Mash Media investigates the new online platform for art based virtual event experiences
Mash Media talks to Neil Harvey, Creative Director and co-founder of Blue Hat Teambuilding.
What is the Corona Canvas all about?
It’s a global community art project with the aim of connecting one million, individual virtual canvases on an online Gallery. At the same time, we are racing to raise £1 million to help those affected by the virus.
It’s based on the simple concept that anyone can colour in, therefore anyone can be 1 of the million. In doing so, together we would create the largest piece of online community art in history, and anyone can be part of that historical achievement.
What gave you the idea?
When the Coronavirus forced Lockdown, it became apparent that company staff who were forced to work at home felt isolated from work colleagues and their wider family, unfamiliar with the technology they were now having to use and distanced from being part of something larger than themselves.
Recognising this feeling of isolation, I came up with a simple concept. If our clients could download a virtual canvas, they could colour it in and match colours with neighbouring canvases. Once completed, it could then be uploaded to an online Gallery where it links with other people’s canvases and would be visible to anyone and everyone. This would encourage people to engage together, remotely, in a fun way. They could colour, connect and contribute to something bigger than themselves. Everyone can do colouring!
How did you get started on the project?
For such an impactful project, we needed to find the right person with the talent to construct the complex software that could do all the above. Then we got cracking!
We shared the exciting new website with friends, family, a selected primary school and professional artists both in the UK and across the globe. They enjoyed it. It worked.
What sparked the change from just corporate clients doing it to it being a global project?
I was on an online webinar and one of the speakers, Ed Mylet, said one sentence that made me think “This concept could be made available to everyone?” This concept will work across abilities, across borders and across generations. You can even connect with strangers, who after all are just friends you haven’t made yet.
When did the charitable aspect come in to play?
It was actually someone else who suggested “Why not use the project to help those directly affected by the virus?” As the project was born out of the effect of the pandemic, it made sense to use it to help those affected by it. So we made the decision to donate 50% of all the money we receive from the purchase of every canvas to raise a target of £1 million pounds for relevant charities around the world.
And that’s why we’re calling the project “The Corona Canvas”.
Any final comments you’d like to share?
Yes! Join the race to raise this £1million!
Buy your canvas on the website www.coronacanvas.online and share the project with others.
Make your mark in history by clicking “Buy my canvas now”
We really look forward to seeing what artwork you come up with!
Facebook @thecoronacanvas
Instagram @coronacanvas
