Firstly, can you introduce yourself?
Hi, I'm Sarah Longfield, the producer for See Think Make cic which is the training and development agency for Arts Award in Scotland.
Why have you opted to take part in Mozilla Festival?
We have a massive flagship project happening in Kaimhill primary school in Aberdeen at the same time as the festival. It's called Arts Award Takeover, and in a week every learner will gain either a Discover, Explore or Bronze Arts Award. The school development plan centres around digital technology this year, so we have incorporated a bit element of digital arts into the planning.
What do you hope people will get out of your Fringe session?
We're not doing a session as such as we'll be busy in the school, but are very proud to be representing Scotland in the Arts Award offer at Mozilla.
In what ways do you think technology will continue to push art, and vice versa?
Young Artists often use technology without considering it a separate art form. Fifteen years ago, if you used projection in a theatre piece you were labelled 'multi-media'. So much has changed since then and tech is just part of a lot of people's artistic practice. It's tools, creative mediums and more importantly, it's getting cheaper so it's increasing equity.
With coding being pushed hard in schools, where do you think the balance should be between computing and art in education?
It's appalling how art is being squeezed out of education in England. We're a lot more fortunate in Scotland in that the Curriculum for Excellence values creativity so we have a stronger argument for the arts to be fairly represented alongside other subjects. It is still a battle though, but through sharing the feedback and plans for our Takeover through open source files on our website, we hope to inspire other schools to start their own projects. We're also working with the University of Aberdeen who will be writing a research paper on the project.
What is one piece of technology that you think has truly changed the world?
There's thousands! But the one that jumped into my head first was the telephone.
Is there a particular area in technology that you are excited to see develop further?
Making art on your smart phone or tablet – film, music, visual art, animation. They are all so much more accessible now. It would be a wonderful world if children and young people were encouraged to voice their opinions through these. It's always so depressing to see lessons on clip art – we can easily move on!
Do you have any advice to young people who might wish to enter the industry?
Talent is useful but grit is essential.
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