Angela YT Chan 
(March 1, 2023 → June 1, 2024) In place of a project evaluation report, Grand Union commissioned me to produce an interactive artwork to convey the work of The Growing Project, ‘a transformative community programme using art making, gardening, cooking and simply being together as a way of offering support and friendship to people passing through difficult times, partnering with organisations supporting vulnerably-housed people and those experiencing crisis.’ I produced ‘The Growing Project: Digital Narrative Game’, weaving the people, activities and creatures across the 7 sites of The Growing Project, and it is now playable online.
“We have been working with artist Angela YT Chan to create an online narrative game about The Growing Project. The Twine game is hosted on itch.io and is a playful evaluation report focussed on the environmental benefits of the project.
In the narrative game you can follow the four navigators – Breeze, Bird, Bee, and Fungi – across all seven of our garden sites. The game offers an interactive way to learn all about The Growing Project’s environmental impact, from our remediation work on the Common Field site, to the planting of wild flower meadows, to the growing of native species for use in our tea blends, alongside much, much more.
The game is a simple click-through format with a soundtrack that plays throughout. The soundtrack begins on the second page, and its volume is adjustable by your device. To play the game, click the button below where you will be taken to the host website, itch.io. When on this website, you can use the expand button in the bottom-right corner of the green window at the top of the page to make the game full screen. You can press your escape key to exit full screen at any time.
To move through the narrative, scroll down on the game window and click on the hyperlinks in the text. To go backward at any point, there is a small arrow in the top right corner of the game. Some links within the game will bring you back to our website in new tabs, but the game itself will not close, so you will not lose your place in the narrative. Links will turn purple once you have clicked on them, allowing you to see which sections you have already completed. We hope you enjoy playing through.
The Growing Project is a transformative community programme using art making, gardening, cooking and simply being together as a way of offering support and friendship to people passing through difficult times. Our project partners include organisations who support vulnerably-housed people and those experiencing crisis.
Together with artists, gardeners and chefs we work compassionately to facilitate weekly sessions with a variety of groups. Utilising Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care training we’re able to meet people where they are at in a non-authoritative environment.
Through The Growing Project, people have said they feel more connected to others and are offered space for their own expression. The project builds community connections that may not have existed before and we’re extremely proud of the work we achieve together each week. Our methodology is to create space for peoples’ varied and sometimes complex needs, where productivity is not the driving force. Instead gardening is about being outside with plants and wildlife, art-making is about trying new things and building confidence and cooking is about the enjoyment of sharing and eating together. ”
Find out more here