Just before the lockdown our Agents had been working on their projects for eight weeks. They had developed a plan, budget and schedule for delivering their projects. There were four projects that were about to happen:
Mycelium - enabling young artists from Butetown, Riverside and Grangetown to create work for unexpected spaces in their communities.
Worlds on Water - A cultural experience where an audience take a boat ride down the river Taff, themed around communities that have made Cardiff their home, from Bangladeshi, to Indian, to Somali.
Soldering Sisters - A project that was to encourage young women to pursue a career in engineering.
Baked Words - Combining storytelling and food, Baked Words will sell Somali inspired cakes that are wrapped in short stories.
Since the lockdown theAgentshave been working with their producers to reimagine their projects for the new situation that we all find ourselves in.
Through the methodology of theAgencywe ask theAgentswhat change do want to see, be that in their communities or themselves, what is their desire for change. It is that desire that is at the heart of their projects.
TheAgentshave considered what is at the heart of their projects, what change they want to see and are now figuring out how they can affect this change in a digital space.
More details of the four new incarnations of the Agency projects will emerge over the coming weeks.
NTW deliver theAgencyin partnership with Battersea Arts Centre, Contact Theatre and Fablab Belfast. The project originated in the Favelas of Rio in 2011 and was created by Marcus Faustini.
Last we took part in a nationwide Zoom call where 55 people joined. At the beginning of the Call Marcus spoke about theAgencyand their response to Covid-19 in the favelas. All funding for theAgency, time and energy has now been directed towards feeding people in the communities that work in. The situation is precarious in a normal situation, with a lot of people working in the informal economy, so most have to still go to work, despite the risks. This talk was a stark reminder of the comparatively fortunate position we in the UK find ourselves.
Marcus Faustini through Agência de Redes para Juventude along with Peoples Palace Projects have launched a will be launching a funding raising campaign.
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