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Our Words
Paul Bristow • Nov 09, 2020
Scottish Parliament Comics
Over the last year, we worked with eight schools across the eight parliamentary areas in Scotland, to create 'Our Words', comics which explore the work of the Scottish Parliament. It's been an amazing project to be involved with and we are delighted that the comics are now available to read online.
There were four primary schools and four secondary schools involved in the project - each working with the Scottish Parliament Education and Outreach team to find out more about their chosen topic. The schools visited parliament, talked to MSPs, the returning officer, the information team - a whole range of practical activities to help improve understanding about their topic. Our job was then to work with each class group to create a comic based on what they had learned.
The first session was delivered just over a year ago in Skye, the final session, in Ayr just before lockdown. Over the last few months an amazing team of artists have worked to complete their pages and we could not be more pleased with the project or the results. Each comic is available in English, Gaelic, a version for screen readers and as a power point presentation, alongside teaching resources for each topic.
We would like to thank Katherine Hemmings
(Bees Eye View, Hawks Eye View), Alex Assan
(Parliament Tales, FMQs), Norrie Millar
(Canogate Wall), Dylan Gibson
(Committees) and Tony Pickering
(Language in Parliament) for their work - especially during a challenging time.
A big thank you too to Cara Slater and the Scottish Parliament Education and Outreach team who initiated the project and pulled it all together.
MTC Project Blog
Earlier this month, we were asked to produce some artwork for the Afrowegian Project , imagining an Afro-Futurist version of the story of real world cycling superhero, Marshall 'Major' Taylor. The comic display panels form part of an exhibition by the riverside in Glasgow throughout October. You can read more about the work of the project and how to get involved. We're looking forward to doing some more collaborative work with Afrowegian's Jim Muotone, down in Inverclyde over the next few months.
Earlier this year, our director Paul Bristow spoke to Tall Tale films as part of CVS Inverclyde's Digital Open Studios project. Check out the short video below to hear Paul chat about storytelling, communities and his creative process for his own writing and his work with Magic Torch Comics CIC. You can also see his fairly messy home office under the stairs...
Back in 2019, artist Mhairi Robertson and myself, spent some time with a group of women in Glasgow, who told us about their experience of the asylum process, and the welcome they had found in Scotland. The project was pit together by the Poverty Truth Community, and the women all wanted to focus on the positive things that had happened to them since arriving, and the actions that other could take while in the process. A booklet of their stories, which also shares information on the support which is available for people, was launched during Refugee Week 2021 at an online event. The book can be downloaded for free on our website or read on our ISSUU page . A narrated version of the book, recorded by one of the women is also available to view and there is a short preview below.
Magic Torch Comics CIC are asking local young people to get involved in creating a science fiction adventure comic online. The comic, Starbound, is part of our ‘Outside The Box’ project, supported by National Lottery Community Fund. Over the last year, the project has delivered online workshops and involved young people in creating comics about life in lockdown and a collection of spooky stories for Galoshans. For this project, we wanted to do something a little different. It’s a choose your own adventure comic, where local people help create and shape the story on instagram. Every Monday evening, a short video will introduce the story so far and offer people choices for what happens next. People have 24 hours to vote, the artist creates the page and the next week we choose again, spinning the story off in unexpected directions each time. Right now, it’s still impossible to deliver face to face workshops, but if you’ve been online learning all day, you maybe don’t want to come to another online workshop in the evening. So we wanted to provide an opportunity that was easy for everyone to engage in, whatever way they want. Some people might just vote or comment on the story, or email in ideas, other people might want to get more involved and share their creations which we’ll then put out on the blog or in the weekly workshop videos. Although the focus of the project is comic storytelling, we want people to get involved in other creative ways. We’ll have story prompts and tips in the weekly workshop videos, there’s a whole world to explore, so we hope people will get inspired to create and share all sorts of work – Minecraft builds, music, moments of drama – whatever you like. Part of the reason we decided on science fiction was to open up possibilities to imagine. The last few months have been really confined, and it’s easy for your imagination to become confined too, so we wanted to help people break out of that a bit. Starbound launched on Monday 8th March on instagram , there's a new story vote every week. People can get involved on Magic Torch Comics Instagram page or by submitting ideas and suggestions directly on the project page .
About us
Magic Torch Comics CIC
Company Number SC568827
Useful Links
Contact info
07757 112 332info@magictorchcomics.co.uk27 East StreetGreenockPA15 2RL
info@magictorchcomics.co.uk
27 East Street
Greenock
PA15 2RL