NMNI and Nerve Centre to lead one of 10 event teams in ‘festival of Brexit’
Ten creative teams have been selected to develop events and public engagement programmes as part of the Festival UK* 2022.
Museum sector organisations involved in the programme include National Museums NI and the creative media arts organisation Nerve Centre, joint winners of the 2020 Museums Change Lives best project award. The two organisations will lead the Northern Ireland team.
The UK-wide event, more commonly referred to as the “festival of Brexit”, has a total budget of £120m after receiving £29m in last November’s spending review. It is likely to be rebranded again later this year.
Vikki Heywood, the chair of Festival UK* 2022, said: “It has been incredibly exciting to see hundreds of creative people from across the UK collaborate so imaginatively at such a difficult time and we’ve been bowled over by the positive response of those taking part in the R&D process.
“As the 10 commissioned projects go forward there will be many opportunities for everyone to participate in creative experiments across the worlds of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths from all ages and all corners of the UK in 2022.”
The festival will comprise of 10 events and virtual projects from the following teams:
59 Productions Collective
The design studio and production company, known for its work on David Bowie is exhibition at the V&A and War Horse theatre production, will collaborate with the Poetry Society, Stemettes and Nokia Bell Labs .
It describes its project as: “An unprecedented experiment uniting cosmology, biology, projection technology, STEM education, poetry and 13.8 billion years of history asking questions about the single biggest story of our collective experience.”
59 ProductionsAproxima Arts Collective
This Glasgow based arts and social action organisation will deliver the Scottish thread of the festival. It will work with a number of bodies across the country including Celtic Connections, getMade Design and Scotland’s Rural College.
It describes its project as: “A unique approach to community growing celebrating music, future food technology and sustainable festivals. Demonstrating the power of collective action in the largest ‘grow your own’ project of modern times.”
Aproxima Arts CollectiveAssemble + 8 Collective
This multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art is best known for winning the Turner Prize in 2015.
It will work with the composer Jon Hopkins and others on its project, which it describes as: “An immersive experience exploring the wonder of the human mind through architecture, neuroscience, technology, light and sound.”
Assemble StudioCollective Cymru led by National Theatre Wales
The Welsh contribution to the festival will collaborate with a number of other organisations including Disability Arts Cymru, Youth Arts Network Cymru and the Centre for Alternative Technology.
It describes its work as: “World-building, inclusive co-design, immersive mobile technology, TV Drama, futures thinking in science, and live performance collide to produce an experimental and inspiring form of transmedia storytelling.”
National Theatre of WalesNelly Ben Hayoun Studios Collective
The design studio has launched CALL ME*, a hotline and conversation inviting members of the public to have their say on the need for meaningful experiences and nightlife celebrations as a part of public services.
It describes its project as: “A cosmic adventure exploring immersive experiences, new technologies, science innovation, social media, youth culture and the power of imagination to change perspectives, dismantle boundaries and ignite the creative energy of towns across the UK.”
Call Me* blog postNerve Centre Collective
The Northern Ireland team is led by Nerve Centre with National Museums NI. Other partners include artists Oliver Jeffers and Die Hexen, the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, Big Motive, Microsoft and Taunt.
It describes its project as: “An experiment in astrophysics, augmented reality, landscape, visual art and play, asking what happens to your perspective on everything when you look back at earth from space.”
Nerve CentreNEWSUBSTANCE Collective
This Leeds-based organisation will work with Ivan Black Sculpture and the British Antarctic Survey.
It describes its project as: “A physical manifestation and celebration of the British weather and UK coastline; a large-scale installation that addresses global questions, encourages playfulness, elicits joy and presents an experiment in change.”
New SubstanceStoryfutures Collective
Storyfutures is run by Royal Holloway, University of London and the National Film and Television School to support innovation in immersive storytelling. It will work with the British Film Institute and others.
It describes its project as: “An experiment in film, broadcast and augmented reality, public archives, digital access and immersive storytelling asking who are we? Where did we come from and where are we headed?”
Story FuturesTrigger Collective
This artist platform and events organiser will team up with the Brigstow Institute at the University of Bristol, Wolves Lane Flower Company and others.
It describes its project as: “An experiment in mass participation, co-creation, shared histories, sustainability, installation, performance and spectacle through the lens of nature, multiculturalism and ritual and reclaiming space.”
Trigger Collective InstagramWalk the Plank Collective
Best known for its known for outdoor spectaculars, Walk the Plank will collaborate with Siemens, National Parks UK and others for this project.
It describes its project as: “An experiment in lighting technology, environmental science, geo-tracking, mass participation, exploring the beauty of the UK outdoors and asking questions about access, taking part, landscape and the future of public spectacle.”
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I am getting flashbacks of the events to mark the Millennium which everyone was a bit sceptical about initially – we remember the stinkers, not mentioning any names: the Dome (great structure, shame about the contents) and the benighted National Centre of Pop Music, which only found its true vocation later on as a student union. But overall the projects were good and some were brilliant: the Eden Project, the Millennium Bridge (when it stopped wobbling) and the Millennium Centre in Wales with the quote in big on the front facade. If we focus on the festival bit and less on the Brexit, we might even enjoy it. Hopefully.