THE PROJECT
Bside are raising funds to build a bicycle powered cinema generator system for their youth programme ‘Encounters’ which engages young people from the youth clubs around Weymouth and Portland in the creative arts. The cinema has been commissioned from an eco-arts organization Magnificent Revolution who use alternative technology – bikes – to create pop up cinema screens for exciting, exhilarating (and occasionally exhausting) film viewing experiences.

The Encounters groups have been making a series of films that represent their lives in the area and this is the perfect way to exhibit them, engaging the local communities around Dorset as part of the bside festival this summer. The costs of the bike parts and generator are expensive and we can’t complete this project without your help!

Who are bside?
b-side is a multimedia arts festival using film, art, music and sound installations to animate public spaces around Weymouth and Portland. The next bside festival is taking place THIS SUMMER from the 27th July until the 9th September part of the fantastic burst of creative offerings that are accompanying the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and is hosting a fantastic programme featuring local, national and international artists. For more information about the bside programme and how to get tickets to events please see our website: http://www.b-side.org.uk/

What is ‘Encounters’

Encounters is a youth engagement programme set up and managed by bside that offers young people aged between 13 and 19 from Weymouth and Portland opportunities to participate in contemporary multi-media arts projects.

The young people work with professional creative practitioners - artists, filmmakers, dancers, musicians etc. Past projects have created some truly innovative and thought-provoking work and PLEASE see our website for more information and pictures of the specific projects: http://www.b-side.org.uk/encounters.php

b-side’s ambition is to provide continuity of experience for young artists, from facilitating initial workshops, offering mentoring, through to creating a platform for showing their own work and inspiring and supporting them in their future career development.

But what is a ‘Bicycle Powered Cinema’?
Very good question! It’s actually an entire generator system designed by some very clever people that consists of things like motors, regulators, converters, circuit breakers, inverters – all of which somehow fit altogether, are powered up using energy generated by peddling the bikes and can be used to create enough power to watch a film on a big screen. You can also use the generator for a sound system for music concerts or to create stage lighting for a play. And what’s extra fantastic is that it is environmentally friendly. Workshop leaders from Magnificent Revolution come and build the bikes with the youth groups teaching them the merits of renewable energy.

Why is this important?
This project is incredibly important, both to the young people who will be directly involved in the Encounters programme and also to the wider communities around Weymouth and Portland. It’s not secret that Weymouth and Portland are 2 of the most deprived coastal resorts of Dorset, and there is very little on offer in the creative arts, particularly to young people. The bicycle powered cinema and generator system costs money, but once it is set up bside can use it for a whole host of activity for years to come. We can run a whole series of filmmaking projects with young people and set up community screenings at locations across the county. We can take it into schools and youth groups and teach people about the environment through the creative arts. We can run a film club, music nights, theatre plays, all directly with the young people that we work with giving them vital and inspirational opportunities to show their work to a public audience.

This project is a key part of b-side’s mission – to provide young people with an opportunity to ‘encounter’ the creative arts.

Please fund us on our journey!