WIREDGOV

Two organisations in the North have been successful in the latest round of our Ambition for Excellence funding programme with combined funding of £937,500.

St Helens-based Heart of Glass has been awarded £487,500 for a collaborative project with culturally diverse communities of women from across the town. Working with partners ANU Productions and contemporary art organisation idle women, Heart of Glass will use genealogy, unconventional practices and historical research to explore the personal everyday histories of the women. Through the project, Heart of Glass aims to establish St Helens as an excellence centre for collaborative arts practice and develop pioneering digital ways to involve people in the project.

Future Everything CIC in Manchester has been awarded £450,000 for FAULT LINES, a talent development and commissioning programme across all artforms, sectors and scales. A group of artists will be supported to develop ambitious new work outside their artform and through collaboration with technology and research partners. It will include an extraordinary partnership with Manchester International Festival, working with one of the world's leading artists (details to be announced as part of the MIF17 launch), and opportunities for artists to develop new artistic works in major UK and European innovation projects such as CityVerve.

Simple Harmonic Motion for 16 Percussionists by Memo Akten, Future Everything © Sebastian Matthes

Amy Vaughan, Senior Relationship Manager and Acting Lead for Ambition for Excellence, 

Digital technology is transforming the way we make, distribute, receive and exchange art; some of these projects will build new partnerships, invite new perspectives and use digital platforms to bring existing work to wider audiences

Our Ambition for Excellence programme aims to contribute to the development of strong cultural places by growing and developing talent and leadership in the regions in the country and across artforms. It funds organisations and projects that give an international dimension to excellent work while creating the highest quality new work, including for outdoor and festival contexts.

Amy Vaughan, Senior Relationship Manager and Acting Lead for Ambition for Excellence, said: “This round of successful Ambition for Excellence awards projects that take a real step forward in using digital technologies and projects that capitalise on how cultural experiences bring communities together and create a sense of identity and place. Digital technology is transforming the way we make, distribute, receive and exchange art; some of these projects will build new partnerships, invite new perspectives and use digital platforms to bring existing work to wider audiences. Our investment in these projects also reflects our belief that a strong, local cultural offer makes life better for people in all of our communities.”

Production still from Sunder by ANU Productions © Pat Redmond