Project gathers and preserves memories of the past while asking us to recognise the ongoing impact of its absence.
What do I do?
Take pictures, record, sketch! Anything you are inspired by gather proof. Think about the exhibition itself? How do you feel about memories being archived this way? The ICA closed in 2010 so this is still living memory for many people in Ipswich.
Going further:
Think about your own culture and how you can bring this to your creative work. So much work is generic, the small details really make a difference. What unique elements are you bringing to your creative work? Think about representation in media and society. Are there areas that matter to you?
What do I do?
Engage with the exhibition! Look at the pictures, watch the videos, study the posters, flick through the folders.
Think about what is the purpose of the exhibition, how does it do this? What are your thoughts and feelings on it. Do you get an impression of the people who were part of this community? Are you drawn to certain areas before others? How does the content here "tell the story" of the ICA?
Going further:
Think about how this connects to level design. No one is guiding you through the space and dictating the order you choose to interact with it.
Games - Uncharted
What do I do?
Listen to at least one of the oral histories.
Be aware of your thoughts and feelings. How do you feel listening to the person talking? What details do you get from this that you might not get elsewhere?
Going further:
Think about audio logs in video games, how do you feel about this being used as a narrative technique?
Games - Bioshock, Arkham Asylum, Horizon Zero Dawn
What do I do?
Look at the photographs and watch the videos.
How do you feel seeing older videos and more recent photographs? How do both "tell a story"? How do they influence your thoughts and feelings about the ICA?
Going further:
Think about visuals within game design, how do characters and videos contribute to the games' world and narrative? How does "found materials" help tell a story?
Games - Dark Souls
What do I do?
Take a look over the website, was there things you missed in person or wanted to look at in more detail? How does seeing the same content in person differ to seeing it online?
The ICA Memories project will evolve and develop through public contributions. If you have memories, stories, photographs or video to share, we would be delighted to hear from you. We will continue to record new oral histories, add archival donations and expand our dedicated website https://www.icamemories.co.uk/ into 2025. Please call 01473 216545 or email SPILL Director Robin Deacon at robin@spillfestival.com
What do I do?
You could attend a conversation with the photographer, gaining further insight and opportunity to ask questions
A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN FERGUSON + TONY POWLETT
THU 21 NOV, 19:30 (doors 19:00)
SPILL THINK TANK, IPSWICH, IP1 3QH
Join photographer John Ferguson, creator of the ICA Memories photographic commission, and Tony Powlett, an avid documenter of the Caribbean Club, in conversation with SPILL Artistic Director Robin Deacon. Together, they will share their knowledge and recollections of the ICA’s activities and communities, and their respective experiences documenting its vibrant history.
On your google sites:
Evidence and reflection
TICKETS £5