EXTRA £3 MILLION FOR NEW CULTURE ONLINE PROJECTS
(3 March 2005)

Arts Minister Estelle Morris today confirmed that Culture Online will receive an additional £3million to spend on interactive projects in 2005-2006. In addition to commissioning new projects, Culture Online's team of technical and creative specialists will offer consultancy support to other Government Departments and Non-Departmental Public Bodies. Established in 2002, Culture Online commissions a portfolio of creative projects to extend access to the arts and culture. Many of the projects encourage mass participation and inspire people to interact with arts, heritage and cultural organisations in an innovative way.

The news of the additional funding comes hot on the heels of a series of BAFTA Interactive wins for Culture Online projects, announced last night. Stagework won the top prize in the Best Factual and Best Learning categories and Headline History won the Children's Learning category.

Estelle Morris said: "Culture Online has enjoyed a strong year, gaining praise for both its creative programme and its robust approach to managing risk. Culture Online and its partners have produced an array of top-notch cultural and educational online resources and I'm looking forward to seeing the new projects in the coming year. It's great to see creativity and effective risk management running hand in hand."

Jonathan Drori, Director of Culture Online, said: "You can create something rather special when you combine innovative technology with a real understanding of audiences. That's certainly been our experience at Culture Online. It's been a privilege to work so closely with the country's top cultural organisations alongside the technology companies that have helped us to deliver compelling interactive experiences. This funding means we can create new projects with new partners. I'm also delighted that we have been invited to offer consultancy support to other Government Departments and NDPBs."

Organisations wishing to put forward project proposals should visit the Culture Online website: www.cultureonline.gov.uk.

CULTURE ONLINE PROJECTS

Headline History, commissioned from Northcliffe Electronic Publishing, is a series of virtual newspapers from specific periods in history - from Roman Gazette to the Victorian Times - to match areas of the National Curriculum. Children write reports and edit the web newspapers. Headline History has won three Newspaper Society Digital Media Awards and a BAFTA Interactive award.
http://www.headlinehistory.co.uk

Stagework is commissioned from the National Theatre to give the behind-the-scenes access to some of its landmark productions. The site has won two interactive BAFTAs this year, and was runner-up in the Best Broadband category in the British Interactive Media Association awards 2004. Visitors to the site can explore how productions are put together and how theatre tackles important issues about individuals and society. Stagework includes a set of compelling resources for teaching English, Drama and Citizenship.
http://www.stagework.org.uk

Plant Cultures has been created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to celebrate Asian culture and its influence on British life. The project, which launched in February 2005, works with communities and museums in four cities to capture the stories, recipes, folklore and pictures that portray the deeper cultural significance of South Asian plants. http://www.plantcultures.org.uk

WebPlay UK is a broadband-based project that enables primary school children from rural and urban areas to work with a professional theatre company to create, produce and perform short plays. The plays are then uploaded onto a specially created website. An independent evaluation by Professor Angela McFarland from Bristol University concluded that WebPlay is highly effective in motivating children and that all the children involved in the project so far had 'raised their game'. http://www.webplay.org

World War II Remembered is a joint project between the BBC and Age Conern to encourage older people to use new technology to coincide with the BBC People's War project. Culture Online funded outreach projects in four English regions to turn new media beginners into 'contributors'. Internet taster sessions were held in old people's homes and community centres, and museums and libraries held interactive learning events. Hundreds of their stories were published on the People's War website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2

Web Design Challenge is a partnership between the Hansard Society and the Design Museum. It is a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) design competition for Key Stage 3 pupils. The project offers pupils a unique opportunity to develop their ICT, creativity, literacy and design skills, as well as their knowledge and understanding of key topics within the Citizenship curriculum. http://www.webdesignchallenge.org

ArtisanCam brings artists into the classroom using webcams and a broadband connection. It allows children to see artists at work in their studios during live streaming sessions. There is also the opportunity for them to contribute their own work inspired by the teaching tools and virtual workshops on the site.
http://www.artisancamnorth.org.uk

City Heritage Guides present up-to-date cultural information for ten cities, written by the people who know and love them. The guides were commissioned from the 24 Hour Museum to pull together accessible, inclusive and inspiring heritage content for a local and international audience. The guides are written by a variety of contributors, who can submit their stories and pictures using the specially created 'Storymaker' tool.
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/cityheritage

MadforArts is a unique project that gives a voice to some of the most marginalised people in society. It is a web and TV initiative, run by the Community Channel, to encourage views on art from a mental health user and survivor perspective. The website has become a supportive community, as well as a gallery of 'studio spaces' for contributors' views on art. http://www.madforarts.org

The Dark is a touring interactive installation, commissioned from Braunarts. It describes a virtual world that challenges how we perceive the real world. Three-dimensional music and a ghostly presence inhabit a haunted soundscape. Visitors are plunged into a mysterious space with only their ears and imagination to guide them. http://www.thedark.net

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