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AV FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR!

Audio Visual Arts North East, organisers of the AV Festival - now established as one of the leading electronic art festivals in Europe, and secured as one of Arts Council England's regularly funded organisations - are delighted to announce that they have recruited a new Artistic Director to lead the festival to the next level.

Rebecca Shatwell is a curator and founder of alt.gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, a space focusing on the links between visual art, sound and music culture. She previously worked as New Media Curator at Pavilion, Leeds; Education Programmer at The Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow; and Curatorial Assistant at Beaconsfield, London.

Rebecca has recently curated six exhibitions for alt.gallery, described in Contemporary Magazine as one of the top fifty emerging galleries from across the world. This has included the first UK exhibitions by artists including cult US musician Daniel Johnston, Japanese artist Yamataka EYE and People Like Us.

Since 2003 Rebecca has worked as Media Arts Officer at Arts Council England, North East.

Rebecca said today:

"AV Festival is one of the most innovative and engaging cultural events in the region. I'm extremely excited to be taking on the post of Director and to build on the incredible work that's been done over the past three festivals to make AV one of the most important electronic arts festivals in Europe."

Said Mark Dobson, AV Festival Chair of the Board of Trustees:

"We are delighted to announce that Rebecca is the new AV Festival Director and though competition for the post was of an extremely high standard she shone out above the other talent. We feel sure that she will be an inspirational new leader who will chart out new territories for the festival."

Stella Hall, Creative Director of Culture 10 at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said:

"We are extremely excited to have Rebecca on board to lead the AV festival. AV has a growing reputation that attracts both audiences and high profile artists from around the world. It is real proof that here in North East England we have some of the most innovative and high quality festivals in the country, giving us not just unrivalled opportunities to enjoy world class events but also to attract people to visit and experience our vibrant region."

Thu, 24 Jul 2008

 

The AV Festival, one of Europe's leading festivals of electronic art, is seeking a new director.

Salary: £30,000 - £35,000 p/a
Deadline for applications: 27 June 2008

We are looking for an outstanding individual who can act as the executive lead of Audio Visual Arts North East and be responsible for the creative programmes it runs, especially the AV Festival.

The successful candidate will build on the successes of the first three AV Festivals, and map out the future of the festival. They will be an inspirational leader who will help chart new territories for the festival and conceive of new programmes for Audio Visual Arts North East.

The AV Festival is in a uniquely strong position to continue to grow and prosper. It has developed from a pilot project to a regular biennial event of international standing, within three great festivals. The festival has a fantastic network of collaborators across the North East of England region, and around the world. The Arts Council England's recent decision to make Audio Visual Arts North East - the organisation which runs the festival - a regularly funded organisation (RFO), provides much needed financial stability going forward

The ideas and input of a creative and capable director are now needed to take us into the future.

Please download the Recruitment Pack

Tue, 17 Jun 2008

 

AV on Tour:

Audio Visual Arts North East is pleased to announce the opening of Broadcast Yourself at Cornerhouse, Manchester - a major touring exhibition which premiered at Hatton Gallery, Newcastle as part of AV Festival 08: Broadcast. The exhibition, which explores artists' interventions into television and strategies for self broadcasting from the 1970's to the present day, will be on display at Cornerhouse from 13 June to 10 August 2008. An opening reception will be held from 18:00 - 21:00 on Thu 12 June and a discussion event with Co-Curator Kathy Rae Huffman and participating artists & guests will also take place from 14:00 - 16:00 on Sat 14 June. Both events are free and all are welcome.

For further information about the exhibition, related events and online content, please see details here

Broadcast Yourself is a touring exhibition produced by AV Festival 08 and Cornerhouse in collaboration with Hatton Gallery. Supported by Arts Council England, CRUMB at the University of Sunderland, and The Leverhulme Trust (Early Career Fellowship).

Wed, 11 Jun 2008

AV festival 08 Overview

AV Festival 08: Broadcast - the largest and most ambitious AV Festival to date - has come to a close, and:

It took place across the three urban areas of NewcastleGateshead, Sunderland & Middlesbrough, 28 February - 8 March 2008 and nearly 40 different venues.

The programme included over 75 projects, which manifested as over 100 events, featuring artists such as Marko Peljhan, Staalplaat Sound System, Marcus Coates, Resonance FM, Chris Watson, Harun Farocki, Tetsuo Kogawa, Autechre, Joyce Hinterding, Yuko Mohri, Van Gogh TV, Active Ingredient, Jean-Jacques Perrey, People Like Us and dozens of others.

It attracted audiences of over 100,000 including visitors to events, online and through its on air radio stations. As well as that it involved the work of around 150 artists and delivered:

  • 16 new commissions & premieres
  • 19 performances
  • 13 exhibitions
  • 3 conferences
  • 13 talks & seminars
  • 21 screenings
  • 11 courses and workshops
  • 3 radio stations

500 people saw :zoviet*france:, Matt Wand & Atau Tanaka recreate John Cage's Variations VII at BALTIC on Friday 29 February using household and electrical appliances and 10 phone and skype connections from 10 remote locations

More than 380 people saw War of the Worlds recreated as a radio play set in contemporary Teesside, at Middlesbrough Old Town Hall on Wednesday 5 March, and more than 1000 people tuned in to hear it broadcast on air via AV Festival Radio Station Resonance FM and online.

Almost 700 people attended the Late & Live exhibition receptions and events in galleries across Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

AV Festival 08 hosted 3 Festival radio studios (with studios in Newcastle's Discovery Museum, Sunderland University's Media Centre and mima, Middlesbrough) running 3 regional radio stations on air and online.

Over 170 people were transported to a South American rainforest with the sounds of native birdsong and wildlife BBC sound recordist Chris Watson had recorded on location, as he performed Whispering in The Leaves at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens on Thursday 6 March.

27 people walked through central Newcastle on a busy Saturday lunchtime on Saturday 1 March with radios tuned to a special recording as part of an intervention created by Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec.

Over 500 people attended talks & workshops as part of AV Festival 08.

Over 75 Amateur radio enthusiasts from 11 local Amateur Radio Societies attended a Radio Rally in Newcastle's Grainger Market on Friday 29 February and Saturday 1 March sharing their skills with over 140 people and running special events station GB8AV talking to people worldwide. 8 members of Waygood's Radio Club gained their Amateur Radio licences.

Fri, 6 Jun 2008