Eight creative projects are now up and running as the ABCD Plan for Cultural Recovery in Brighton & Hove moves up a gear. The diverse and exciting programme will be delivered by some fantastic creative organisations in the city, thanks to over £250,000 of new funding raised to support the recovery of creative freelancers and businesses, which will in turn feed the city’s recovery, particularly as we head out of the summer season.
Three projects will focus on creating new experiences for both residents and visitors.
Third Thursdays will pilot a new monthly arts and events platform for the city. On the third Thursday of the month, exciting new work will be presented and venues, organisations and businesses in the city centre will be invited to contribute activities and events. Third Thursdays will be curated and produced by videoclub,an artists’ moving image and digital culture agency from Brighton, showing artists’ work across the UK and internationally. They will be commissioning local artists to animate the public realm in the city centre, through projections, live music and a few surprises!
Jamie Wyld from videoclub said, “We are truly excited about curating and producing the Third Thursdaysprogramme, working in collaboration with ABCD, the city council, artists, makers and organisations from across our home city of Brighton & Hove. Third Thursdays will be an excellent opportunity to promote, support and show works by diverse, exceptional talent living and working in the city, and bring a monthly burst of cultural energy for residents and visitors.”
Award-winning Brighton-based studio WolfstromëDesign will be creating a new Wayfaring Trail for the city centre. Richard Wolfströme has been working with ABCD partners the Brilliant Brighton Business Improvement District to create a trail that will encourage and entice people to explore the city centre through a series of artistic interventions in the public realm. New designs will be commissioned from local artists that will celebrate the city, emphasising that it is people who make place.
© Bernard MillsIt’s hugely important that the recovery is inclusive and acknowledges a diverse range of experiences. Sussex Dance Network will develop and deliver a series of four artist-led Alternative Tours that offer new perspectives on the city and tell unheard stories from communities who often find themselves on the margins.
Artistic Director Katie Dale-Everett said, “We at Sussex Dance Network are delighted to be delivering the ABCD Alternative Tours project. It is a fantastic opportunity to have a positive impact on the people living and working in and around the city and to use movement, creativity and art to bring people together to view, discuss and participate in social, political and responsive work.”
Five more projects will offer support for creative & cultural businesses and freelancers, helping them to recover from the pandemic and find more sustainable and inclusive ways to grow in the future.
Strategy and content company Storythings will be shining a light on the rich cultural ecology that makes up the city, with a comms campaign that will showcase what makes this city unique and world class through its creative and cultural fabric.
Experts in the temporary use of empty spaces, Meanwhile Foundation in partnership with Meanwhile Space, will be offering webinars and resources with practical advice for artists, creative organisations and landlords interested in creative Pop-Up projects.
Brighton-based Always Possible will curate a programme of Igniter Events with national and international speakers, sharing inspiring ideas, exploring new ways of working and recharging resilience, designed specifically for creative workers living and working across Greater Brighton.
The Hub will be developing a programme of Creative & Cultural Leadership Support. After the challenges of the past 18 months, this project will provide time for reflection, and support creative and cultural leaders to adapt to future challenges and economic shocks.
Creative design studio LMNOP are working on updates to the Culture in Our City website to make it more responsive and useful to the creative community.
Funding for the programme has come from the government’s Welcome Back Fund, from project partners the Brilliant Brighton Business Improvement District and from Arts Council England, who recently awarded £49,000 to projects to enliven the city centre between November – March 2022.
Artists and creative businesses should keep a close eye on the Culture in Our City website over the coming weeks for more details on how to get involved. More information on the public programme will follow soon.
