Young adults join artist and writer Aislinn Evans to play and develop DIY video gaming.

East London-based artist and writer Aislinn Evans hosted Jam the House in summer 2021, a collaborative project with young people using the Mayesbrook Centre which is part of the Specialist Intervention Service in Children's Care and Support. Through a series of regular sessions, the group explored play, collaborative strategies, and non-linear storytelling through DIY video game design.

Together, the group experimented with open-source game engines, Twine and Bitsy and developed new foundational skills in coding. The project explored the potential of open-source platforms as accessible spaces to meet, interact, play, work and travel. By generating bespoke digital worlds, Jam the House hoped to create a safe and democratic space for young people to come together.

The project will result in a new permanent work of art located at the Mayesbrook Centre. The work will be presented as part of Becontree Forever celebrating the Becontree Estate centenary in 2021.

Aislinn Evans

Aislinn Evans' practice involves film-making, comics, and experimental lo-fi game design. A common thread of enquiry includes explorations of place, class struggle and queering folklore. Aislinn is also a youth worker, using games and writing as a medium for social interaction and development. Recent projects and publications include Chump Change, Live Art Development Agency, 2020; Semaphoria, LBBD Council, 2020; Concrete and Protest Song, SPORAZINE, 2020; The Take Over, The White House and Create London, 2018 and The Sofa Slam, Barbican and Create London, 2018. Aislinn was awarded the Live Art Development Agency’s Future Proofing bursary and was Shortlisted for the LDC First Graphic Novel Prize in 2020. They are a National Poetry Slam champion, 2018.