Examples from a post-up exercise with clients to help generate ideas for BCCTV promo video
Group picture after a day of shooting
BCCTV was a yearlong artist residency at Bud Clark Commons, a resource center and shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. I, along with four other artists, designers and filmmakers, received a grant to teach the intricacies of video making to the homeless community so they could share their personal stories with others.
STRATEGY
We began by leading carefully designed Saturday workshops that enhanced the process of storytelling and video making with hands on activities. As the workshops progressed, so did our understanding of the community and participants' ambitions for sharing their stories.
Initially, we believed our participants would take an autobiographical approach to their work, which is what interested us. We soon learned that BCCTV's service was used as a creative outlet for our participants, enabling their thoughts to wander from the harsh realities of their daily lives. This realization helped to shape our methods as we continued our service to better accommodate our users on their quest to share their stories.
Flyer for event filmed as part of the documentary Home Free
OUTCOME
By the end of our stay we had developed a wide array of video works ranging from science fiction to comedy to one brave participant's autobiographical documentary. The video works have had several public screenings and been aired on cable TV. The attention drawn to the project has brought awareness to the issue of homelessness, with the unexpectedly playful nature of the shared videos offering the community a new perspective of their creators.
Collaborators: Carl Diehl, Ariana Jacob, Joan Lundell, Mack McFarland, Jeffrey Richardson and Participants
Website: BCCTV