Digital Vikings inspire a Brave New World for Mental Health
14 - 22 February 2015
In a UK first, ancient Vikings, modern technology and music are being brought together to help people who use mental health services. Over 50 people, from a range of backgrounds and with a variety of mental health issues, have been working together to create a unique digital soundscape, The Vikings’ Brave New World. The soundscape can be experienced for the first time at this year’s JORVIK Viking Festival in York, which launches on Saturday 14 February, 2015.
The soundscape was inspired by the idea of Viking journeys – voyages made without a compass. “It emerged that this idea could have real resonance for people with mental illness: every day might be like going off into an unknown world, or being all at sea without a sense of direction,” explains Jane Stockdale, project co-ordinator at the JORVIK Viking Centre, which organises the annual Viking Festival.
Each individual contributed in a different way, reflecting their own life experiences and creating a rich and unusual tapestry of sound: one woman wrote a poem about the loneliness of being left behind as her Viking husband travels; one man played his hurdy-gurdy; some were talented musicians or singers; even bubble wrap and creaking piano stools make an appearance. The sounds have then been manipulated, bent, echoed or even multi-layered to re-imagine the Viking world through sound.
The pioneering project is the brainchild of Jane Stockdale at JORVIK, and Chris Bartram and Matt Dawson, community musicians from the award-winning Converge programme, York St John University’s arts education partnership with local mental health providers. By encouraging self-expression and communication, the Converge programme has brought significant changes to the lives of participants. This project is innovative as it combines technology and sound, meaning that there is no limit to what the music can achieve, and therefore to the imagination: those taking part have no boundaries, so that they can work together organically and intuitively.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants saying “It took me to a different place in my mind”, “A testament to the collective imagination”, but perhaps most eloquently “Working with others gave me great happiness”: participants have been deeply moved by the Vikings’ sense of community, the idea of music-making and story-telling together around the fireside. Those with mental health difficulties often feel lost and alone, and therefore this project has allowed them to feel as if they are part of a community and reintegrating socially.
Chris Bartram, at Converge adds: “The project has also given outstanding musicians a supportive platform to showcase their talent, often for the first time. Some of the participants are exceptional musicians, but like many people with mental health problems, might have found it challenging to perform in public. The project has given people an opportunity to experience the joy of performing for other people and, most importantly, to reach out to the world. These talented people would be lost in a ‘professional’ world; it allows them to be valued in a professional capacity”.
Many stories are woven into The Vikings’ Brave World, stories of personal experience and stories inspired by Viking history – a true connection with people from the past, and with each other.
The digital soundscape will be available to experience every day during the JORVIK Viking Festival (14 – 22 February 2015) at Barley Hall in York, between 10am – 5pm during the Festival (normal admission charges apply). For more details, visit www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk. The soundscape will also feature on the JORVIK and Converge websites.
This project is part of York’s vibrant media arts scene: York is proud to be UNESCO’s first UK City of Media Arts, one of the world’s leading creative cities in the digital industries.
ENDS
Please find below a link to an audio sample from the Converge project, and images of the group taking part.
For further media information or photographs, please contact:
Nicola Bexon or Jay Commins
Pyper York Ltd
Tel: 01904 500698
Email: nicola@pyperyork.co.uk or jay@pyperyork.co.uk
