Youth & Community

20231007_115826
, , , , , , ,

Ice Games: an international creative collaboration with Uummannaq Polar Institute!

20231007_115826
Arctic Connections Fund - Graphic Option 5

Ice Games: a collaboration between Tinderbox Collective and Uummannaq Polar Institute 

We’re so excited to be part of one of nine projects set to receive funding from the Scottish Government as part of the third annual round of the Arctic Connections Fund.

We’re collaborating with our friends at the Uummannaq Polar Institute in Uummannaq, Greenland to create some games inspired by ice & icy landscapes. Our collaboration started back in August, and so far we’ve been getting to know each other through skype calls and exchanging creative work. 

We’ve shared some of our Tinderbox Games Club games for young people in Uummannaq to play, as well as introducing them to some of our fave game-making tools (Interactive storytelling tool Twine, and pixel game maker Bitsy). 

Amulet

We’ve read their incredible comic: AARNUAQ – THE AMULET, which was created by children from The Children’s Home in Uummannaq with Kim Wendt & Søren Alfred Olsen. It tells the story of Albert, a young orphaned man who lives as a hunter in Greenland, and we’ve started to work together to make the comic into an interactive game! It’s been great fun seeing the comic come to life, and collaborating with the children in Uummannaq to explore how to make their comic world interactive. 

In our Hybrid Games Club we’ve started to explore ice as a theme, setting two games on an icy planet Neptune: a platformer game where you play as a melting ice block, and a survival card game about Penguins. 

We’re SO excited for collaborations & conversations to continue over the coming months, and looking forward to hosting a group from Uummannaq with us in Edinburgh in March next year!  

20231007_122216

The Arctic Connections Fund was set up in 2021 to help Scottish organisations and communities work with partners in the Arctic. It is designed to promote the exchange of expertise on shared issues and raise awareness of common ambitions.

Scotland’s External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said: 

“Scotland is one of the Arctic’s closest neighbours; we share many outlooks and characteristics. That’s why we continue to promote Scotland as the international partner of choice for our Arctic neighbours, opening new opportunities for bilateral and multilateral collaboration for mutual benefit. 

“The Arctic Connections Fund supports knowledge exchange and cooperation between Scotland-based organisations and their Arctic counterparts while also encouraging future opportunities for collaboration.”

Find out more about Scottish Government’s Arctic Connections Fund projects here:

https://twitter.com/ScotGovInter/status/1701179516914155538

https://www.gov.scot/publications/arctic-connections-fund-successful-projects-2023-to-2024/

ScottishGovernment_RGB_online
20231002_162019
, , , , , ,

Pop-up Games Workshops at Citadel

20231002_162019
The folk down at Citadel Youth Centre are putting together a game that crosses over the themes of Mental Health and the Cost of Living. These themes were chosen by the young people, as issues that they want to discuss with their communities – exploring their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the matters through the medium of Game Design. 
 
Liam and Luci from the The Tinderbox Games Club team dropped in to two of their sessions on Monday evenings over Sept/Oct, to hear their ideas and help them manifest those through game design! By providing introductory workshops for different platforms such as Twine, Bitsy, & Construct 3, the Citadel gang have been left with the tools to take on their ideas in new ways, and explore them further. 
 
Citadel Youth Centre are planning to bring their game to future exhibitions, including Tinderbox showcases that celebrate games completed or in development by game designers and young people across our projects and beyond! 
 
The Citadel Youth Centre are a fantastic bunch! A really mature, creative, enthusiastic and thoughtful group of young people and we are all really excited to see how their game ideas develop.
20231002_161840
20230925_165259
20230925_164642
20230925_164537
Spartans2
, , , , ,

Workshops at The Wee Hub and Spartans!

Over the past few months we have been exploring the fun of making games in all forms with children and young people!
 
Each month in February, March and April we setup a drop-in games workshop upstairs with our pals at The Wee Hub, where in just short fast-paced sessions we have explored making all sorts of digital and physical card games, using a mix of computing, games design and crafts. Results have included designing colourful, challenging platform games, and a certain pocket-monster-inspired battle card game…!
 
We also absolutely loved visiting the STEM club at Spartans Community Football Academy on 6th February, where we explored the creative sides of technology by building a wacky digital game collaboratively with the group. Together we brainstormed games design ideas to improve the experience, and made new handdrawn character, background and object artwork to decorate it! A big thanks to Spartans for welcoming us and for such a fun workshop.
 
You can see and play a selection of the games we’ve made across our workshops and more regular Games Clubs here!
Spartans2
Spartans1
tam-lin-concept
, ,

Traditional Scottish Hip Hop

We had a fantastic time working with amazing YMI Borders Tutors on a Traditional Scottish Hip Hop training day. The idea came when Sara Alakus who is newly in post as YMI Creative Learning Officer in the Borders got in touch to ask about Tinderbox helping organise a Hip Hop project in a Borders primary school.


Sara explained that she was really keen to get some Hip Hop into the work that they are doing in the borders but was aware that it wasn’t exactly the genre of choice for the current tutors on the team. When she mentioned that the team are quite strong on Trad music Jed remembered a project he had seen recently at the Highland YMI day in Inverness. Jack Hughes and …. had been running a project that took a fiddle tune and used it as a basis of a track for writing rap.


The basic idea of the project was to put a Hip Hop beat under a traditional Scottish tune, teach a class to play the harmony chords and have the class write rap or spoken word to perform over it.

IMG_0028

Jed asked Sara if she could go back to the team and ask if there was a suitable Borders tune that has a decent story associated with it that we could use as a subject for writing rap or spoken word about.

The team came back with the perfect tune, Tam Lin. It’s an epic borders ballad and with a cracking tune.

For the training we spent the morning working with tutors on techniques for helping pupils write rap and planning the afternoon session. In the afternoon we went to deliver our project in Newtown Primary School.

The whole thing went to plan with the pupils getting totally into the story and writing some brilliant words. They joined in on percussion, tuned percussion, keyboards and Ukeleles. We finished the day with a full performance of the finished piece. Check out the video below.

Everyone had an absolute blast!

 

326320485_701847124998464_4484087721285195664_n
, , , ,

Central Music Library Launch Gig – 28/1/23

Tinderbox Orchestra kick started the year with a gig & open mic session at central music library, launching the ‘We Make Music’ instrument libraries initiative! The orchestra filled the library with music and awe, and opened a space for the audience and other local musicians to get up play, jam, and share some songs. There was some beautiful poems and solo, a cappella singers from the library, cool and intense punk-rock from some young people from our Tuesday Hub/Sparks courses, and impromptu jams and singer/songwriters – a great start to the instrument library! 

If you would like to borrow a musical instrument you can visit any of the following libraries: Central Music, Moredun, Wester Hailes, Craigmillar, Drumbrae, & Muirhouse! 

Or, if you would like to donate an instrument, feel free to contact these libraries to arrange a drop-off 🎷

Blog Pic
, , , ,

Music for Bridges

What a beautiful Sunday afternoon we had on September 12th.

All around the parks, cycle paths, and bridges of North Edinburgh, we had music flowing all around for a thousand people to hear!

The Tinderbox Orchestra took to Victoria Park with a solar powered sound system, a summery gazebo, and all of their instruments held high; hundreds of people turned up, kickstarting the day with kenspeckled revelry. See the featured image for some pre-show crowds…

Afterwards, the orientation began. With the help of a beautiful map designed by Rhona Sword, the crowd was lead away from the park… for further festivities awaited. Down the disused railways of Edinburgh, now known as the cycle paths, there lay a busking trail! Stationed under each bridge towards Pilton were buskers playing for the cyclists passing by, as a wee surprise for routine walkers, and for those who followed the map and found their way to musical gems. I had the honour of performing there myself, and it was so wonderful to be part of such a unique experience and having the opportunity to chat away and play with and for the community.

On a separate path there lay even more – deep down within the trinity tunnel you could hear the new duets composed by Neil Smith, the one who inspired and influenced the whole day! Neil had composed some site specific duets for Trinity Tunnel, with one musician at one end and another at the other, you could walk through the tunnel and listen as the two distant composers played together; filling the space with rich, vibrant textures.

On the other side of Victoria Park, down by the Water of Leith, there is a space I can only describe as a perfectly secret little stage: The Balcony. There we were graced by the presence of S!NK who gave yet another stunning, improvised set brimming with musical surprises – so much joy and energy from the trio. I have to agree with BBC Radio 3’s Max Reinhardt when he says S!NK really are “Very, very brilliant indeed.”

It’s hard to believe that the day just kept going, but no energy was lost down by The Weir. The afternoon was concluded with one big jam session as all gathered down by The Water of Leith. We had some extra performances from the buskers, the orchestra got together again to perform Neil Smith’s “Vigil” and more, and we had some astonishing, dare I say… flabbergasting, performances from the public – honestly unbelievable, amazing. It was so heartwarming to see so many folk come together to celebrate some live music again, but also to use that creativity to celebrate these beautiful spaces tucked away in the corners of Edinburgh.

All in all, it was a truly unforgettable day overflowing with music, art, and creativity, but I believe binding it all together was this connection felt with each other and with the city.

Liam Dempsey

159861096_10157674758881338_4479995625181169145_n
,

Distant Duets – Compositions

DistantDuetsColours

Over the past six months, ten musicians from Drake Music Scotland & Tinderbox Collective have teamed up online, working collaboratively & remotely to create five stunning, colourful, and varied duets.

Following our live showcase on Sat 27th March celebrating the new compositions and collaborations, we’re released the pieces here for you to enjoy! A huge thanks and congrats to all of the Distant Duets composers: 
Leo Bacica, Emma Clark, Claire Docherty, Eli Hendrickse, Sam Irvine, Chris Jacquin, No Moniker (Thomas Murray), Erin O’Neill, Rhona Smith, Karen Sutherland.
Distant Duets – Behind the Scenes
After A While – Sam Irvine & Karen Sutherland
My Shadow – Eli Hendrickse & Rhona Smith
A Fishy Tale in Anstruther – Emma Clark & No Moniker
Sinusoidal Parabolas – Chris Jacquin & Leo Bacica
You And I – Erin O’Neill & Claire Docherty

A big thank you to Creative Scotland & PRS Foundation Talent Development Fund for supporting Distant Duets!

DistantDuetsFullImage
, ,

Distant Duets – Live Showcase

Over the past six months, ten musicians from Drake Music Scotland & Tinderbox Collective have teamed up online, working collaboratively & remotely to create five stunning, colourful, and varied duets.

Take a listen below to clips from the work of composers Erin O’Neill, Claire Docherty, Eli Hendrickse, Rhona Smith, Emma Clark, No Moniker (Thomas Murray), Chris Jacquin, Leo Bacica, Sam Irvine and Karen Sutherland, and join us on Sat 27th March 2pm for a live showcase celebrating the duets!

Listen to the compositions here!

Composition clips:

After A While – Sam Irvine & Karen Sutherland

My Shadow – Eli Hendrickse & Rhona Smith

A Fishy Tale in Anstruther – Emma Clark & No Moniker

Sinusoidal Parabolas – Chris Jacquin & Leo Bacica

You And I – Erin O’Neill & Claire Docherty

Live Showcase – Sat 27th March 2-3pm (GMT)

Event Details:

Join us for a live event showcasing this work and the process of making music together remotely!

This event is a live online Zoom call.
 
Click here to register directly for the Zoom details (event passed)
 
 
The event will be recorded (you can choose to keep your camera on or off during), and we will share footage online afterwards to watch back.

Distant Duets is supported by:

Creative Scotland RFO
 
PRS Foundation Talent Development Fund
DistantDuetsColours
Screenshot 2021-03-08 at 19.49.51
,

Amazing Harmonies – Online Music Lessons

About Us

Tinderbox Collective is a community of young people, musicians, artists and youth workers, based in Scotland.  We are a registered Scottish charity, under the name Tinderbox Project, no. SC042825.


Contact us

Email
admin@tinderboxcollective.org

Address
Tinderbox Project
North Edinburgh Arts Centre
15a Pennywell Road
Edinburgh EH4 4TZ

Follow Us

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Copyright 2020 Tinderbox Collective
Back to top