FutureMakers
This creative technology video takes viewers behind the scenes of FutureMakers, a dynamic 2016 project I produced for FutureEverything, in collaboration with Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums (TWAM).
The video captures a unique intersection of digital experimentation, community engagement, and heritage-inspired innovation—showcasing workshops that brought analogue and digital making together in inspiring ways.
What is FutureMakers?
FutureMakers was a ground-breaking programme of creative-technology workshops rolled out across TWAM’s venues—including Arbeia Roman Fort, Shipley Art Gallery, Stephenson Railway Museum, and Discovery Museum—starting in early 2016 . Led by Manchester-based innovators FutureEverything, the project aimed to engage both young people and adults in using new technologies to rethink heritage collections and design for the future.
Highlights included:
- Gadgets: Adventures in Design at Shipley Art Gallery, where children aged 7–11 used LittleBits kits to create wearable tech inspired by the museum’s collection .
- New Inventors at Discovery Museum, featuring DIY electronics—kids built conductive clay instruments, and older participants created their own analogue synthesizers .
- Railway Codes Hackathon at Stephenson Railway Museum, a 10‑hour coding sprint combining archive rail data with creative new builds.
- TimeCraft at Arbeia Roman Fort, where participants used Minecraft to reconstruct Roman ruins and reimagine ancient architecture digitally .
In my creative technology video, viewers can see digital futures unfolding within historic walls—crafting, coding, designing, experimenting. The juxtaposition of centuries‑old artefacts with blinking LEDs and electronic dough is exactly where the project’s magic lies.
Working with FutureEverything & TWAM
The partnership between digital collective FutureEverything and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums was central to FutureMakers’ success . I capture this collaborative energy in the video, showing how museum educators and FutureEverything facilitators co-delivered engaging experiences.
According to John Coburn, Digital Programmes Manager at TWAM:
“It’s about ingenuity from the past inspiring… new futures.”
And FutureEverything’s Drew Hemment reflected:
“It is an absolute pleasure… inspiring the next generation of makers, creatives, collectors and visitors.”
These quotes—built straight into the transcript—highlight the project’s dual focus: honouring heritage while driving innovation.
Why This Creative Technology Video Matters
This is more than a highlight reel of clever tech toys. It documents a meaningful experiment: using creativity and digital tools to re‑engage communities with heritage and spark new ways of thinking. In one scene, a child holds a LittleBits circuit to their ear, awed by electricity in motion. In another, adults debug code in Stephenson’s historic engine shed, weaving past and future.
By blending livestreamed gameplay with workshop footage and curator voice‑over, the creative technology videoreflects both process and impact. It preserves a moment when museums weren’t just places to look, but spaces to become makers, thinkers, and inventors.
Reflecting on My Practice
This project expanded my filmmaking ethos. I usually create observational, documentary shorts in art, heritage, and academic settings. With FutureMakers, I embraced a more interactive, participatory filmmaking style—capturing hands-on workshops, coding processes, and maker‑led storytelling.
It challenged me to balance dynamic, activity‑filled scenes with quieter moments—like archive materials being unwrapped, or young hands sketching futuristic headgear. It reinforced my belief that creative technology videos work best when they reveal both human stories and technological marvels.
Transcript Highlights
Throughout the video, participants, facilitators, and organisers speak directly about their experience. Sample transcript extracts include:
- Workshop attendees describing their wearable designs at Shipley:“I’ve made a glowing badge to show my favourite animal.”
- A facilitator at Discovery:“We’re building synthesizers using conductive dough—it’s about sound and science.”
- Organisers discussing project goals:“Museums as spaces for playful experimentation and creative thinking.”
These lines are included verbatim in the video’s subtitles and accompanied by footage of candid smiles, focused activity, and the hum of invention.
Long-Term Impact
FutureMakers helped TWAM reinforce its mission to engage communities, support lifelong learning, and champion creative economy projects . It supported formal and informal learning, stimulated curiosity about technology and heritage, and modelled new partnership ways for museums.
For FutureEverything, the project aligned with their mission—bringing digital art to public spaces and nurturing the next generation of makers, coders, and designers .
Watch & Engage
🌐 Explore more of my creative video projects blending art, heritage, and community: alanfentiman.co.uk/vimeo-videos/artist-films