Developing My Creative Practice with Arts Council
This project was a turning point in my practice. With support from Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice fund, I spent six months experimenting with how digital and traditional techniques can come together to create immersive installations. The process gave me space to play, direct and discover new ways of working, while also managing the practical side of a project, including overseeing an £11,000 budget. More importantly, it gave me the confidence and skills to continue developing installations that invite people to step inside and be part of the artwork.
During the fund I also collaborated with digital artist Daria, experimenting with projection mapping as a new area of practice. Using my own paintings as the starting point, we developed eight interactive slides that reacted to sound and movement. This gave me the chance to see how my traditional artwork could be transformed through digital technologies, enhancing immersive experiences.
I also collaborated with an electrical engineer to experiment with movement-reactive sculptures. Together we created prototype flowers that bloomed when a hand was waved nearby. This process opened up new possibilities for combining art and technology, teaching me how interactive engineering can bring a playful, tactile quality to my installations.
I worked with nature artist Emily McCullouch, who created a beautiful series of paper moths. I experimented by attaching NFC stickers to the moths and placing them around the exhibition space to create an interactive trail. When visitors tapped the stickers, a page opened with facts about each moth, blending Emily’s intricate paper work with digital layers of discovery. This playful experiment encouraged curiosity and added a new dimension to the exhibition experience.