Collision: A Community Carnival Celebration
Collision is an exciting project which engaged people across South Cambridgeshire in creative carnival workshops, culminating in a sharing and carnival parade at the Park Life event in Milton Country Park in July 2011. This page tells you about the 2011 project, check back for information on activities for next year.
What is Park Life?
Park Life is an event forming part of the Cultural Olympiad, marking the countdown to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. This year’s event will mark the official ‘only one year to go’ to the actual Games. South Cambridgeshire District Council, in partnership with Milton Country Park, is holding the Park Life event to celebrate this countdown. Working closely with these partners, the stART Arts Development Managers will be organising the arts area and arts events at Park Life. This is where Collision Carnival comes in!
How do I get involved?
Just turn up on the day – and please bring family and friends – to take part in free carnival performance and making workshops. The day starts at 11.00am. If you would like to lend a hand or belong to a group that would like a slot to entertain in the stART-Line Arts Arena, then contact your local arts development manager to find out how to make this happen.
Tell me more about Collision Carnival
As part of the Collision project, groups across the district will be working with creative carnival practitoners in advance of Park Life to prepare for the event. They will be making masks and costumes, perfecting their stilt walking and honing their dance moves. Groups involved in these workshops include:
Linton Infants School: 58 children from Linton Infants School plan to be involved. They’ll be working hard making costumes and learning dance steps in advance of the event and will be practising their moves at their Beach Party to make sure they’re ready.
Melbourn Fete: Families attending Melbourn fete worked with artist Ricki Outis in the ARTIVAN to create giant puppet, Billy the Robot, who will feature in the Parklife parade. Here are some photos:
Melbourn Area: Melbourn Village College students worked with artist Ricki Outis to create carnival costumes, in school and with local sheltered housing residents. After a morning workshop with samba artist Blake Vickers, students from the College put on a mini carnvial parade around Vicarage Close sheltered housing. (See photos below) Students from Meldreth Manor special school are having workshops this week and will be joining the Parklife parade too!
Over Carnival: Young people from Over Youth Club will be working with mask-maker William Tombs to create new carnival personas. The Youth Club will be sharing their new skills and supporting William at a family drop-in workshop at the Over Carnival on 9th July before coming to the Parklife event at Milton Country Park.
Here are some pictures from the Over Carnival 2011:
Cambourne Bloco will be among the groups at Park Life
What ideas will inform the Collision activities?
The activities forming part of the Collision project will take inspiration from a narrative covering themes relating to identity, community, diversity, ecology and being active in the lead up to the Olympic Games. The story was developed by carnival specialists Kinetika as part of their ‘Imagination Our Nation’ project.
Planet Imagination, which, as everyone knows, is between the earth and the moon, is under threat. The planet uses imagination as its energy source. Without imagination the planet will die. Five goddesses have come from Imagination to earth to spread some seeds, and these seeds have grown into small puppets – the champions. The champions have been searching for the children of the earth so as to increase their imagination and find earth leaders to help them. To get even more help, the champions have also sent for their big brothers and sisters – the eternals. The eternals have given the little puppets the gift of light and dance to aid them in their quest. Together, and with the help of the children, the champions and the eternals hope to capture our imagination and send it to save a dying planet.