This week we are delighted to welcome participants from Brazil and the UK who are joining us as part of the Recife: The Playable City programme. Participants will spend the next 10 days developing ideas here at Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio, before heading to Brazil in April to finalise their prototypes.

Recife: The Playable City is an exciting new international initiative that brings together creative practitioners from Pernambuco (Brazil) and the UK, to exchange ideas and develop new works that respond to the theme of The Playable City. Watershed is running the programme in collaboration with Brazilian Technology Park Porto Digital and the British Council.

This exciting programme enables a select group of artists, producers and technologists to participate in a creative lab process spanning Bristol and Recife. Working together, they will develop new ideas that use art and technology to engage and inspire audiences, demonstrating how playful experiences can empower citizens and tackle the challenges our future cities face. The programme will culminate in a public showcase of ideas in Recife in April, in which Recife will officially become the world’s second Playable City. This new initiative is part of the British Council’s Transform programme and is supported by Arts Council England.

Watershed Producer Victoria Tillotson says,

“I'm incredibly excited to welcome all the particpants and about the huge potential of Recife: The Playable City. At a time where cities across the world are becoming increasingly ‘smarter’, there is a real opportunity to explore how playful ideas that combine technology and culture, can empower citizens, whilst effectively addressing the challenges our cities face. Watershed is delighted to work with Porto Digital and the British Council on this programme, and I can’t wait to see what these amazing practitioners create.”

You can find out more about the participants and keep up to date with progress by catching up with their blogs. This brand new initiative is part of the British Council’s Transform programme and is supported by Arts Council England.

You are very welcome to join us for a special free Lunchtime Talk on Fri 17 Jan, the last day of the programme in Bristol. This informal session will be an opportunity to hear more about their ideas in progress and offer your thoughts and reflections on where they might take their work next. Expect a little bit of chaos, and a lot of great ideas. We look forward to seeing you there.

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