Full STEAM Ahead for This Girl Codes at Bradford City of Culture!
Full STEAM Ahead for This Girl Codes at Bradford City of Culture!
Junction Arts' pioneering initiative, This Girl Codes, is making an exciting move from Bolsover to Bradford this summer as part of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations! Designed to inspire and empower women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM), this project continues to break barriers and spark creativity.
Electrical engineer Ann Fomukong-Boden and Junction Arts Project Manager, Jemma Burton, have been collaborating with Bradford Digital Creatives and Belle Vue Girls’ Academy to deliver an innovative Microbit coding workshop. Through this workshop, students have programmed their own radio-transmitted patterns—an impressive fusion of technology and artistic expression.
The students also had the opportunity to learn about other careers combining technology and creativity. Artist Randall White spoke about his career journey and how he uses light in his art installations.
These creative coding projects will culminate in a mesmerising light installation, forming part of an upcoming exhibition, ReelBFD: Digital Arts, Bradford Stories, at the National Science and Media Museum. This interactive showcase is a celebration of the artwork created by 13- and 14-year-olds working with professional digital artists as part of the Bradford Digital Creatives project. Over 1300 teenagers from six schools have worked with digital artists as part of the project, which is delivered by the National Science and Media Museum and Born in Bradford as part of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture programme. It is funded and supported by Bradford 2025, Born in Bradford, Bradford Council and Arts Council England.
This Girl Codes is a Junction Arts project, supported by Arts Council England and Bolsover District Council. It was first launched in Bolsover in 2017, with a mission to empower women of all ages by bridging the worlds of art, science, history, and technology. Over the past seven years, Junction Arts has delivered numerous workshops, engaging and inspiring hundreds of participants.
Junction Arts Project Manager, Jemma Burton, shared her enthusiasm: “This Girl Codes is all about inspiring the next generation of creative thinkers by blending creativity and science in an engaging way. It’s a privilege to bring the project to the National Science and Media Museum and contribute to the phenomenal Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations. The girls have been incredible, grasping coding concepts quickly and using their creativity to design imaginative sequences. We’ve had such a fantastic experience working with them, and I can’t wait to see the final installation.”
Clare Leavey, Senior Project Manager at Bradford Digital Creatives, added: “This Girl Codes is a great example of what Bradford Digital Creatives is all about – giving young people the chance to explore digital skills in a hands-on, creative way. The students responded so positively, and it was brilliant to see their ideas take shape. They left the session excited and inspired.”
ReelBFD: Digital Arts,Bradford Stories is open to the public Saturday 14 June – Sunday 7 September. Visitors can play games, explore atmospheric soundscapes, and enjoy immersive video experiences – all created by students. Their plans, storyboards and drafts will also be on display, showcasing the stories and creative processes behind the artworks. A public programme will run alongside the exhibition from 28 July, including sessions for visitors to make their own digitally inspired art.