Phoenix cinema and art centre in Leicester may be temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but they’re still giving people access to the best in world cinema and digital culture with the launch of their new Phoenix at Home hub.
Launched on Monday 20 April, Phoenix at Home brings together a host of online content, handpicked by Phoenix’s creative team to offer a diverse range of film, performance, digital art, learning resources and creative activities.
“We’d usually be curating a programme for our own cinema screens and gallery”, says Phoenix membership and communications manager Sarah Vallance, “but as that’s not possible at the moment, we’ve turned our hand to curating a programme for people to enjoy at home instead.”
“With so much content available online and via streaming platforms it can seem overwhelming, and that’s where Phoenix at Home comes in. Each week, our team is putting together their recommendations for what to watch over the next seven days, alongside specially curated film seasons – all of it available online.”
Phoenix has also developed a series of activities for children so they can get creative with digital technology, and is making use of streaming technology to host online tutorials and weekly sessions for artists.
While Phoenix’s Cube Gallery is closed, there is access to some of their work online and it’s also now possible to explore their fascinating archive of previous exhibitions, stretching back over the past decade.
Phoenix also has a well-established learning programme, with short courses throughout the year. While the temporary closure means scheduled courses can’t go ahead, Phoenix at Home has plenty of resources for people who want to get deeper into film.
“It’s crucial that Phoenix expands its online programme at a time when so many of us are staying at home and restricting our interactions with others,” says Phoenix Chief Executive John Rance.
“We know how important Phoenix is to many people – as a place to experience film and digital arts, and to gather for social and business purposes. We have been developing our online art programme for a while, but the closure of our venue at such short notice gave us the impetus to create a wider online programme for children, families and adults to engage with during this difficult period of lockdown; and through Phoenix at Home we are able to offer a diverse online programme of creative film and arts activities for people of all ages.”
