Latest news with #creativeexpression
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Newly launched Polk Collaborative aims to integrate the arts with health
Polk County has launched the Polk Arts & Health Collaborative, a cross-sector alliance dedicated to enhancing individual and community well-being through the integration of arts and health. Modeled after the national NeuroArts Blueprint, an initiative from Johns Hopkins University and Aspen Institute, PAHC opens with a Lakeland Chapter, Watson Clinic said in a news release. The Watson Clinic Foundation's Arts in Medicine program will serve in the new alliance. 'We are proud to align our local vision with the momentum of the national NeuroArts movement,' Tiffany Van Wieren, the Watson Clinic Foundation's Arts in Medicine Program Coordinator, said in the release. 'This collaborative will amplify existing efforts while also inviting new partners to explore how creative expression can support healing, resilience, and connection in our community while also elevating the research behind this movement.' Joining the Watson Clinic Foundation's Arts in Medicine Program in the initiative are the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, Florida Southern College, Lakeland Vision, Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Health, Mayor's Council on the Arts and the Polk Arts and Cultural Alliance. The initial phase of PAHC will focus on identifying programs, individuals and institutions currently integrating arts and health throughout Polk County, the release said. The mission of PAHC will not only recognize existing work but will also serve as a gateway for curious individuals and organizations to learn about NeuroArts and to join the collaborative, sparking fresh initiatives and innovative partnerships in previously unengaged sectors. Any organization or individual with interest in joining the collaborative should contact Tiffany Van Wieren at 863-603-4718 or AIM@ For more information on PAHC, visit This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk Arts & Health Collaborative launches Arts in Medicine program
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Berkshire performing arts centre for autistic students opens
A residential school for young people with autism has opened what it believes to be the UK's first performing arts centre designed to meet the needs of autistic Court, near Thatcham in Berkshire, said the new facility would support more autistic people to access the arts - with many finding traditional venues school, which provides year-round residential care and education for children with complex needs, fundraised £1.1m to build the new Robinson, who is a performing arts teacher at the school, said her students were "the most creative people I have ever worked with". Speaking following the new centre's first performances, Ms Robinson explained that there were "a lot of overwhelming sensory experiences" at traditional arts said the venues required those with autism to "supress the need to express themselves", which they "need to do that in order to emotionally regulate"."It's a whole set of these social rules that need to be adjusted for our young people," she school said the new centre would provide a space for students to "express themselves creatively in a dedicated, bespoke space". It added that the space would also be used to research how to provide greater access to the arts, as well as to prepare students to visit more traditional new space officially opened on Thursday, with special performances from students. Ms Robinson told the BBC: "This is a building where we want them to walk in and to be respected as artists, because their difference is what every artist strives to be."They are original, they are unique, they don't think outside the box - they completely reshape the box entirely."Alan Lawrence, whose son Jamie attends the school, said he was "very proud" seeing him perform. "Prior's Court has been our saviour," he said. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Art show features work by Calgary's marginalized and vulnerable
There's an art show that's taking place this weekend where all the work is from Calgary's vulnerable population. It's hosted by the My Friend Dave project. Calgarians are invited to an art show this weekend in the community of Glenbrook showcasing projects created by members of My Friend Dave. My Friend Dave is a local program that gives a voice to vulnerable and marginalized Calgarians through writing, art and documentary filmmaking. The group is made up of more than two-dozen people who gather at a park in Glenbrook every Monday. In most cases, they're people who've slipped through society's cracks. 'We're supporting them and telling their stories through creative expression,' said My Friend Dave co-founder Jennifer Seniuk. 'It's not just one kind of art; we have someone that's coming out who's cooking for his creative expression, we have people that are creating music for their creative expression, then there's sculptures and paintings.' Seniuk started My Friend Dave last May with and Dave Lanza. Seniuk is an art therapist, and Lanza was unhoused and wanted a way to share his story. The two quickly formed a bond, and with Lanza's outgoing personality, the project quickly grew with others who wanted an opportunity to share their stories as well. 'They are marginalized folks, vulnerable folks,' she said. 'So they could have just been incarcerated, they could be living rough, living outside, they could be moving through sobriety and trying to get their life back on track – anyone and everyone that identifies as marginalized and vulnerable.' Lanza died May 5, a tragedy that hit those involved in the project hard. To celebrate his life, the art show will feature a memorial space looking at the legacy he's left behind. 'We'll talk about Dave and how this project has taken on a new meaning,' Seniuk said. 'He was really sick for a long time, and he didn't let anyone know what was going on because I don't think he wanted anyone to know and [treat him] differently.' My Friend Dave The My Friend Dave art show takes place at 4053-4065 Glenpark Cres. S.W. on Saturday, June 14 from 12 to 4 p.m. Brothers Steve and Dennis Dionne, both of whom are unhouse, have been regulars at the Monday meetings for four months now. They were long-time friends of Lanza, and referred to him as 'super Dave.' 'He had the kindest heart, you know, he was a beautiful man. He didn't have much, but he always gave what he had,' Dennis said. 'People say the homeless are more giving than the people that have money,' Steve added. 'Because we take care of ourselves, we're family together.' My Friend Dave Participants of the 'My Friend Dave' project work to set up walls where their art will be displayed for the group's first art show. Jay Blondeau spent time on the streets and is now living in an unfinished basement. He's helping set everything up for the art show, and says he enjoys being part of this community. 'I started coming to these and meeting all the homeless people, they're not as far off as what people think you know, they're actually quite nice people,' he said. 'Each has their own little story like everybody else and for some reason they're here, there and everywhere.' My Friend Dave Jason Laplante has his own home now, but says he spent time in jail and lived on the streets. Lanza got him involved in the project because he has a car and could drive some of the others around when they needed a ride. 'I have these guys who are like family to me,' he said. 'My family disowned me when I was 15 years old, I grew up in foster care, in group homes.' Laplante is showing some of the sketches he made while being incarcerated. 'I'm having a lot of anxiety about that because I know there's going to be criticism and that I'm going to be judged on my work,' he said. 'Half the reason I'm doing this art show is Dave, and the other half with my ex-wife telling me to put my art out there because she even says I'm pretty good.' The art show takes place at the Glendale Crescent park, located at 4053-4065 Glenpark Cres. S.W., on Saturday, June 14 from 12 to 4 p.m. 'We've got lots of food vendors,' said Seniuk. 'Who doesn't want to eat some food and look at art on a Saturday afternoon?'
Fast Company
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
The artists experimenting with bodycams and camera glasses
Barely anything that truly makes me pause on the internet is shot using traditional, modern camera tech. I appreciate the grainy texture of film photos and the fast, smooth zoom of a shitty camcorder, but more than anything, I love an artist who has the guts to throw something completely different at their audience. I love those viral Marc Jacobs videos featuring Lil Uzi Vert and FKA Twigs, and Jack Harlow's Hello Miss Johnson video —both shot by Yulya Shadrinky using what looks like security cameras. I am amused by Ben Nunez's art project in which he wore a police bodycam for a full year and uploaded each day to a public YouTube channel. I love this BITTER000000 video produced by Liv Solomon that's shot using a pair of spy glasses. They make the tech that usually makes me uncomfortable feel like an opportunity for creative expression. Yulya Shadrinky for Marc Jacobs, Ben Nunez's Bodycam, and Liv Solomon's BITTER000000 video for Office When two years ago, Zuck announced the Ray-Ban Meta partnership, most people I know were disturbed—a creepy tech nerd discreetly recording you in public was the first and only use case that popped into our heads. It also felt like a step further into the dystopian future that we dread—a self-imposed surveillance state, the main character epidemic, and the online and offline worlds slowly but surely melting together. There is nothing that kills my vibe more than turning my head in a $40 workout class and getting a glimpse of someone's phone propped up in the corner or watching a teenager in front of me at a concert record the entire thing and plop it on their Snap story. Lately through, I've been hearing from the artists and creatives I like that they are curious about the smart glasses. Some of them even quietly asked Meta for a free pair to play around with, and that doesn't include the ones who got paid to wear them during fashion week. While most of them couldn't care less about the AI assistant part, they are intrigued by the built-in camera—if only its high resolution didn't make it so commercial. 'I didn't like the way the footage looks,' Liv Solomon tells me about her experience trying out the Meta glasses. 'It just kind of mimics an iPhone camera and that, to me, feels redundant. At that point, you can just hold up an iPhone and take a video.' Nadia Lee Cohen wearing Meta glasses to Coperni's show and Alexander Roth repping them on a JPG brand trip For that BITER000000 project that she produced for Office magazine, she went with a random pair of cheap camera glasses from Amazon. It was a combination of wanting to capture the raw Uncut Gems vibe of New York City's Diamond District and show the intimate process of making jewelry—both of which aren't outsider-friendly—that led her to the idea of using spy glasses in the first place, she explains. Besides the moody texture that creates an interesting visual aesthetic, they also added layers of meaning to the project. There is something about sneaking in a recording device into a place full of hidden cameras, documenting the entirety of the creative process, and the videographer passing over the controls to her subjects that turns up the thrill and the level of trust required to pull the project off. Unlike an iPhone or a proper modern camera that become invisible in the final cut, surveillance tech is a character of its own that has the power to turn the most mundane happenings into a cultural statement or at the very least, make the final piece technically impressive. Eugene Kotlyarenko's latest movie The Code is a great example of how a project can benefit from it. Patched up from the footage captured on more than 70 cameras, including security cameras, spy glasses, and 360° camera mounted on a head strap, it follows a troubled young couple, Celine and Jay, caught up in a downward spiral of mutual surveillance. When Jay suspects that Celine's urge to make a 'COVID documentary' is actually a ploy to damage his reputation, he gets a bunch of hidden cameras to catch her saying or doing something horrible as a form of insurance. Because of the film's amateur production style, abundance of POV footage, and characters frequently looking and speaking directly into the camera, the viewer ends up becoming the third main character of the film. Halfway through, it becomes hard to draw the line between Jay's and Celine's personalities and performances—an allegory for how our online and office behaviors are shaped by the casual panopticon we've collectively built. Throughout the film, the characters set up so many uncomfortable, vulnerable, and invasive 'scenes' that it's unclear who wants to stick around more—the viewer who is curious to see how this train wreck of a relationship ends, or the characters who need the viewer to see their side in the anxious anticipation of the finale. Unlike other art and creative projects of this genre, like Harmony Korine's Baby Invasion, Black Mirror, or even Kotlyarenko's earlier movie Spree, The Code not only provides the audience with an experience and food for thought, it tells a real story. It takes the subject of mutual surveillance and the social dynamics that unravel around it, out of that video game, sci-fi context that makes these projects feel like an exaggerated portrayal of a distant dystopian future that the viewer brushes off the second the credits roll. It feels like we are only scratching the surface in terms of how the voluntary wish to sacrifice the last remnants of privacy in search of safety, intimacy, attention, and self-expression has impacted our social lives, careers, and daily routines. These stories are current and so painfully trivial that perhaps, using alt camera tech to capture them might be the best way to communicate how important and nuanced they are without turning them into a violent, disturbing spectacle. But even on a more casual level, it's an opportunity to have fun, challenge yourself creatively, and shake up the dynamics within existing cultural institutions. Jacquemus threw off its camera-ready fashion show guests with a hidden camera placed in an elevator—the response was so positive that Tory Burch copied the concept a few days later. Moni Haworth shot this surveillance camera-esque cover story for The Face where Yeat got to play a weird blurry character rather than be a human billboard for Chrome Hearts and Acne Studios. Jason Stewart threw on a bodycam-looking setup to record himself cooking green wings for a subtle comedic effect. Although cumulatively, all of these innocent projects still prompt a larger discussion about the way public attention has shifted away from the main act towards backstage, how the power dynamics between the audience, the talent, and the crew constantly fluctuate, and whether we are getting fed up with authenticity. Yeat for The Face magazine shot by Moni Haworth 'It's a matter of time before we see people who do have an interesting approach get their hands on these [smart glasses],' Liv tells me as she draws a comparison to Pavel Golik and Juergen Teller figuring out a way to shoot compelling editorial content on an iPhone. It's a matter of giving someone, like Nadia Lee Cohen who has already worn smart glasses to a Coperni show, a check and an empty brief for them to catch on. It's a matter of throwing an atmospheric house track over one more Uncut Gem -style video for me personally to order a pair of bootleg camera glasses on Amazon. Where does this urge to experiment and reclaim the tech that frightens us in an act of 'empowering exhibitionism' take the casual panopticon and every conversation that surrounds it? That, I am not so sure of. Viktoriia Vasileva is a brand strategist, researcher, and writer. She's worked with brands, like Perfectly Imperfect and Partiful, and her expertise has appeared in Vogue Spain, Inc., and South Shine Morning Post.
Arab News
05-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia is getting creative and everyone has a chance to shine, says DJ Viva
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is experiencing a boom in all the various forms of creative expression and this is creating a wealth of opportunities, according to Saudi Canadian musician DJ Viva. Appearing on the third episode of the seventh season of The Mayman Show, the artist — who has performed across the Kingdom and around the world, opening for global stars including David Guetta — recalled her first international performance, describing it as a nerve-racking experience. 'I was in Cannes at the Cannes electronic music festival, (which) happens every August over there,' she said. 'It was very nerve-racking, but I loved it. 'It was good to see the difference between what's happening here, locally (in Saudi Arabia), and how things are conducted internationally.' Despite the nerves, she said was proud that she had been able to step out of her comfort zone and noted: 'The audience there is very different. I feel like it is a bit more difficult to read them; maybe because I'm used to here (in the Kingdom).' DJ Viva told how she left behind a career in academia to pursue a creative career and her adventure began as a result of a bold challenge from a friend. 'I used to teach at the business university in Jeddah,' she said. 'One day, my friend, he was a DJ, came up to me. It was the first big event that happened here — at King Abdullah Economic City, when Tiesto was there — and he (my friend) was DJing on one of the yachts for the VIP guests.' The friend asked her why she has not tried her hand at creating music. Given that she was an educator, she explained, the question initially seemed strange, but her friend wanted her to see how much time and effort it takes to be a music creator and his question was actually more of a challenge. Beyond the musical realm, DJ Viva is also a certified aerial artist, the founder of an art gallery, and a brand collaborator who combines music, fashion and storytelling in her projects. She is also clear about what motivates her. 'For me, it's the part that I get to create an impact on people's lives and create a feeling,' she said. 'I mean, I always say that in a lot of my interviews; whether it's visual arts, which I also do, or aerial arts or music, it's all creativity. You must go inside yourself and take something out to give to people.' It is all about giving something back and making an impact on the people around you, she added. 'With visual arts, it's about people seeing your paintings,' she explained. 'With music, it's about what they're hearing and how they react to it.' DJ Viva appears very content with where she is at this stage of her career and has no regrets about her decision to shift from the halls academics to the creative world. 'I like the space that I'm in right now,' she said. 'I love the creative realm. I find it much more fulfilling.' Her upcoming plans include further work on a long-running project related to cosmetics. 'That's something I'm going to be revisiting later this year,' she said. 'I started during COVID-19 and it did take off very nicely. But unfortunately my partner in that (project), she passed away. So I kind of froze it for a while.' In 2023, DJ Viva founded the Sensation Art Gallery in Jeddah, described as a modern, luxury, holistic art experience. Her concept for it is that it represents an expression of all the various types of creative work in which she is involved. 'If you attend the gallery, you'll see that there's the visual arts and then we have the DJs and the musicians outside,' she explained. 'We also have mixology and all the different types of food art happening there, as well as the aerial arts.' As for the evolution of the creative scene in Saudi Arabia, DJ Viva said the country is 'hungry for entertainment. That's really such a good thing. It's nice to see the excitement and to see how they appreciate music here — and creativity as a whole.' As the wider development and transformation of the Kingdom continues, she said that the progress in all the creative industries is happening quickly and on an even bigger scale. 'I think, in the coming years we are going to be continuing that trajectory and there's going to be a lot of growth,' she predicted.
