Shepton-Digital-Arts Festival

A combination of Challenge Anneka and Location, Location, Location. We had two days to transform a disused warehouse into a 180 seat digital cinema complete with bar, cafe, sofas and illuminated cubes for sitting on. The first task we had to undertake was to sweep away the armies of dead flies that had accumulated over the summer and then all the lighting, sound, stage flats and projection equipment had to be carried up three flights of stairs.

With some amazing help (thanks Jenn, Zena, Rob, Cliff, Andy and all the other tireless volunteers) we made it happen. To see 120+ adults and children all busy making plasticine Gromits under the expert eye of Jim Parkyn on the Saturday (we almost broke the world record) was a sight to behold. Huge praise to the indefatigable Claire Sully for never ever letting go of the original vision and for attracting some world class talent. Sheptonians can be be really proud of such a fantastic Festival!

I don’t think I have had as much fun since I was six. Why do we have to graduate from Plasticine at such an early age into the dreary non-tactile world of irregular French verbs, Pride and Prejudice and Quadratic Equations? To see an army of parents jump in and excitedly make Gromits says to me that we need much more plasticine in the world.