Collabor-8 Focus is a movie night that happens every other month, inspired by the current exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary, chosen by 15-25 year olds, aimed at other young people in this age bracket.
This month's film was Life of Pi, a story about the incredibly journey of survival undertaken by a young man, shipwrecked and orphaned, with the company of an adult Bengal Tiger. The film was expertly prefaced by a tour of the current exhibition – Simon Starling, turner prize winner. His wide variety of work explores scientific processes and journeys, it is easy to see why the young people at Collabor-8 chose this film to compliment the themes in the exhibition.
The night began with a tour, members of the group researched and organised the whole tour, taking us through the gallery and explaining different aspects of the work. This is a new way of giving young people access to the gallery, the members of Collabor-8 have been working on improving youth interpretation and experimenting with effective ways to communicate with young people on their own level.
Overall I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with the whole evening, we were made to feel very comfortable with plush bean bag chairs and snuggly rugs to lounge on, followed by free popcorn and a chance to chat more with the group members.
The next film night they have planned is for the 29th of July, a showing of Kinky Boots, giving yet another different perspective on the Simon Starling exhibition, personally, I can't wait!
This sounds like such a great night! What a novel way of putting on a show that's more than just a film screening!