A Craft in Transition was Southampton’s contribution to a National Festival Of Learning. The Learning Revolution Festival was designed to value informal learning and give all adults an opportunity to learn.The Media Workshop organized events across the area and would like to thank the following for their special contribution: Black Heritage, Weston Court, The Wednesday Women’s group at the WEA and The Clovelly Centre.

The Media Workshop has been working alongside the Challenge and Support Team at Southampton City Council and drama practitioner Annie Sanger-Davies to deliver a series of workshops which aim to help young people use body language in positive ways.

Using drama based exercises and a photo studio set up we’ve been helping young people investigate how to use body language to their positive advantage in different situations. For instance: if they’re being bullied; going for an interview; dealing with conflict or aggression; meeting new friends. etc. Each young person takes away a personalised booklet at the end of the programme, which serves as a body language ‘tool kit’ that they can refer to whenever they need it in the future.

Commissioned by the Central Housing office The Media Workshop helped Northam Residents Association and Northam Youth Centre to produce two photo murals for the entrance wall of Northam Estate.

The two tiled murals represent the rich history of the Northam Chapel area and the vibrant hopes for the future as expressed in the Youth Centre’s mural.

The Media Workshop works with community groups, schools and youth groups, teaching basic screen printing techniques. We’ve helped various groups to produce screen printed banners, posters and t-shirts.

In the summer months the Media Workshop works with various groups who are organising outdoor events across the city. We support the group in designing pre-printed t-shirts which are decorated to completion on the day of the event using fabric pens.

Pictured is Cathy O Leary, Community Development Worker, sporting a t-shirt at Harefield Environment Day celebrating the environment, the outdoors, and nature.

Do you have a project coming up that you think we might be able to help with?
As a close partner of the Southampton City Council, and a charity that delivers work in the heart of Southampton’s communities, please remember our name and pass our details on to your colleagues.

To find out more about The Media Workshop, please visit www.mpmw.co.uk, call us on telephone: 023 8023 1977

The Media Workshop worked with the residents of Castle House, Southampton on a photo-mural for their ground floor lift lobby. Castle house is situated in the old town area and the flats have great views of the Solent.

“We have had extremely favourable input from the residents since it has been in place.

There always seems to be something we missed last time we looked and whiles away the time when waiting around,and looks so much nicer when the lift doors open than the old notice board. ”

Brian Willis - Chair
Castle House Residents Association

See also Kingsland Subway Project and Weston Towers Project

Friends of Mansel Park and Millbrook Community Association worked in partnership with The Media Workshop to deliver the Mansel Park Photo Project in June and July 2009.

Members of the local community gained instruction and hints about cameras and photography, before they took up the task of photographing the park.

After collating all the photographs, decisions and selections were made and the results were reproduced and mounted to posters, notices and postcards. These will be used to promote the use of the park, its beauty and facilities across the city.

In total 25 members of the local community were involved in the production of these pictorial records.

The project was funded with a “Grassroots” grant from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.

In an exciting project funded by the ‘Find Your Talent’ initiative, The Media Workshop worked with young people from Romsey Youth Theatre and Forest Forge Theatre Company. The project explored the theme of youth fashion/culture past and present. The project involved a trip to the fashion exhibition ‘Dressed to Express’ in Alton and an opportunity to take part in a fashion photo-shoot, during which the young people dressed up in costumes from different decades. The photographs produced were used to design large scale banners using Photoshop, depicting the styles from these decades. The banners created the backdrop for a play, performed and devised by the youth theatre in collaboration with Forest Forge Theatre Company, which took the audience on a journey through youth culture from the fifties to the present day.

Find Your Talent is a Government initiative to give children and young people the chance to try out different cultural activities. The scheme being run in 10 pathfinder areas and offers every young person a sustained engagement of five hours a week of quality arts and culture both in and out of school, whatever their age and whatever their ability. For more information visit us at: www.findyourtalent.org

The Media Workshop worked with Albion Towers residents to produce two photo murals for their newly refurbished foyer. One mural shows the St. Mary’s area of Southampton  past and present and the other is panoramic views seen from flat windows.

The Media Workshop has started working with the residents of Castle House, Southampton on a photo-mural for their ground floor lift lobby. Castle house is situated in the old town area and the flats have great views of the Solent, so there’s bags of potential for creating a stunning mural.

See also Kingsland Subway Project and Weston Towers Project

Working with Southampton’s Junior Neighbourhood Wardens and the Central Housing Office. The project focused on positive attitudes to the environment and the local community. The finished work consists of seven photo-murals printed on tiles in the subway between St. Mary Street and Kingsland estate. Access from Johnson Street from either side. A grand opening took place on Thursday 28th August 2008 at 3pm