The ARTIST ROOMS On Tour programme is in partnership with the Art Fund, Tate and National Galleries Scotland making available the ARTIST ROOMS collection of international contemporary art to galleries throughout the UK. One of the guiding aims of ARTIST ROOMS is to engage young people with the art of our time in order to inspire future generations. The exhibition at the Dick Institute between 3rd September and 24th December 2011 offered a rare opportunity to see three extraordinary video works by Bill Viola: ‘Catherine’s Room’, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Four Hands’.

Bill Viola’s work is based around the themes of emotion and faith, friendship, birth, life, death and ritual; human experiences that we all share. The work is meditative and thought-provoking and in many ways we can connect the patterns of our own lives with those in Viola’s work.

The learning programme was funded by the Art Fund and devised by East Ayrshire Council’s Arts and Media Development. We worked with over fifty young people aged between 12 – 27 and eight artists as part of the programme. The learning programme took place over six weeks between September and November. Artists specialising in drama, movement, sound and visual arts were selected to lead the groups and to encourage a deep level of engagement with Bill Viola’s work, meeting with a group of young people every week to develop ideas.

Three secondary schools from Kilmarnock took part in workshops under the umbrella title; ‘Viola’s Predellas’ using (1) Mime and Chorus Work, (2) Sound Composition and (3) Chirology and Movement. The participants were aged between 13 – 18. ‘Catherine’s Room’ was the title for a twilight series of workshops which took place at the Dick Institute every week. A group of participants from across East Ayrshire aged 15 – 21 used drama and visual art to explore and develop their piece.

The finished work was created within six weeks and performed at a sharing event at the Dick Institute on 7th November by students in the four workshop groups from Grange Academy, Kilmarnock Academy, from Park School, Kilmarnock College and Cumnock Academy. Photography, sound recording and film were used to document the project and as the outcome of the work. A publication and DVD produced to celebrate the project will be given to each participant.