Watershed case studied in new Creative Industries report
July 28, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Watershed | Innovation | Funding | Add a commentWatershed is case studied in Investing in creative industries, a new publication by Work Foundation supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Local Government Association (LGA).
Creative industries are increasingly cited as one of the sectors likely to be a future source of jobs, innovation and productivity. Yet for local areas, faced with multiple calls for investment and tighter resource constraints, it can be difficult to know whether creative industries should be a priority for local investment. The publication seeks to explore a range of questions, including the outcomes that investment in creative industries might deliver and what sort of partners local authorities should look for.
The report contains an overview of Watershed and highlights us elsewhere as an example of how a "strong cultural infrastructure can stimulate both consumption and production often providing local creative entrepreneurs with opportunities to participate".
BEAM: Light and sound installation
July 19, 2009
Posted by victoria in: Innovation | Add a comment
This week, Media Sandbox participants C6 and Steal From Work collaborate with AntiVJ to bring a unique event to Bristol.
You are invited to:
BEAM
Joseph Watts and Haywood Slucutt in collaboration with
ANTIVJ & Damien Schneider
Light and sound installation
Opening 9pm – 12am 20th July
74 – 76 The Horsefair, Broadmead, Bristol, BS1 3JS
As part of Steal From Work’s collaboration with ‘Street Art Dealer’, Bristol based artists Joseph Watts and Haywood Slucutt were commissioned to create a spacious work of art that would subsequently be made into high quality giclée prints, accessible to the general public via QR code technology. Their response is imaginative, ambitious and challenging.
Situated in the context of a disused shop in central Broadmead, the sculptural installation simulates an architectural collapse, resembling the remains of a mutated ‘accident’. Initially designed as a virtual 3D model, the sculpture was then realised in wood, piece by piece as a massive and complex puzzle. The accentuated, whitewashed forms, in the shape of I beam girders are structurally merged and entangled, as if the supporting walls and floor were liquefied for an instant and then frozen in a hyper-realized moment.
This mesh of girders becomes a 3 dimensional backdrop for a 2 dimensional painted image that can be clearly distinguished from a single point in the room. It reads ‘MEANWHILE BACKSTAGE…’ Starting from a consideration of the IMMERSIVE experience of Bristol’s central shopping district, the choice of words is meant as a provocative response to, and reversal of Cabot Circus’ main advertising slogan -the affirmative and directive: ‘TAKE CENTRE STAGE’. These theatrical connotations and more are elaborated in an accompanying text; a critical ‘meta-fiction’ developed in collaboration with artist and writer Owen Hart.
A further collaboration with internationally renowned light projection artists ANTIVJ and sound artist Damien Schneider has resulted in an immersive augmentation of the installation. Using innovative 3D mapping software the artists have delineated the fractured mass of geometric forms of BEAM, onto which digital textures and sounds will be projected. The public will be able to experience this exciting addition to the project from the street during the evening hours (9pm – 12am) between the 20th – 24th July.
CONTACT DETAILS
Joseph Watts : watts.joseph@gmail.com
Haywood Slucutt : haywoodslucutt@gmail.com
WEBSITES
www.roejobconstructions.co.uk
www.haywoodslucutt.co.uk
www.antivj.com
www.damienschneider.com
www.mediasandbox.co.uk
Live perfomance and the digital realm
July 13, 2009
Posted by victoria in: Innovation | Add a commentYou are invited to attend an open discussion event exploring the experience of watching live performance in the digital realm.
Wednesday 22nd July | 6.30 - 9.30pm | Watershed, Bristol.
Launch of Street Art Dealer
July 10, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Events | Innovation | Bristol | Add a comment
The crowds gathered in a disused shop in Broadmead last night for the the launch of Street Art Dealer. Street Art Dealer, a Media Sandbox supported project, takes art out of the gallery and onto the streets, bringing a new and exciting dynamic to public art using QR Codes and GeoTagging on your mobile phone. The city-wide exhibition and trail of artworks includes urban gaming from James Powderly, hidden installations from Turner Prize nominee Tomoko Takahashi, Zeus and Sebastian Lowsley-Williams. They are also giving away 100 free prints of the BEAM installation to people who register and interact with the exhibition. The Street Art Dealer exhibition is open until 31 July, visit streetartdealer.com for more details.
4iP: Smoke and mirrors or the saviour of digital?
July 10, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Events | Innovation | Bristol | Add a comment"The hunt is on for rule-breaking, far-seeing producers and partners who share 4iP’s vision for re-inventing the way public service media is developed, commissioned, funded and delivered in the UK".
What is 4iP? The saviour of digital? Smoke and Mirrors? "4iP is the greatest opportunity you will have to develop digitally native projects". Am listening to Steve Manthorp at the AmbITion Roadshow who is NOT 4iP, but works in parallel with them on the Arts Council West Midlands Digital Content Development Fund. He is about to share his insight with us:
The criteria for 4iP funding is very specific; they invest in public service digital projects which deliver wide value. Average 4iP grants are around £50k but they also have development/prototype grants of 10k for innovative new ideas. They do fund profit-making ideas and will "amplify existing products so they demonstrably deliver greater impact" AND in exceptional (really quite exceptional) cases they will offer start-up funding or working capital.
Ideas must deliver against 4's public purpose, make trouble in a 4-like fashion, meet user need and be collaborative and participative. 4iP is not a fund for making TV or creating "360 degree" experiences for TV formats (and they aren't crazy to hear about any more iPhone apps). Current emphasis is around empowerment, bringing people together and giving them the opportunity to demand or make change. There will be a new emphasis announced in the Autumn (which is likely to include cultural and heritage).
You can apply at www.4ip.org.uk, there is only six boxes to complete but they are pretty tight on word limit. So write everything you want to say and cut it back til it fits. Most important is check out your competition. The clever people at 4iP are pretty capable when it comes to things like googling, so be clear and honest about who else is out there doing similar things.
Projects which exemplify stuff that 4iP approves of (though they aren't actually funded by them) are Crowdspring and Imaginationcubed. The brilliant Audioboo is one of the first project to be funded (although its no secret that it was quite high up on their funding slate pre-4iP).
