This video artwork was developed by young people working with video artist Eva-Grace Bor. It is the result of a Peckham Platform programme with the same name (Digital Tapestry) that invited artist Meera Shakti Osborne and producer A.G. to run workshop sessions with our Youth Platform group.
Taking place in 2020 during the social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants explored self-care, activism, healing and individual expression through weekly group sessions on Zoom, learning about sound and digital art. Over the course of three months participants produced audio, short films, photographs, poetry and paintings.
During the programme the group met new people, developed their work collaboratively and strengthened their individual portfolios for job and university applications. All participants received free supplies, art materials and data bundles to support them in the online sessions.
I actually came across the Youth Platform Digital Tapestry programme on Instagram – somebody shared it on their story. And I thought – it’s local to where I live, I love art, and I’m interested in art, but I’m not classically trained in any kind of art. So I applied, and now I’m involved, and I’m really happy.
Youth Platform member
Digital Tapestry came up at a really useful time for us as a collective. We were so quickly into the pandemic that actually, despite everything kind of getting thrown up into the air, this project really gave us a structure. Weekly, we knew we were meeting A.G. and Meera, we knew the themes we’d be discussing and how we’d go about the craft, but also, the openness of the skills we’d be learning. So that was really exciting. It was something to really look forward to in a time when the jobs market was abysmal, and we weren’t allowed to meet our friends even on a bench in a park which now, in hindsight, is actually really, really mad. But taking part in Digital Tapestry was a new routine in the chaos. And I really enjoyed it – I think Meera and A.G. brought so much insight and passion and knowledge that we all took so much from.
I think the web interface of it made it almost easier… it was less nerve wracking, talking about quite personal feelings towards art, towards life, towards personal circumstances, than if we were sitting in the same room together. So in that sense, the new Zoom side of things was really useful and a decent icebreaker.
Youth Platform member
