Museums, galleries and heritage sites will play a key part in the cultural events that will mark the anniversary of final year of world war one, it was announced this week by 14-18 Now, the organisation set up to deliver the programme.
Special themes of the 2018 season include the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave women the right to vote; an exploration of the impact of war beyond the UK, including the role played by soldiers from Africa, India and the Caribbean; and the centenary of the 11 November Armistice.
One high-profile project is a film being made with archive footage from the Imperial War Museums' (IWM) film archive and audio from the BBC archives. It will be developed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and will be accompanied by a UK-wide learning programme for secondary schools.
At Tate Modern, a large-scale performance created by South African artist William Kentridge will tell the story of the millions of African porters and carriers who served British, French and German forces during the war.
Delhi-based Raqs Media Collective will show a new commission at Firstsite in Colchester; Scottish artist Christine Borland will presents a work at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; and US artist Suzanne Lacy will work with residents and communities from both sides of the Irish border on a work for the Belfast International Arts Festival.
The programme also includes a new multi-screen installation by British artist John Akomfrah that remembers the African men and women who participated in the first world war. This will be show at IWM London and the New Art Exchange, Nottingham.
"Artists are reinventing the war memorial as living art that captures our imagination and rests in our memories," said Jenny Waldman, the director of 14-18 NOW. "The 2018 season is an ambitious and interactive programme, which we hope will reach new audiences in new ways with events across the UK, online, broadcast and around the world.
"We are proud to be working with many of the finest arts and heritage organisations in the UK to connect people with the First World War through contemporary arts."
Special themes of the 2018 season include the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave women the right to vote; an exploration of the impact of war beyond the UK, including the role played by soldiers from Africa, India and the Caribbean; and the centenary of the 11 November Armistice.
One high-profile project is a film being made with archive footage from the Imperial War Museums' (IWM) film archive and audio from the BBC archives. It will be developed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and will be accompanied by a UK-wide learning programme for secondary schools.
At Tate Modern, a large-scale performance created by South African artist William Kentridge will tell the story of the millions of African porters and carriers who served British, French and German forces during the war.
Delhi-based Raqs Media Collective will show a new commission at Firstsite in Colchester; Scottish artist Christine Borland will presents a work at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; and US artist Suzanne Lacy will work with residents and communities from both sides of the Irish border on a work for the Belfast International Arts Festival.
The programme also includes a new multi-screen installation by British artist John Akomfrah that remembers the African men and women who participated in the first world war. This will be show at IWM London and the New Art Exchange, Nottingham.
"Artists are reinventing the war memorial as living art that captures our imagination and rests in our memories," said Jenny Waldman, the director of 14-18 NOW. "The 2018 season is an ambitious and interactive programme, which we hope will reach new audiences in new ways with events across the UK, online, broadcast and around the world.
"We are proud to be working with many of the finest arts and heritage organisations in the UK to connect people with the First World War through contemporary arts."
