Artist-led Bristol Biennial has received increased funding of £49,900 through Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme to produce its next edition, which will take place 2-10 September 2016. The award represents a considerable increase over the 2014 edition, which received just £15,000 from ACE.
Titled In Other Worlds, the festival will present 16 artworks by 35 emerging artists who were selected from an open call that attracted 778 international submissions. Applicants were invited to propose new work in response to Bristol and in collaboration with its physical and social structures.
Selected projects will take the form of walks, talks, performances, public artworks, events, and sound and light installations – primarily making use of public spaces, overlooked sites and unusual venues.
Over 70% of the award will go towards paying artists’ fees, and the biennial team says these will reflect the fees set out in to a-n’s Guidance on fees and day rates for visual artists. The funding will also support artistic production, transport and publicity costs.
Bristol Biennial is co-directed by three practicing artists, all of whom live and work in Bristol: Hannah Clark, Eva Martino and Rowan Lear.
Announcing the funding, Clark said: “It’s very exciting that after 3 years of building Bristol Biennial, it’s now at a stage where we can afford to financially-support our artists and core team.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be paid for what you do and to have the ability to pay artists fully for their skills. This award from ACE gives us the core means to create Bristol Biennial 2016 – we’re 300% ready to make some noise!”
Reflecting on her desire that the biennial continues to be known for its innovative approach, Lear added: “It’s brilliant to have our ambition rewarded with increased funding, but we’re also very keen to continue to explore the radical possibilities of an artist-led festival.
“What can we do differently? How can we better support artists? How can we create a different kind of institution? How can we have a real – and lasting – impact on the city that we call home?”
In addition to the award from ACE, the biennial has also been successful in its application to Bristol City Council’s Creative Seed fund and will receive £2,998 towards a new project for the festival by artist Jo Hellier, located in an outlying suburb of the city.
The first edition of Bristol Biennial took place in 2012. Directed by Catherine Bourne, it hosted 118 local, national and international artists, reaching over 10,240 visitors. The second edition, in 2014, featured over 50 artists selected through an open call.
Bristol Biennial: In Other Worlds, 2-10 September 2016, various locations, Bristol. www.bristolbiennial.org/
Images:
1. Crossing The Line. Copyright: Roser Diaz
2. Alice Vandaleur Boorer, Dowsing for Wate. Copyright: Stephanie Elizabeth Third
3. Ashley Preevor, Grass Men. Copyright Roser Diaz
