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We’re CardiffStart

Business, Design, Digital, New Media No Responses »

Mar 262013

We’re CardiffStart. You might have heard of us already and, if not, you’ll have certainly heard of our members (we make up a large portion of digital economy in Cardiff and beyond). We’re a group of entrepreneurs, startup founders, creatives, students, and investors who believe that our city is a brilliant place to work and live; We’re passionate about sharing knowledge, advice and help.

We’re also a CIC, which means that we don’t make any money and the only reason for our existence is to help make Cardiff one of the best places to start and grow a tech business in the UK.

On Thursday the 11th of April, we’ll be holding our official launch in Cardiff’s City Hall and there’s a bucket load of media opportunities available surrounding the day.

During the day, we’ll be holding several essential workshops with advice a tech business can implement today. Rob Fitzpatrick is an expert in international startup ecosystems and in launching a successful (and profitable) digital business. He’ll be joining two blue-chip investors and a range of IP and financial experts to speak with delegates from both home and abroad. As part of our international scope and ambition, we’ll be welcoming some of Europe’s most exiting entrepreneurs from Ireland and Spain who are flying in specifically to see what we’re up to here in Cardiff. It’s testament to the unique things we’re doing here in Cardiff.

At 6pm, we’ll be welcoming the world to City Hall as we say hello, show off the work of our members and raise a glass to our current success and future vision. We’ll also be presenting “People” – a world first, home-grown platform to connect the city’s entrepreneurs, investors and students in a way that’s never been done before.

Obviously, we’d love you to come along to our evening event. More than this, we need you to come along! Given your influence, both locally and nationally, it’s vital that we get support from people just like you.

If you’d like to find out more about our group (and give us some exposure) please get in touch. We’ve got several member success stories with some really nice human interest angles which would make great copy. Obviously, we also have some great business angles covering some really sexy startups!

I hope that we can put together a strong working relationship – what’s good for CardiffStart is good for Cardiff and UK PLC.

Find out more:
CardiffStart.com
twitter.com/cardiffstart

CardiffStart’s official launch will take place throughout the day on April 11th 2013. All events will take place in Cardiff’s prestigious City Hall (Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3ND).

Our daytime event start at 09:30 and finishes at 16:30. Our evening event starts at 18:00 and ends at 19:30.

There will be photo and interview opportunities throughout the day and evening.

Press accreditation for both the day and evening events can be requested via Stephen Milburn (stephen@cardiffstart.com or +447834453612).

Several members of our group have agreed to share their startup stories with members of the media, please contact Stephen Milburn for further details.If you’d like to register as an attendee for our launch event (it’s free) please visit: http://cardiffstartlaunch.eventbrite.co.uk

Photography steps into Cardiff limelight

New Media, Photography No Responses »

Feb 142013

Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography

Diffusion, a month-long festival of photography will come to Cardiff in May, with exhibitions, screenings, performances and events.

David Drake, director of Ffotogallery and of the Diffusion Festival, said the aim was to showcase outstanding photographic work from around the world and provide a major new platform for Welsh artists.

He said: “Diffusion is a celebration of photography and the photographic image, in all its forms. Whether created, published, exhibited, collected or distributed in a physical or virtual way, the photograph has the power to inspire and provoke reaction, to reflect our own experience and that of society evolving around us.”

Diffusion is being staged in Cardiff, which in recent years has undergone major economic and social transformation. The festival will use both traditional and new media to create a strong visual presence across existing venues and found spaces. The aim is to encourage visitors and residents alike to navigate Cardiff and its environs in new ways, and to discover facets of the city they would not normally expect to find.

The festival Opening Weekend, 3 – 5 May, sees exhibitions and events across the city, and a symposium at the National Museum Cardiff looking at the status and meaning of the photograph in contemporary visual culture, with a keynote address by internationally renowned artist Richard Wentworth.

Throughout the month there will be free exhibitions, artist talks and workshops, schools’ programmes and photographic rambles around the city. The Diffusion Publishing Weekend takes place over 25 – 26 May, with a Photo Book Fair, symposium and other activities – including the popular mass participatory event Cardiff Photomarathon.

Other festival highlights include the world premiere of award-winning filmmaker Gideon Koppel’s B O R T H and Lure, a major exhibition of new work by Helen Sear, another of Wales’ most important and insightful artists.

It’s Not Too Late It’s Only Dark will be Italian artist Maurizio Anzeri’s first solo exhibition in Wales, featuring previously unseen works alongside his famous ‘photo-sculptural’ pieces.

The Valleys Re-Presented explores the relationship between image, myth and location, and includes classic work by renowned photographers such as David Bailey, Peter Fraser and John Davies alongside newly commissioned projects by Zhao Renhui and Alicia Bruce.

European Chronicles features a number of solo projects by artists from across Europe highlighting how photography, arguably the world’s most democratic and visible medium, enables us to record contemporary life as lived, and to imagine a new, future-oriented European identity.

With its starting point an enquiry into the relationship between Swansea and Cardiff, the exhibition From common differences questions the role of the ‘locally distinct’ in an increasingly globalised world.

Acclaimed Portuguese artist Edgar Martins presents his recent project The Time Machine, and camera-less photography is represented by Swiss artists f&d cartier’s intriguing installation Wait and See. Peter Bobby’s High-rise uses photography and video to critique the global phenomenon of high-rise architecture, questioning its relationship to the city below.

The exhibition Drift at the National Museum Cardiff includes three films by artist Tim Davies made in response to his invitation to represent Wales at the Venice Biennale in 2011. They create a dramatic and poignant portrait of Venice, offering a counterpoint to how the city is represented in the Museum’s historic collection by artists such as Canaletto, Monet and Whistler.

—Diffusion is a Ffotogallery initiative funded by Arts Council of Wales and made possible through the generous support and partnership of a number of organisations. Click here for more info.

Diffusion is brought to you by Ffotogallery (www.ffotogallery.org), the national development agency for photography and lens-based media in Wales, in association with our festival partners across Wales and internationally.

Find out more www.diffusionfestival.org
@_diffusion

Digital fine art prize puts Cardiff on world stage

Art, Design, Digital, New Media No Responses »

Oct 192012

The winners of the first competition for digitally-created fine art by artists from around the world were announced in Cardiff today.

Tommy Inberg from Upplands Väsby Sweden, won US$3000 for his evocative photomontage, Torn. Runner-up prize of US$1000 went to Patrick Van Roy, a Belgian artist, with his social commentary photomontage, the church, and third place went to Stephen Hilyard, artist and Associate Professor of Digital Arts at the University of Wisconsin, USA for a time-based work called One Life.

The Lumen Prize is based in the city of Cardiff as part of a three-year partnership with Cardiff Council. Ken Poole, the city’s head of economic development, said: “This partnership is another step forward as Cardiff generates a growing reputation for innovation and as a hub for creative industries. We are looking forward to working with the Lumen Prize during their world tour when the name of the capital of Wales will be associated with this far-sighted initiative. It will certainly help to showcase the city’s business credentials and encourage more digital investment into the city, which was recently boosted by a £11 million investment in superfast broadband.”

The winners were selected by an international jury panel from over 500 works submitted from over 30 countries globally, all of which were created with a wide range of cutting-edge tools, including tablets, smartphones, digital photography software and moving-image technology.

“The extraordinary high quality of the Lumen Prize winners show that this genre of fine art is coming of age,” says Professor Gaynor Kavanagh, Dean of the Cardiff School of Art and Design, who awarded the prizes at a ceremony at City Hall.

Today’s three winners will also feature as part of The Lumen Prize Exhibition that will travel to venues worldwide starting in January 2013.

Find out more www.lumenprize.com
@Lumenprize

Creative Cardiff ready to forge ahead

Art, Cardiff Ambassador, Design, Digital, Film, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Oct 102012

Cardiff struck a chord with members of the audience for the city’s Creative Exchange at the home of Bafta in London. The event was set up to show off the creative credentials of the capital of Wales with just one year to go until WOMEX, the leading world music showcase comes to the city.

Roger Pride, managing director of Cardiff & Co, who set up the event, said speakers had praised Cardiff as a forward-looking and innovative city.

He said: “I was struck by how enthusiastic both the speakers and the audience were at this event. The movement within Cardiff is now very much in the vanguard for the development of smaller cities.

“It is clear that there is more to attracting new business to a city than bricks and mortar, labour pool and the grants regime.

“Increasingly, people look beyond those hygiene factors and seek out the inner quality of a place.

“I was struck by how closely what we are doing in Cardiff matches the way academic writers are describing successful cities. It is basically that people make places – and the quality of life a city can offer is critical in attracting investment.

“Any number of cities have the basics but it will be the creative, innovative places that attract the people to build success. Cardiff looks to be well placed to take advantage of its quality of life and the Creative Exchange was a great opportunity to let a London audience share the city’s vision.”

View the Cardiff Creates video below or click here to see the Flickr Gallery from the evening.

Guest Post: Neil Cocker on the creativity of Cardiff

Design, Digital, New Media No Responses »

Oct 082012

As I hit my late thirties, I feel like Cardiff and I are very similar. We’re still changing and evolving, but old enough to be comfortable in our own skin. We’ve both been through our years of youthful exuberance, over-confidence, and self-doubt. But now we’re settling down and are approaching our most creative and productive years.

Of course, it’s a terrible analogy, and those who know me may not agree with my self-assessment. But it’s clear that Cardiff is a city of increasing confidence, and its population is doing some incredible things.

Since the turn of the millennium, we’ve seen huge numbers of groups and events spring up all over the city, especially with the help of social media, which makes it so much easier for like-minded individuals to come together. Just this weekend saw people from all over the city attend Doodle Noodle, part of Cardiff Design Festival, where they were invited to colour in the work of some of our most talented illustrators.

Here are just a few of the many events that add fuel to our city’s brilliant creative and entrepreneurial fire, and where everyone is always welcome:

ThinkARK
A group of design-minded individuals who use their skills to improve Cardiff in many ways, from better cycling plans, to inspiring women and improving access to trains. They meet every Wednesday evening.

TEDxCardiff
A local version of the world-famous TED talks, bringing people together once a year to listen to a day of short but inspiring lectures from some of Wales’ and the world’s brightest minds.

Cardiff Start
A new group aimed at making Cardiff an even better place to locate your creative, web or tech startup. They aim to make it easy and welcoming to access anyone’s experience and knowledge.

Trade School
Got a skill you want to teach the world, or want to learn from someone else? Trade school has lessons in everything from knitting to speaking Polish and is always looking for new volunteer teachers.

Cardiff Blogs
Are you a blogger? Or just have an interest in social media and the way it helps us communicate with the world? Then Cardiff Blogs is for you. Regular meetups discuss all aspects of blogging, from content to advertising.

Unified Diff
For the more dedicated technical types among you, Unified Diff is a regular meetup for coders and developers to trade tips, techniques and new developments.

Ignite Cardiff
“Enlighten us, but make it quick” is the motto of Ignite Cardiff, an event where anyone can give a 5 minute talk on any subject they like. From zombies through Bollywood to chemistry, Ignite Cardiff is always entertaining and informal.

Disclaimer – I’m one of the co-founders of a few of these groups!

Neil Cocker is the founder of Dizzyjam.com, and occasional consultant and creative. You can find out more at NeilCocker.com or follow him on Twitter at @NeilCocker

Photo courtesy of Matt Joyce

Cardiff counts down to WOMEX, the world music event

Art, Business, Cardiff Ambassador, Design, Digital, Film, Literature, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Oct 052012

With a year to go until Cardiff hosts WOMEX, the leading world music showcase, the city is taking the Cardiff Creative Exchange to London to show off the creative credentials of the capital of Wales.

The event, at BAFTA in Piccadilly on October 8, will attract a London-based media and creative services audience with a flavour of what’s in store at WOMEX and a panel discussion led by Cardiff-born radio presenter Huw Stephens, who also co-founded the city’s Sŵn Festival.

Cardiff is rapidly developing a strong international reputation as a cultural hub, boasting events and activities such as:

Artes Mundi – the UK’s largest international prize for contemporary visual artists, a biennial event which attracts artists from around the world, now in Cardiff for the fifth time

BBC Cymru Wales Roath Lock studios – drama village, home to Doctor Who, Casualty, Pobol y Cwm, Wizards vs Aliens, Sherlock?

Cardiff Contemporary – a visual arts exposé throughout the city in October and November 2012

Cardiff Design Festival – covering all forms of design, runs Sept 28 – Oct 14

Cardiff Music Festival – young classical singers showcased at various venues throughout Cardiff

Porth Teigr – a new Cardiff Bay development offering opportunities for businesses in the creative industries

Sŵn Festival – a city-wide contemporary music event, Oct 18-21 2012

Soundtrack Film and Music Festival – celebrating the powerful relationship between the two art forms, and has featured Danny Boyle and Gabriel Yared, Nov 14-18 2012

This burgeoning reputation provides the backdrop to Cardiff winning the bid over eight other cities to host WOMEX 13 (October 23 – 27 2013).

Adrian Clark, chairman of Cardiff & Co, the city’s marketing company, said: “Winning WOMEX for 2013 was a real coup for Cardiff. Cardiff is now one of the UK’s top centres for creative and media industries. It has shown it can attract established major international events such as Artes Mundi and has also become the city of choice for innovative awards such as the Lumen prize – the world’s first digital fine art prize.“

Daniela Teuber, WOMEX Director of Production has said: “The city offers a most favourable setting for our complex event and its 2500 delegates and many artists from all over the globe: truly professional, highly motivated local production partners; wonderful venues matching our multifaceted needs in close proximity; and Wales’ outstanding cultural wealth, hospitality and scenic beauty.”

Cardiff Creative Exchange is produced by Cardiff & Co, the body responsible for marketing the city, and takes place at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly from 6.30pm on Monday October 8.

Orchard up for National Live Music Award

Business, Digital, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Sep 182012

Orchard is the only Welsh company in the running for the Regional Promoter of the Year award in the National Live Music Industry Awards being held on October 10 in London – after a great year which has seen performances by the likes of Dionne Warwick, Olly Murs, and Damon Albarn and Africa Express amongst some 300 concerts that Orchard has brought to Wales.

The Regional Promoter of the Year Award rewards the company which “staged the most impressive – whether it be for impact or ticket sales – regional dates of the year”, and it is the second consecutive year that the Orchard Media and Events Group has been in the frame for the honour. As Wales’ largest independent music promoter, Orchard stages concerts in a range of venues across Wales – from Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Eirias Stadium in the north, to clubs like the capital’s Clwb Ifor Bach, and this year has also seen the company installed as operator of the world famous Brecon Jazz festival.

The award is open to online public vote on www.awards.livemusicawards.co.uk before September 21. The awards will then be staged on October 10 at London’s Radisson Blu Portman hotel before a music industry audience.

Pablo Janczur, who heads up Orchard’s entertainment division said: “It’s great to be the only Welsh nominee in this category after another great year for Orchard. We’ve got a very creative and dynamic team here, and all of us are keen to bring more business into Wales, and to give Welsh people access to the biggest touring acts. We’re up against some good names, but hope to bring some great success back to Wales, and show the potential of the live music scene here.”

Now in its third year, this is the only event dedicated to presenting awards to the business people who drive the country’s contemporary live music industry.

The £4m plus turnover, Cardiff based Orchard Media and Events Group offers a unique and comprehensive range of creative communications services in Wales and across the world, with clients such as Tata Steel, Principality Building Society, Johnson & Johnson, and the Welsh Government.

Orchard services include event management; production of TV commercials and corporate videos; online and print production; media planning and buying; PR; digital media; mobile and viral marketing; audio visual equipment hire; and consultancy.

Find out more www.thinkorchard.com
@thinkorchard

Special headline show from the Blackout

Music, New Media No Responses »

Sep 182012

Sŵn yesterday announced that The Blackout will be playing a special show at this year’s Sŵn Festival. The Welsh rockers will perform at The Globe on Saturday 20th October.

Merthyr Tydfil’s finest have been building their reputation over the past seven years and this year they release their fourth LP. The band have been touring chums of Lostprophets since 2006 and have certainly learned a thing or two about stage craft and songwriting. A massive rock sound and catchy and anthemic vocals are the order of the day here.

Top up tickets for the event will cost £2, which will be donated to the Young Promoters Network. The YPN consist of young people, residing in Rhondda Cynon Taff, aged between 14-25 who are eager to help arrange live shows and promote young emerging acts. Combining skills, experiences and resources, the YPN has been instrumental in bringing high quality live music events to young people in RCT. Welsh music journalist James Mclaren, who tragically died in August, was a supporter of the YPN and it was one of the organisations that his family chose to support in his memory.

Top up tickets for the event will be available from the wristband exchange at the Full Moon (Womanby Street) from midday on Saturday 20th October. These must be purchased in addition to a Saturday or 4 day Sŵn Festival wristband and will guarantee entry. Additionally a limited amount of tickets for this show only will be available for 14-18 year olds in advance at www.swnpresents.com from Wednesday (limited to 2 per person).

Gemma White, Event Manager said: “We’re thrilled to have The Blackout on this year’s line up, especially with the band being such positive music role models in Wales. We’re also really pleased to be supporting the Young Promoters Network. It’s a great organization that gives young people fantastic opportunities to get into the music industry.”

Spike Griffiths from Young Promoters Network said: ‘All at the YPN are extremely proud to be the chosen beneficiary for donations at this year’s Sŵn Festival.”

Additionally a further 82 acts have been added today, including Welsh language band Llwybr Llaethog who will perform a special 25th anniversary concert. The additional acts are Alone, ANiMAL, Astroid Boys, Beatbox Fozzy, Bof! (Gwenno + friends), Bright Light Bright Light, Candelas, Casi Wyn, Childhood, Cloud 4mations, Crushing Blows, Dirty Goods, DJ Cluedo with MC Local and MC Traumatik, DJ Kinzy, Drenge, Eddy Temple-Morris, Effluence, Elro, Enfield Tennis Academy, Esther, Face & Heel, Fear of Men, Foxes, Gala Drop, Gareth Potter, Goodtime Boys, Gwenno, Harry Keyworth, Hexstatic, Holy Mountain, Huw M, Jake Mattison (solo acoustic), Jethro Fox, Kid Chocolat, Kozzie, Kutosis, Laurence Made Me Cry, Llwybr Llaethog, Love Motel, Luke Sital Singh, M.I.K, Man Without Country, Martin Creed, Mazes, MC Vocab & MC Reepa, Mine, Mr Fogg, My First Tooth, Night Engine, Pale Seas, Pariso, Plyci, Pol, Pull Yourself Together DJs, R Seiliog, Rae Morris, Ratatosk, Richard James presents In Chapters, Save Your Breath, Seasfire, Sen Segur Sevans DJs, Spooky Bizzle, Stealing Sheep, Stubborn Heart, Sun Drums, Survivalists, Sweet Baboo, The Blackout, The Dead Beggars, The Earth, The Family Band, The Lay Lows, The Naturals, The Physics House Band, Tim & Puma Mimi, Toddla T, Trwbador, Wild Swim, Y Pencadlys, YNGVE

For six years Cardiff has played host to the annual Sŵn Festival, bringing some of the newest and most exciting local, national and international acts to the Welsh capital. Whilst still focusing on new and emerging acts, Sŵn Festival 2012 will also play host to some well established headline acts, as well as broadening the programme to include arts-based fringe events.

The four-day multi-venue festival will be held this year between Thursday 18th – Sunday 21st October 2012 at various locations across Cardiff For full details including line-up, venue details and ticketing go to www.swnfest.com

This year, Sŵn Festival is offering a 10% discount on advance tickets to those who are Unemployed, Students or NHS Staff at the time of their ticket purchase. These will only be available online at www.swnpresents.com

Tickets for Sŵn Festival can be purchased via www.swnpresents.com or www.TicketLineUK.com and from Spillers Records (Morgan Arcade, Cardiff). Earlybird tickets have now sold out.

For further details, including press accreditation at Sŵn Festival 2012, please contact Elin Rees – elin@elinrees.com or call 07917 308329

Find out more www.swnpresents.com
@swnfestival

Further Artes Mundi Exhibition details announced

Art, Digital, Film, New Media, Performance No Responses »

Sep 142012

Artes Mundi 5 is delighted to announce further details about the 2012 exhibition, including new works created especially for this year’s edition by shortlisted artists Miriam Bäckström, Tania Bruguera, Darius Mikšys and Apolonija Šušteršič, as well as a range of additional works by shortlisted artists, Phil Collins, Sheela Gowda and Teresa Margolles. Artes Mundi 5 will also feature a strong programme of artist performances and participatory events which represents a major new focus for this year’s exhibition and prize.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION AND PRIZE

Taking place from 6 October 2012, Artes Mundi 5 will feature the work of seven ground-breaking contemporary artists of growing international importance whose practices engage with social reality, lived experience and the human condition. The exhibition will take place at the National Museum of Art under the roof of National Museum Cardiff. For the first time Artes Mundi will also be in partnership with organisations such as Cardiff-based multidisciplinary arts centre Chapter, who will provide an additional venue for some of the works. The winner of the prize will be announced at a special award ceremony taking place on 29 November 2012 at National Museum Cardiff. With a first prize of £40,0000, Artes Mundi is the largest cash prize awarded for the arts in theUKand one of the most significant in the world. For Artes Mundi 5, each shortlisted artist will receive £4,000 and one of the artists will be selected for a solo exhibition, to be presented in 2014 in the lead up to Artes Mundi 6, at the recently refurbished Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno,Wales. This year will also welcome the inclusion of an audience choice poll for the prize, allowing the public to vote for their favourite artist and work in the exhibition. The results of the poll will be revealed at the close of the exhibition in January 2013.

NEW WORKS

Swedish artist Miriam Bäckström will present a new large scale tapestry Smile as if we have already won. Reflecting her practice which explores the processes of creating and recreating memory using photography, text, theatre and video, Smile as if we have already won mixes cotton, wool, silk and lurex, woven into a massive 3 meter high and 12 meter wide scene. Hung in an arc across the gallery space, the tapestry will depict figures in a room composed of mirror fragments, creating the sense that the work is simultaneously claustrophobic and infinitely expanding.

Cuban artist Tania Bruguera will be presenting Immigrant Respect Campaign, as part of her long-term art project, Immigrant Movement International (2010-2015). The work is an artist-initiated socio-political movement exploring what defines an ‘immigrant’. The campaign will feature the symbol of the Immigrant Respect ribbon and include a projection of the artist’s work on the front of National Museum Cardiff on Thursday 4 October, alongside a poster campaign throughout centralCardiff. Visitors to the exhibition at the National Museum of Art will also be invited to sign a Moral Commitment Contract promoting immigrants’ rights.

Lithuanian artist Darius Mikšys will present a new work The Code. Taking Eglė Obcarskaitė’s essay about Mikšys for the Artes Mundi 5 exhibition catalogue, the text has been deconstructed into ‘search terms’. These have then been fed into the National Museum Wales’ seven collection databases and the results of which will create a unique installation that forms a portrait of the artist and his practice through objects in the Museum’s collection. Mikšys’ practice is known to explore installation as a means to experiment, conceptualise and re-imagine the processes of making, displaying and engaging with art.

Architect and visual artist Apolonija Šušteršič will present her new work Politics “In Space”/ Tiger Bay Project, which looks at the development of the Cardiff Bay area following the completion of the barrage. This project will expand on her practice which responds to contemporary urban regeneration and the social, political, economic and environmental issues surrounding it. Presented in the form of a video installation, Šušteršič has engaged with a variety of individuals and organisations involved with and opposed to the development, to explore its past, present and future.

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ART WORKS

Additional highlights to be displayed include British artist Phil Collins will be presenting his work free fotolab which offers the viewer a glimpse into the lives of strangers. Collins offered individuals, in several European cities, free processing and prints from their undeveloped rolls of films in return for the rights to use them. The result is a nine-minute slideshow including holiday snaps, weddings, pets and other private moments. Using performance-based and conceptual approaches to video and photography Collins’ work often explores the very essence of what it is to be human.

Indian artist Sheela Gowda’s large-scale abstract sculpture, Kagebangara, comprising tar drums, sourced from Indian road workers, alongside yellow and blue plastic tarpaulin. This is exemplary of Gowda’s sculptural and installation practice insofar as it explores how materials can make specific reference to the social and cultural context ofIndia. In this work Gowda subtly references the source materials original use, which in this case brings shelters like those built by the migrant construction workers along the roadside into the gallery space.

Having trained in forensic medicine, Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, examines the economics of death through sculptural interventions and performances. In this exhibition she will present one of her ‘multisensory’ sculptures. In Plancha, water which has been used to cleanse dead bodies in the morgue drips from the ceiling onto hotplates. Each drop evaporates on impact with a noticeable hiss. The work will seek to narrate the transition in death from present to absent, the processes of decomposition and ultimately honours anonymous lives that have been lost.

PERFORMANCE WORKS AND OFFSITE PROJECTS

Performances and offsite projects to be featured as part of Artes Mundi 5 include Phil Collins’ This Unfortunate Thing Between Us.Split in two broadcasts to be screened in retro caravans on the forecourt of Chapter Arts Centre, this work takes the format of a teleshopping channel, but instead of commodities for sale viewers have a choice of ‘fantasies at promotional prices’. Hosted by a cast of actors from a range of professions including stand up, teleshopping and pornography with a live soundtrack by Gruff Rhys and Y Niwl, viewers are invited to watch both the sale and the fulfilment of these experiences.

Miriam Bäckström will be presenting two performances of her play Motherfucker at Chapter Arts Centre. Exploring the complex roles, positions and perspectives within a relationship, a female director asks a male actor to forge a character whom she wants to meet in order to be able to leave. The use of performance mixed with live video feed will create a paradox between the real and mediated video that is simultaneously being projected.

Other artist projects include Live Talk Show, a public panel discussion as part of Apolonija Šušteršič’s Politics “In Space”/ Tiger Bay Project. It will discuss the redevelopment ofCardiffBay aiming to draw out and add to the debates raised in Šušteršič’s installation. During the five days of Experimentica 12, Chapter’s annual live art festival, 1x1x1 will feature one film, by one artist, for one day each. Screened in Chapter Gallery it will include films by Teresa Margolles, Phil Collins, Tania Bruguera, Miriam Bäckström and Apolonija Šušteršič.

Ben Borthwick, Artistic Director, Artes Mundi said:

“It is a really exciting development for Artes Mundi that so many of the international artists are creating new work for the exhibition. Through these commissions there is a direct engagement with the social and economic context ofCardiff, a reconsideration of National Museum Wales’ collections, and reflection on the complexities of individual and collective identity. And for the first time a number of projects will be presented outside the museum, accessing new audiences and activating the relationship between the artwork and public space.”

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is principal sponsor of the Artes Mundi 5 Exhibition and Prize this year. As a company serving clients in more than 90 countries, it is committed to a diverse programme of cultural support. The company’s art and culture platform is a key element of its broader corporate responsibility strategy which seeks to develop substantive solutions for social and environmental challenges.

Find out more www.artesmundi.org
@ArtesMundi

Australia and US dominate 2012 Iris Prize line-up

Film, New Media No Responses »

Aug 152012

The 31 films to compete for the prize, the world’s largest international gay and lesbian short film prize, have been announced by festival organisers in Cardiff, UK. The winner will be offered a chance to make a new short film with the prize valued at £25,000.

The films will screen during this year’s Iris Prize Festival which takes place from October 10th – 14th in Cardiff.

“Once again the shortlist for the 2012 Iris Prize represents the best of the best. Half of the short-listed films have been nominated by our partner festivals – film festivals from around the world that have their fingers on the pulse of upcoming gay and lesbian filmmaking talent. I’m confident that amongst this year’s shortlist we have yet another winner deserving of the Iris Prize,” said Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize founder.

“Iris is recognised for supporting talented film makers from all over the world. Three shorts, made with the prize, have been produced since we launched in 2007 and a fourth is just about to start production. Iris is more than just a trophy that gathers dust or a certificate that yellows on the wall. Iris is what film makers need – funding, support and guidance,” added Berwyn.

“It’s great to see films from all over the world represented in the shortlist with entries from Canada, Germany, Brazil, Israel, France, Norway, Austria, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland all making it through to the final. The US has got the largest number of films in competition with an impressive 10 out of the final 31,” said Berwyn.

Films selected from 14 countries for the world’s largest gay and lesbian short film prize

10 US filmmakers make the final closely followed by 6 from Australia and 5 from the UK.
Venezuela make the final for the first time joining, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Israel, France, Norway, Austria, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, US and UK.
Australian filmmakers Craig Boreham and Jarrah Gurrie, and Evan Roberts and Marc Saltarelli from the US make it to the final for the second time!
Stories include a young boy’s trauma waiting for body hair to grow, a love story which develops thanks to a Polaroid camera, the unexpected comfort in coffee and pie especially when you’re being dumped, and a dramatic one night stand with a serial killer.

Find out more.

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