Home ›

Interactive website for developing pride of place

Models Project Information
Proj ID: 

Model06

Proj Subject: 

Interactive website for developing pride of place

Proj Name: 

PlaceBook Scotland

Proj Purpose: 

To create a website that serves as a forum to get people thinking about the identity of their country/community, develops in them a sense of place, documents their impressions of Scotland and makes their representations readily accessible to others through the internet

Proj Time Frame: 

One year; the project was begun in June 2008 and website was launched on November 5, 2008. Contributions are welcome until mid-2009.

Proj Method & Activities: 

Create a website where people can
• upload photographs, artworks, writing, videos or music about their locale
• create their own pages celebrating the vistas and landscape of Scotland
• join online groups and forums where they can discuss with like-minded individuals what Scotland means to them
• find out about events happening that celebrate the Scottish landscape
Photo competition: As part of Homecoming Scotland 2009 (a country-wide, year-long festival in honor of the 250th birthday of Robert Burns), EventScotland and PlaceBook are hosting a competition called My Special Place. A jury will select the five best photos and explanations (of why the photo represents Scotland) and the public will decide the winner through online voting on Sept. 30, 2009.
School collaborations:
• Happy Snap project - A group of nursery-aged children spent class time taking photographs of their favorite places and uploading the images onto the website.
• New Beat project - High school students at one Edinburgh school researched Scottish authors and song writers in order to reinterpret their works and create their own songs using their research as a starting point. Their songs were then uploaded onto the website.
• My Place project - a class of college students is exploring the outdoors in conjunction with health and wellbeing in their school curriculum, taking photos and videos during their walks. These will later be uploaded onto the website

Models Coverage
Location: 

Nationwide project

Models Financing
Funding Agency: 

Government funds from (1) Scottish Government Greener Directorate, and (2) Scottish Natural Heritage, with support from the National Trust for Scotland

Models Organization
Mod Org Name: 

Scottish Landscape Forum (an umbrella organization composed of Activity Scotland Association; Architecture & Design Scotland; Association of Scottish Community Councils; Black Environment Network; Built Environment Forum Scotland; Communities Scotland (corresponding member); Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; Edinburgh College of Art School of Landscape Architecture; Forestry Commission Scotland (observer member); Greenspace Scotland; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Historic Scotland (observer member); Homes for Scotland; Landscape Institute Scotland; National Farmers Union Scotland; Royal Town Planning Institute in Scotland; Scottish Council for Development and Industry; Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations; Scottish Enterprise; Scottish Environment LINK; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department; Scottish Government Rural Directorate (observer member); Scottish Natural Heritage; Scottish Rural Property and Business Association; and Visit Scotland) working with Learning and Teaching Scotland, The Scottish Arts Council, and Event Scotland

Org Project Director: 

Irene Watson (Director of Artspace Scotland)

Org Resources: 

Hired Innovation Digital (a private company) to design the website

Org Mailing Address: 

c/o Scottish Natural Heritage
Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness, IV3 8NW
UK

Org Contact Person: 
Interactive website for developing pride of place
Models Outcome
Material Type: 

Website

Resource Location: 

www.placebookscotland.com

Models Evaluation
Status: 

Contributions for the website and entries for the affiliated competition are currently being collected.

Selection Criteria & Results of Initiative: 

A simple project that requires minimal resources, only website creation and management but which has wide appeal.
The website provides a forum for discussions of identity and place as well as a space for artists to share their works with the greater public.
The project allows for collaboration between schools and heritage organizations.

Applicability to Philippine Setting: 

The ability to contribute to the website may be limited to those with access to the internet, cameras, videos, musical instruments and other recording devices. This is a challenge that can be overcome by collaborating with public schools and offering them an opportunity to use equipment owned by the project organizers.

Such an initiative would take advantage of a trend in Philippine popular culture that has seen an upsurge of interest in photography.
The social networking site capabilities of the website and its online photo album sharing would appeal to people’s need for connectivity.
The website would promote a positive image of the country via the internet while helping shape people’s own conceptions of their locale.
Possible organizations that may be tapped in collaboration with a project like this: Philippine Positive News, art associations or galleries

Possible Benefits: 

Help instill pride of place and create a sense of identity in Filipinos with a focus on how place unifies rather than differentiates across regions

Reference: 
Interactive website for developing pride of place
Links: 
Interactive website for developing pride of place