Hugh McCann

In parallel to SWCTN’s Immersion Fellowship programme Kaleider offered four Devon based individuals Research & Development bursaries. These bursaries were for new immersive ideas or experiences that utilise Creative Technology.

Each recipient received up to a £2,000 bursary, residence at Kaleider Studios for the duration of the R&D, and mentoring in idea development, producing, funding and creative technology to support the future of their ideas.

Hugh McCann is a Southwest based artist, with an interest in wellbeing, public space, technology and participation. His work has been shown at venues including Battersea Arts Centre, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Arnolfini gallery, Bristol. He is also a co-founding director of Alright Mate? CIC, which uses participatory arts projects to de-stigmatise male mental health.
More at hugh-mccann.com and alrightmateproject.com.

Alright Mate? CIC produce arts projects that share and stimulate conversations about male mental health. They are interested in all experiences and believe everyone has something interesting to say.

With this Immersion microgrant, Hugh was working on R&D of The Shed. The Shed is a large wooden shed made by participants and Hugh. Each participant builds one component with Hugh. Whilst components of The Shed are constructed, Hugh chats to the participants about their ideas and experiences around male mental health. These conversations are recorded by an array of microphones in the construction space. When assembled The Shed discretely houses an array of speakers matching the location of the recording microphones, playing a looping mix of the conversations. The result is an immersive, spatialised, sonic reconstruction of those conversations. There are seats in the shed. It is a place to reflect and listen.