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03/07/2006: "Introduction to the Container"
A big hello to everyone in Canada and around the world from sunny Jamaica. Jennifer and I arrived at the Container Project on Saturday and I will do my best to post regular updates on our activities. Its really hot in the daytime here and the temperature dips down in the evenings. We spend our days in a big yellow metal box full of computers and eager people learning digital storytelling. Numbers vary. We started off with 5 yesterday but had 15 by the end of the day. People come and go as the day goes on following the ebb and flow of life here. Yesterday we started with exercises to help people get to know each other. A skit about the Container now and in the future was a big hit. People, some of whom had never participated in activities other than making music on the computer created and presented a photo tour of their village. It was truly an exciting mix of mostly young, women and men who are eager to learn and share.
Today amidst the frustration of computer problems we taught photoshop. At one point only three computers were functional but people were quick to catch on to the program and quickly went on to complete the tasks we expected them to do and start experimenting.
Tonight, Jim arrives. He brings with him electronics from which he will teach people to construct interactive media.
The Container Project, a media lab located in a 40 foot shipping container in the rural village of Palmers Cross in Jamaica is the brainchild of mervin Jarman, member of Mongrel, a (h)activist collective based in the UK. mervin grew up in Palmers Cross and left to become a well-known media practitioner working world-wide to hack into the system of power technology operates within the create a space for communities who have been left out to be able to represent themselves using digital media. He returned to Jamaica to set up the project which has successfully operated for the past 3 years.
Jennifer LaFontaine and myself, Camille Turner have been developing and running a community media lab in the womens program at Central Neighbourhood House in Toronto for the past three years. Jim Ruxton is an independent media artist/engineer also based in Toronto. We were invited to participate as visiting artists with the Container Project for three weeks. Our goal is to facillitate an intergenerational, digital storytelling program that engages the community. Many thanks to Canada Council and Central Neighbourhood House for their support of the projet which is a joint partnership between Year Zero One, a Canadian media collective and the Container Project.
You will be hearing more about the people of the Container and seeing the projects they are constructing as we plunge into the weeks ahead.