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Do It Different Projects: Biorhythm
Project
Project
Various, Nottinghamshire, UK
10/19
11/19
The Biorhythm Sound project evolved from The Factory alternative art school. The project intentionally broke the historic rule of no signing at The Workhouse and explored mobile diversity as a creative asset in making sound and music.
One of the Do It Different tutors during the Biorhythm sound project

Do It Different Biorhythm Sound Project

The Do It Different Biorhythm Sound project was shaped by the diverse sensory experiences of the neuro and mobility diverse tutor / collaborators involved.

I invited musician Dav Shiel from Drake Music to collaborate on the Biorhythm sound project. Dav brought a range of different equipment and approaches to making sounds that enabled very individual and interpretative responses to music making.

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“The artist helped a young man, S, make and transfer music to an app and then mix it, adding drum beats, changing his voice. It was his own voice. He didn’t want to give the tablet back. It helped develop the creative part of his character.”
Project partner, Wellcome Trust evaluation

Do It Different sounds

We recorded sounds at each of the children’s homes, Nottingham Mencap and at the Workhouse. Tommy and I further processed these recordings which can be heard in the Biorhythm documentation film above (by Tommy Chavannes).

Some recordings and pieces were part of the Do It Different exhibition in the Kaleidoscope sculpture. Tommy and I further developed some of the recordings which feature in our film Casual Terms (also shown at the Do It Different exhibition and at various film festivals).

Collaborative Creatives

Do it Different

As 2019- 20 National Trust Creative Fellow at The Workhouse, Southwell I devised and ran a year-long commission in collaboration with over 200 neuro and mobility diverse children, young people and adults.

The Factory alternative art school

I built the Factory alternative art school at The Workhouse, which evolved co-creatively over the course of 12 months. The school existed across 4 sites (inside two children’s homes, at Nottingham Mencap and at The Workhouse).


Everyone involved shaped the structure, process and outcomes as both a tutor and creative collaborator.

Do It Different curriculum and work

The Do It Different curriculum responded to the unique sensory, communication and movement styles of everyone involved and was characterised by free imaginative exploration. It ​informed three Do It Different Projects that explored movement, sound and textiles and also shaped The Factory space which housed paintings, sculptures textiles work and performances.


The title, Do It Different, was coined by one of the tutor/collaborators.

The school and projects evolved into the Do It Different exhibition, Do It Different website, Do It Different arts trail and Casual Terms film.

Some Do It Different tutors at The Factory, The Workhouse, Nottinghamshire, 2019

The Workhouse context

By foregrounding and developing collaborative structures that challenged conformity and hierarchy, the art school intentionally broke the rules and routines of The Workhouse past.

Do It Different in the future

By highlighting and breaking from historic structures and practices that inform our educational, creative and social care institutions today, Do It Different also asks us to consider how these institutions can evolve more progressively in the future.

Trust new Art Creative Fellow at The Workhouse, Southwell 2019 – 2020