Register for the Event

Let us know if you are coming by registering at http://windhorse.eventbrite.com

About the Event

In a first for Manchester, a group of international artists are celebrating exhibiting their original art in a Second Life gallery with a Mixed Reality event at MDDA.

Those attending will be taken on a tour of the virtual gallery on big screen, and a digitally made moving image Windhorse Project sequence will play in a darkened room. There will also be laptops and high-speed wireless broadband available to those who wish to independently explore the exhibition at their own pace.

The exhibition features artist Vanessa Cuthbert’s Windhorse Project, which takes the central idea of a prayer flag to a group of contemporary artists who each made a banner to express something that they cared about, with an overall ecological theme. Initially exhibited in Manchester as part of The Cornerhouse/MIRIAD ‘State Legacy’ venture, this project has continued to evolve since its auspicious beginnings, and is now hosted by Leeds University’s Second Life presence, Education UK, in their innovative ‘Art at the EDGE’ virtual gallery.

Dr. Erica Wright brings the Windhorse Project into Second Life, and explains “Bringing this project to the prestigious ‘Art at the EDGE’ gallery, is an important step forward for real world art. Second Life offers the global art audience chance to experience high end contemporary art in a whole new way, simultaneously viewing art in a gallery setting from armchairs and computer desks around the world. Through sharing the experience of viewing and discussing real art with others in a much more immediate way than is possible with other social media, Second Life’s excellent free communication facilities allow for live conversation, note sharing and instant feedback about the art being viewed remotely. The potential benefits offered to artists and educators by this technology are simply breathtaking“.

In addition to the Windhorse Project’s virtual world presence, the original printed banners will continue to travel the globe, as new destinations present themselves. Vanessa Cuthbert says, “The Windhorse banners are part of an exhibition chain that began in All Saints Park and Righton Gallery, on the ‘Oxford Road Corridor,’ Manchester, a route that has been used throughout history for marches and protests. I hope to continue this project by sending the banners to other locations in the real world, so the banners themselves will be carried off into the universe, in a sense, and the message will spread. The next host will add more banners and decide a wide range of cultural, social and political differences on their journey. The banners will change and be weathered, maybe subject to graffiti, and this will reflect the impermanent and ever-changing conditions that we are all subject to.”

This is an opportunity to meet some of the Windhorse Project artists and key figures from Manchester art, education and digital society at a MDDA/MIRIAD/MANCHESTER DIGITAL hosted event.

This event takes place on the 16th September 2010 5-7 pm

For those who have been on a workout on a Wii fit, wiled away a train journey playing Flight Control on the iPhone or becoming Mayor of Starbucks on Foursquare, you’ve probably already got a sense that computer games are moving out of the bedroom  and into every day life – with technology as the enabler. “Pervasive Gaming” is a new type of “play” that allow you to interact with your every day environment, turning the drab shopping centre or the dull town square into a real life gaming environment.

Not sure if its coincidental, or simply these ideas coming of age, but this weekend there are two great opportunities to “join in” yourself. Firstly, the Larkin’ About festival comes to Manchester city centre on Saturday. A series of unusual events and collaborations take place in the Arndale, Piccadilly Gardens and Halle square, offering passers-by and other participants a chance to become part of a range of inventive “pervasive” games. Whether you’re in town anyway, or want to try something different, it should be a fantastic day of unexpected interventions and inventions.

Over in Eccles Shopping Centre meanwhile, there’s something scary happening  – as the shopping centre has been taken over by Zombies – and you’ve got to stop the Zombie virus spreading.  Join Lets Go Global to help stop the Zombie invasion by becoming part of the story – and then, help “mash up” the video footage of the event to make a short film about the experience!

By combining digital technology and street performance, these are two great opportunities to break down the barriers between being audience and participant, and take the video game out of the bedroom and onto the streets, and a chance to have fun with friends and strangers alike.

The Festival of Diversity – being run out of an office at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre – is looking for a ‘digital expert’ to facilitate the production of new digital content and advise the Festival team on their ‘digital development potential’.

What’s involved

The ‘DigiExpert’ role is to work with participants to create and manage digital content for ‘DigiDebates’, which is one part of the ‘DigiVersity’. The project will also reach wider audiences through people engaging with the online material created.

Two groups of people will meet in March to debate over a chosen topic, provisionally a group of people from the Youth Council and Age Concern. The two groups will decide on the subject of the debate.

The Festival is looking for a creative digital practitioner to design innovative ways of working with participants to create digital content from the debate which will then be put online to widen and continue the discussion.

The expert will work with a small team of the participants before the debate to develop their skills and plan how they will use the equipment to capture the atmosphere and discussion. The DigiExpert will be responsible for putting the material online and advising on how it is best utilised.

The Festival hopes to have four DigiDebates over 2010, with the pilot DigiDebate taking place in March. It is hoped that the DigiExpert will be involved with all four debates.

Timescales

• 2 workshop sessions participant training (date tbc) and debate March 29, 30 or 31 (tbc)
• 1 evaluation session – April 19th (tbc)
• 1 day advising The Festival and creating ideas
• 3 days preparation, editing and uploading (for further discussion)

Budget

£800 – £1,000

Deadline for submissions

Deadline for submissions is 12pm, 8 March 2010.

More information and to apply

Please download the PDF about the DigiExpert work, or contact:

Sian Smith
Project and Administration Officer
Festival Office
Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Fairbottom Street
Oldham OL1 3SW

Email: sian@festivalofdiversity.co.uk
Phone: 0161 785 7016
Website: www.festivalofdiversity.co.uk

RESPOND is an opportunity for an artist (or groups of artists) to creatively respond to the first questions Zion Arts Centre’s new management asked themselves when they walked in the building.

Zion Arts Centre is now looking for a creative response to the following question: ‘How can Zion Arts Centre extend our reach using digital and social media tools, appealing to artists and young people through online platforms and virtual worlds?’

The young people Zion support are ‘digital natives’, growing up within the digital world as the norm. To support and inspire creativity in young people, we need to develop a digital arts practice to inform our creative offer.

Zion is looking for an artist or group of artists who can help the Centre engage young people on a digital platform, guiding Zion towards its vision of being at the heart of the digital revolution within the world of creative media.

The resulting answers to each residency brief will inform the future strategic development of Zion Arts Centre, ensuring that it has the needs of its users (artists, young people and the local community) at its core.

What you get

• 12 week residency
• £2,000 Fee per artist/group
• Project Budget (up to £1000 per project)
• Marketing /profile raising
• Support in kind – room use, staff time

How to apply

Please go to www.zionarts.com/residencies for full details and an application form (scroll down the page until you get to the RESPOND section).

The deadline is 26th February 2010.

Current vacancies include Marketing and Media Manager, Marketing Internship, Admin Assistant.

For a job description and person spec visit www.futuresonic.com/jobs.

About Futuresonic

Futuresonic is an annual festival of art, music and ideas established in 1995 that is urban, international, inclusive and in Manchester.

Futuresonic is presented by FutureEverything, a creative studio at the forefront of digital culture. Art exhibitions, music events and a technology conference are at the heart of the FutureEverything
organisation and Futuresonic festival.

Deadline

12 midday, 14 October 2008

Interviews

21 October 2008

FutureEverything is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. They positively welcome applications from all sectors of the community.