On Friday 11 April, as a break from our usual Lunchtime Talk format, we handed the reins over to anyone who had a project or idea that they wanted to discuss. Residents and visitors sat together to bounce ideas off each other, and to get support, feedback and inspiration. Here are a few of the key projects and issues discussed...

At the beginning of the discussions, Victoria, a graphic designer and resident of the Studio, told us about one of her current projects, In the Shadow of Things. The project is a REACT funded collaboration with photographer Léonie Hampton. Victoria is compiling Leonie’s incredibly personal archive of photographs, films, writing and recordings, documenting her mother’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, into a beautifully made app. She asked if she could pass around her prototype on an iPad for us to peruse while people discussed, so that she could get some feedback about the app’s interface at the end of the discussion.

Sam Downie then spoke about a campaign to stop NHS personal medical records from being sold for insurance/commercial reasons. This prompted a pretty interesting conversation about why data security is so important, which carried on after the group discussion ended.

Jon Dovey then spoke about REACT’s upcoming scheme, Play Sandbox, which will fund six projects exploring games, toys, connected objects or immersive experiences for children. This scheme will be different from other Sandboxes, as the project teams will be engaging with young people themselves (aged 7 - 12) in ideas generation, design and testing. We had a discussion about design, and whether it was the designer or the consumer’s/the adult or the child’s job to know what is wanted from a children’s product.

On the subject of play, Jess, our project coordinator spoke a bit about Fun Palaces, a nation-wide initiative encouraging institutions to organise a weekend of free, locally curated events, bringing together art, play and science, for all demographics. Watershed are getting involved, which gives the Studio a fantastic opportunity to bring some of the wonderful projects taking place here into the public sphere. The dates for Fun Palaces (4 – 5 October) fit in with our cinema’s Sci-Fi Season, so the weekend will have a decidedly futuristic feel. We are installing a Fun Palaces suggestion box in the Watershed foyer in May, so if you have any ideas for what you can do, make sure you pop them in there.

Guy Lockhead, a teaching assistant, who was visiting the Studio for the first time, told us about his project, Whybrary, an online learning resource, which would allow students to explore a database of interesting historical characters and events that may have been excluded by the school syllabus.

We will be hosting a talk in this format again in the future, so keep an eye on our events page if you would be interested in coming along and airing your ideas. Don’t forget that every Friday after our Lunchtime Talk, we hold Open Studio Friday, which is also a space for discussion.