I have been thinking more about the classroom as a social space, the talks day as an ‘event’. How can the day be framed? How this might affect student expectations?
I want to throw up a few refs from youth television /broadcasting spaces, particularly live audience format shows, and events, that have had an impact on me. I understand these are not pedagogical spaces, but I am interested from in the relationship between the audience and the host, and how strong formats and frameworks are used to shape content and live experiences
DANCE ENERGY – (1990 -1993- BBC2)
It was as much about the crowd as the performer; what they wore, how they moved. I was watching this when I was about 11 years old, too young to be part of it. It looked like real London grassroots musicians being given a platform on primetime TV. It stuck, the set was amazing too!
QUESTION TIME (1979 – now – BBC)
Here is a classic QT from 1997, I was in my final of GCSE’s when Labour came into power and tbh I only really used to watch this when I was doing my Politics A Level. It’s all questions from the audience, so looking at the Circle Format and also the Everyone comes with pre-prepared questions, ofcourse, strong sectioning from Dimblebey, who is facilitating the conversation. The seating layout is like a circle, so the guest panel is joined to the audience circle.
YCTV – PASS THE MIC (2000?)
YCTV was a youth led media initiative which ran in the early 2000s out of offices in Ladbroke Grove. Young people from the local community were trained in all aspects of TV production, who co devised and co-produced programmes with support of industry mentors.Shows were broadcast on NTL Digital (a UK-wide channel), with funding from BBC and Carlton. Definitely more modelled on a traditional talkshow, but with the invitation of audience participation towards the end.
BOILER ROOM (2010 – ?)
Not a talk show, but a DJ set, broadcast globally. Boiler Room represented is the potential to connect with the digital mass audience in real time through the live stream. You can see the lineage between shows like Dance Energy and Boiler Room. The chatroom was a big thing here, thinking about the shout out, the host.
You could say this was blended audience engagement?
NEW CURRENCY
“New Curriculum by New Currency is an evolving framework that fosters learning through discourse, interaction, and the exchange of diverse perspectives. Its inaugural session, “001,” will debut at the 2024 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Mass Studies. This extended event brings together artists, curators and innovators from various fields for conversations that reshape how we perceive creative practice in a rapidly changing landscape. The event will feature poetry interludes, live performances, and DJ sets.”
Devised for the Serpentine Mass Studies programme, the Nike funded event had education at its core, combining talks with live music performances.
Takeaways
So much of the work is in the pre-design with a live broadcast event, perhaps it is the same for a lesson? How can I bring the energy of the live event to teaching? How can I use the language of an event to promote talk day and create hype?
Some Ideas..
Playing Music? Could I ask the speakers for a playlist?
Design A Flyer? Like New Currency
Divided talks into sections? Like they did in Question Time
How can the seating plan be adjusted so it feels less like the classroom they are used to?
Update!
I have now confirmed the speakers, who tie in to the Publishing Research brief.
Jynann Ong is a freelance creative strategist and creative director. Her wider practice includes community organising, ethnographic research, particularly into the philosophy of technology and culture, archiving, writing and facilitating. She is 1/5 of the London-based grassroots art collective Baesianz, a multidisciplinary platform dedicated to amplifying and uplifting global Asian creativity.
Anna Howard is an artist, educator, and the founder of Supporting Material, a project focused on sourcing rare and out-of-print books while also delving into independent publishing. She has recently completed an MFA at Slade School of Fine Art, and holds a BA in Book Arts and Design. Anna began collecting books as a strategy to access culture outside of Bristol and gained an alternative education from her time managing Donlon Books.
In addition to publishing, Anna’s own work spans image, sculpture, and installation, where she intertwines personal narratives with broader cultural observations.