A new project for Far Apart, but Close at Heart UK created in collaboration with Queen Mary University as part of a partnership exploring the effects of the pandemic on our young people and those we work with.

Far Apart, but Close at Heart UK is led by People’s Palace Projects and the Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry (Queen Mary University of London) with five arts organisations in the UK: Theatre Royal Stratford East, Battersea Arts Centre, Contact Theatre Manchester, National Theatre Wales and Dirty Protest Theatre. The project is funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (UKRI) and explores the effects of the pandemic on our young people and those we work with. 

A note from Director, Brigitte Adela
Fantastical Futures is a trio of audio pieces inspired by interviews, personal experience and reflections on the past, created by Stratford East's young people. The pieces are an exploration of the effects of the past year, the reflections many of us have had and the strive to push forward. They are all moments of resilience and hope in different forms.

I had such a great time working with this group on these pieces and seeing each piece develop. Each piece is so different and together as a collection they show an array of thoughts, ideas and hopes for the future. I'm so excited for what each of the young artists go on to create in the future because whatever it is, it will be brilliant. 

A note from Tingying Dong, Sound Designer
Fantastical Futures encourages the young people to connect with their family and friends through doing interviews, to reflect on their own experience from last year, and to free their minds and think of their dreams for the future, also while working in groups to hear and learn from each other; all together as inspirations for creating these audio experiences as their artistic response.

I had the pleasure to share my sound design experience with the young people and see their ideas coming into form which eventually became these unique pieces of art work. I was in awe of their creativity and it was great sharing this journey with them.

The following work has been created by:

DAVE
Sophia Roberts
Jamari Bascom 

BREATHING WATER
Jemica Taylor
Rosanna Ballinger-Drayton 

RADICAL JOY 
Annine Ngesang
Marisol Rojas