HUNDREDS OF ONE-MINUTE VIDEOS, PROVIDING MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS AND HOPE, TO BE RELEASED ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA DURING MONDAY 21 DECEMBER.
The West Midlands Culture Response Unit’s (WMCRU) latest collaborative, cultural experience, It Gets Lighter From Here takes place today. Hundreds of one-minute films, from multiple organisations and artists across the West Midlands, will be released on social media under the hashtag #ItGetsLighterFromHere, creating a celebration of hope, optimism and possibility for the future.
The event marks today’s Winter Solstice (shortest day/ longest night) and will provide moments of happiness and hope during what has been an incredibly challenging and unprecedented time for the industry – before it does, quite literally, start to get lighter.
A total of 47 commissioning partners will release around 200, 60-second digital commissions throughout today, which have been created and chosen specifically in response to the theme of It Gets Lighter From Here.
A huge cross section of artists and art-forms will be showcased, including Christian “Reload” Nembhard (founder of RIOT - Revolutionary Ideas Over Teaching) and Thomas “Tshawmedia” Shaw who have been commissioned by Culture Central to create four videos. One commission, Connecting the Dots, explores how creatives have been staying connected to the sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. The main subject for the creation is multi-disciplined artist Neone the Wanderer who is a prominent illustrator, music producer, rapper, singer, film maker and graphic designer within the West Midlands. Visually, Neone the Warrier represents how all the different strands stay connected, underpinned with music performed by Christian “Reload” Nembhard himself.
To enjoy the event, audiences should search for the hashtag #ItGetsLighterFromHere across social media platforms, during the day on Monday 21 December. Content will appear on social media throughout the day, and there will be a ‘thunderclap’ moment at sunset (around 3.55pm) when all commissioning partners and artists will post content simultaneously, marking the darkest moment of 2020.
James Yarker from Stans Café, and member of the It Gets Lighter From Here working group said: “Audiences will find these snack size art works ‘more-ish’. There will be all sorts of flavours and we can enjoy getting a taste of everything, even those art forms we’ve never experienced before or think we don’t like. It will be fun trying everything out because ’something else will be along in a minute’ - literally!”
More information, including a list of arts organisations and artists taking part, can be found at www.culturecentral.co.uk/events/it-gets-lighter-from-here-2/
