For each of our major exhibitions, we collaborate with partner schools and practicing artists to deliver group workshops that respond to the themes, artworks, and artists in our shows. 

For our newest exhibition, Cosmos: the art of observing Space, we worked in partnership with Venturers’ Academy, whose students have diagnoses of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Teaching staff at Venturers’ Academy shared that many students find methodical, structured processes grounding. 

With this in mind, we posed a question to artist and RWA Academician Rachael Nee: How can you blend serious tech with playful creativity?

We caught up with Rachael to find out:

You have been working with young people from Venturers’ Academy in Bristol for the last couple of months on a project called Biomorphica – can you tell us about that?

The project was developed under RWA’s new Sci-Art-Tech programme. Together we explored how science, art and technology can be combined to create imaginative, interactive artworks.

Taking inspiration from the Cosmos exhibition, we imagined an alien world where humans interact with a new kind of electronic life form. We called these beings Biomorphs. Each Biomorph responds to light and movement and communicates through electronic sound and big flashing eyes.

During the workshops, the young people learned the fundamentals of electronics, and how different electronic components can shape sound. They also experimented with making speakers from found objects. By the end of the series, every Biomorph had its own unique “voice,” designed by the young people themselves.

How did students respond to the process of building their own Biomorphs? Were there any memorable moments?

They responded brilliantly. This field can feel challenging at first because there’s a lot of new information and skills to learn before you can really start exploring creatively. As the sessions progressed, you could see confidence growing with the new skills acquired and experimentation taking over.

One of my favourite moments came from when a student realised they could place a bucket over their head and hear the electronic sounds resonate through it like their own giant, personal surround-sound speaker. It was completely joyful and absurd, in the best way, and soon everyone was taking turns. It captured the curiosity, humour, and playful exploration that ran through the project.

Image (header and above): Ruby Turner

Visitors can interact with the completed Biomorphs in our Space Lab. What do you hope people will get from engaging with the students’ work?

I hope visitors come away feeling that the field of Sci-Art-Tech can be playful, imaginative, and accessible. I’d love them to enjoy what the young people have achieved and to see that this kind of work doesn’t have to feel overly serious or intimidating—it’s about curiosity and imagination.

Projects like this show that boundaries [between school subjects] are flexible, and that creativity is a vital skill within technology and one that will only become more important in the future.

Do you have any suggestions for how families can try something similar at home?

Absolutely. There are some fantastic online resources, such as ‘Instructables’ website, which has step-by-step projects for a wide range of ages and abilities, and of course YouTube. Searching for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) projects will also uncover many creative, educational activities. I’d suggest starting small and simple, experimenting and allowing for playful mistakes, this is all a part of the process.

 Image: Alastair Brookes/KoLAB

 
Following their workshops, the students were invited as guest artists to the Cosmos private view. Four students attended with their families and teachers, presenting their interactive Biomorphs to hundreds of attendees. 

The most moving moment of the night came when a parent, watching her son explain his creation to his little sister, turned to the team and shared that, "I didn't know he could do this." 

The Biomorphs alongside documentary images from the workshops will be displayed at the RWA during SpaceLab, our interactive space designed for young, curious minds - which you can explore for free - between 3 February  and 22 March.