Sandbox

Inspired by play, exchange of knowledge, the theme of worlding*, and using creative computing and games design as mediums for social/political criticism, Jazmin Morris re-imagined Modal gallery as a community resource.

Featuring talks, workshops, a games night and an open-access library, Morris looked to disrupt and push the boundaries of knowledge sharing and traditional archiving, situating carefully curated media as a tool for collective resistance and liberation. A response to gaps in access to cultural and educational experiences, Sandbox was a call and part of a long term ambition to envision more radical systems for learning, critical thinking and restorative practices and the potential of code and technologies.

Both in person and digitally, the show and residency took place at the School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University and manifest via Gather, an interactive 8-bit style virtual platform. In Gather, audiences joined a virtual ‘in conversation’ with Jazmin Morris and Ama Dogbe and explored some elements of the physical show, online.

As part of her residency, Jazmin partnered with Rekindle, an alternative school for working class young people in Manchester encouraging fierce critical thinking and self-belief.

We explored Jazmin’s presentation of artefacts, literature, provocations, worlds and interactive games. Jazmin led workshops to explore themes of worldbuilding, science fiction and creative technology skill sharing.

*Making worlds together, inspired by the question ‘what kinds of worlds are needed at this time of ecological crises?

Jazmin Morris is a Creative Computing Artist and Educator based in West Yorkshire. Her practice and pedagogy consider the historical trajectories of modern technology and critically speculate on the landscape of human-computer interaction. Using free and open-source tools, Jazmin crafts participatory digital works that challenge power dynamics and hierarchies within cyberspace, with a particular emphasis on the processes of simulating culture and identity. Despite her critical approach, Jazmin appreciates the early days of the internet and is a huge fan of the classic gaming icon, Super Mario 64.

Sandbox was part of Commons, a joint commitment by AND and SODA to platform emerging art forms and push the boundaries of digital practice. Devised as a prompt to rethink our approaches to digital practices, the programme explores if we can develop new models for commissioning, experiencing, interpreting and preserving digital art that reflect the inherent values of digital culture.

This programme is a collaboration between Abandon Normal Devices (AND) and Modal gallery at Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts (SODA). AND is supported with public funding from Arts Council England.