Pod Camp

Folly are delighted to announce the selection of Lisa Roberts as Artist in Residence for Pod Camp, a project aiming to provide a unique residential opportunity for a group of young carers from across Cumbria to engage with digital technology, sustainable energy and the forest environment.

Lisa is co-director of Blink, a pioneering interaction design company and has designed many projects which have enabled new creative experiences outside conventional cultural spaces. Often using mobile phones as tools for creative participation, many of Blink's projects are built with young people, schools and family groups in mind.

The latest innovative work from Blink is the development of a brand new kind of Bluetooth delivery system for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Lighthouse’s Mobile Film Trail.

A young carer is a young person, under the age of 18, whose life is affected by looking after someone with a disability or a long-term illness. Pod Camp aims to develop the digital skills of the young carers, enabling them to creatively express some of their stories and experiences, develop confidence and communication skills, encourage further understanding of the environment and sustainable energy, make new friendships with other carers from across the region and to showcase their work to local audiences through temporary installations in Grizedale Forest and to a wider audience through the web.

The Pod Camp project is based on the successful previous partnership of Art Locates Me and folly to create innovative digital arts work with young people, and utilises the expertise of the Forestry Commission Grizedale in working with the environment.

The project will commence with a Research and Development weekend in November combining consultations with the partnership and the young carers. Pod Camp will take place in April 2010.

Art Locates Me is a digital art and media project producing and distributing work made by young people from Cumbria. Art Locates Me aims to increase opportunities for young people to participate in arts activities in Cumbria and develop the role of the arts in the personal and social development of young people.

The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for protection and expansion of Britain’s forests and woodlands; increasing their value to society and the environment. Grizedale Forest offers a wide range of recreational and educational activities for all ages and abilities, facilitating inspirational experiences that promote understanding of forests, and their role in a sustainable future.