The Different Journeys project is a joint venture by CAN (Campaign against Addiction) , fine artist John Luce Lockett, The University of Northampton and Open.
The project, originally conceived in 2004, initially looked at telling the stories of local people who had suffered from some form of addiction through an art medium. Whilst Different Journeys had enjoyed some success locally, it was clear that there was a wider audience all over the UK of people who wanted to use art to tell their own stories, not just about drug and alcohol addiction, but about mental health problems or dealing with cancer, disability and more. Being involved right from the beginning made developing the website a simple process, the key to engaging people to share their stories through art, was to give them a platform where they would be proud to display their work using the latest developments in web technology available.
The works were uploaded to the site via a UGC tool, the images are instantly watermarked and then displayed in the relevant area of the gallery, showcased as a long and winding road. The authors can then tell their story in a narrative that permits anonymity. The web, which is now the hub of the project site was launched to local supporting businesses and the press to much acclaim.
Original artworks that are donated to the project are auctioned regularly to raise funds for various addiction and mental health charities around the UK and Open are proud to remain involved in such an exciting and innovative scheme.
