Chew TV is a great online video website for young people. Schools, youth groups and young budding creative stars can upload their videos to a website, where other people can comment, rate, review and share their thoughts about the topics of the videos. It’s a safe, online environment where young people can communicate creatively through video.

So, what’s a Chew Table?

Chew TV wanted a new and interesting way to reach more people. The concept is based around a “talkaoke” table…. much like karaoke, but for talking! It sounds crazy, but its lots of fun!

A presenter sits inside the middle of a round table, and simply talks! Other guests can join in around the table, creating their own mini talk-show.

I designed special software that was embedded into the table that allowed videos to be player and sound-synced, so that everyone could watch and share videos together. People could also use the touch surface to tag thought, ideas and comments for discussion.

The entire table could easily fit into a vehicle, and be transported around schools, workshops, classes and youth groups around the UK.

How was it used?

The Chew Table allows presenters and teachers to openly discuss difficult topics, such as bullying, by allowing students to select different videos on the subject, and anonymously discuss them. This creates an interesting and unusual dynamic in the classroom, with lots of buzz and activity. The presenter in the centre of the table keeps the discussion flowing, and people can join in or opt-out however they please.

Its an unusual and fun way to share and talk about video, and a sensitive way to bring difficult issues up in the classroom.

I programmed all the software for the touch screen systems, including a network synchronisation routine that allowed videos to be played seamlessly over multiple screens, as well as an on screen keyboard for commenting, and other col little features, like a secret menu system for the presenter to quickly flip from one video to the next, and various interface design and screen design work. Chew TV provided the videos that were dynamically uploaded to the table, and the physical table itself was designed by the team at Talkaoke.

I had the wonderful privelidge of being involved with an amazing art show at top London Gallery Tate Briatin, in a collaboartion with the amazing Martin Sextin. In March 2006 Martin Sexton presented New Gothic which combines music, digital art and performance. Featuring  ‘Heraldic Unicorn Lion Grace System’ by Truth Machine, described variously as ‘the high-concept band to end all high-concept bands’ and as a cult religious group by others.

The varying members of this arts collective reportedly all work to a set of instructions cut from the text of books that vary from hermetic works, theological mediations to pulp fiction, erotica and maps. Steve Severin conducts and provides the sonic soundscape.

Ride up with the Magical Lock-down Dark Pegasus: a Harley-Davidson XL53 custom motorcycle resplendent with blue-black Scottish crow wings and ‘pimped’ with a DVD monitor as tail-plate, that echoes TE Lawrence’s quote that “A motorcycle with a touch of blood in it is better than all the riding animals on earth, because of its logical extension of our faculties, and the hint, the provocations, to excess.”

Rattus Norvegicus

Meanwhile, I was working with Korash Sanjideh, Andy Early and Mike Cobb to create new visual experiences. We unleashed  chthonic forces with atechnological multimedia film noir Rattus Norvegicus as part of New Gothic at Tate Britain.

Rattus Norvegicus is a dark digital artwork shown for the first time at “Late at Tate Britain” as part of the “Gothic Nightmares” exhibition.

In February 2010 I had the amazing oppertunity to introduce 250 different children into the exciting world of multimedia, and gave them a glipse of what a career in interactivity really menas.

I helped run open day sessions for students from six city schools, and they got to experience the excitement of the media industry for 2 days during a trip to Twofour studios in Plymouth.

The students were from Mary Dean, Woodfield, Oakwood, Beechwood, Whitleigh and St Peter’s RC primary schools.

The open day was a collaboration with the Tamar Education Business Partnership, and it was designed to study the impact of early career-related learning in increasing young people’s aspirations.

Screaming for more

I had worked with the Tamar Eductaion Business Partnership before, on some sound reactive software for some of their students, so I was pleased to show them the latest updates to my software, called Visual Voice Pro.

The students were able to scream at the top of their lungs, to test out the pre-release Beta. They loved getting the chance to play with the latest software before it had been released.

I was also able to give them a “behind the scenes tour” into the makings of some of my most famous and well know projects, like the work at Cadbury World.

Raising the aspirations

Richard Wallis, director of strategy for Twofour Knowledge, said: “We want to help raise the children’s aspirations, and make them aware of future opportunities that they may otherwise never know about, and a lot of the qualities we as an employer are looking for are transferable skills – energy, initiative, creativity, conscientiousness and resourcefulness.

“As a media company that works across television, design and the web, as well as in education, we’re hoping to give them a taste of the range of career possibilities.”

Jo McCaren from the Tamar Education Business partnership said: “We know from consultations with young people and their parents and carers that there’s a strong interest in media-related careers.

“The Year 5 teachers from each of the six schools visited Twofour last year. They were very impressed by the company, and were keen for their pupils to visit this year and participate in a series of short, career-related – but fun – activity sessions, led by Twofour staff.”