Future Artists Programme: Building Worlds for Play with Nick Murray

Chapters 1 and 2

Week 1: Playing Week - It All Flows Somewhere

Introduction to the programme before exploring It All Flows Somewhere, a place-making game that combines physical mark-making with storytelling to build a fictional community. Opportunities to play and demonstration of translating a physical game to digital.


Week 2: Making Week - Flatgame Jam

Using the format of an enhanced game jam participants will be given free rein over a variety of physical materials to make a new game. Drawing on the starting points and mechanics from the previous session, participants will be invited to create and construct as they’re inspired to, with regular advice and guidance from the workshop facilitators in the room. 


Week 3: Tabletop Week - Tabletop Role-Playing Games

TTRP looks at physical games through a selection of tabletop oneshots. Think Dungeons & Dragons but less rules-heavy, shorter and more narrative driven experiences. After playing some modern tabletop games participants will be invited to create new tabletop roleplay games with moments for testing mechanics with each other. 


Week 4: Making Week - Downpour

Using the mobile-ready game-making tool Downpour, participants will explore the Somerset House site and create games that investigate the history and architecture of Somerset House.

Chapter 3

Game Development Weekend:

A further development opportunity, taking place over an intensive weekend packed with workshops and opportunities to explore and play different game formats. All participants will come together to explore formats developed during the earlier sessions and make original games to be shown at the Somerset House Birthday Weekend. The two days will be divided into making and testing sessions with opportunities to play each other’s games and provide constructive feedback in a supportive environment.

In addition to taking part in the programme, you will have exclusive access to wider Upgrade Yourself programming including the Upgrade Yourself Festival and Monthly sessions.
 

This opportunity is for young people ages 16-25 who have an interest in interdisciplinary arts, game design, collaborative practice and play and are excited by the opportunity to gve their work a public platform. This programme will prioritise people from underrepresented backgrounds*.

Please note, it is important that you can attend all 4 bi-weely sessions of the programme and the weekend intensive in person. Applicants must be able to travel to Somerset House in Central London. Please look at the ‘what does attendance cost’ tab below for details about travel expenses.

*The Inclusive Talent Engagement team at Somerset House acknowledges that particular people are underrepresented in the creative sector. Particularly those who identify as:

• Ethnically diverse and/or Global Majority
• Living with a disability
• Working class and/or from a lower socio-economic background**
• LGBTQIA+ and/or non-binary

We also acknowledge that people face barriers in many ways not mentioned above, including:

• Affected by a long-term health condition or impairment .
• Affected by homelessness .
• Care-leaver/carer .
• Unemployed and/or have received welfare benefits .
• Migrant or refugee status

**Fair access to working in the arts remains one of the most urgent issues facing the sector today, with those from lower socio-economic backgrounds still vastly underrepresented amongst the artists and employees of UK theatres, festivals, galleries and arts organisations of all kinds. Our team has drawn from Jerwood Arts’ ‘SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE ARTS A TOOLKIT FOR EMPLOYERS’ to define how to determine who falls into this category. We acknowledge this needs work and often, things aren’t always black and white, for now this is the framework we are using to determine this;
 

Some questions that might help define lower socio-economic background:
 

1. Type of school attended at age 11-16
2. Were you eligible for Free School Meals (FSM)
3. Did your parents go to university?
4. Parents occupation when you were aged 14
5. Did your parents receive income benefits for a long period?
6. Were your parents unemployed either for long periods of time or intermittently?

Taking part in the programme is free of charge to participants. Reasonable travel expenses of up to £10 per session will be covered and refreshments will be provided. These are the ways that we can support your travel to and from Somerset House:

• Pre-book your train tickets to a London station (maximum £10 per day)
• Purchase a 1-week travel card
• Loan a pre-topped up Oyster Card
• Help you to plan your journey to and from Somerset House

Please note, we are not able to reimburse travel costs and can only buy tickets in advance on your behalf.

The programme has been designed with accessibility at the centre. Activity will be seated in large, well ventilated spaces with toilets and a quiet space close by. 

In each workshop, there will be a lead artist and a dedicated access worker to support the needs of the group. We can provide: 

• a wheelchair
• large format printouts
• workshop information communicated in advance
• pre-workshop communication over your preferred channel of communicaion (e.g. Whatsapp/text/email/voicenote)
• support planning your journey
• dedicated access worker
• step free access to the spaces 

 If you require additional support to take part in this programme, please let us know in your application or reach out to sophie.harley@somersethouse.org.uk for a chat. 

Venues: 

The programme will take place in two spaces at Somerset House:

The River Rooms: The space is on a level ground floor and accessible to wheelchair users. There is an accessible toilet close by.

The West Wing Project Space: The space is on the lower ground floor and accessible via a lift. There is an accessible toilet close by.

Full details about accessibility at Somerset House are here.