Ten artists have been selected for Syllabus IV, a national, collaboratively-produced alternative learning programme, jointly delivered by Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge; Eastside Projects, Birmingham; Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts), London; S1 Artspace, Sheffield; Spike Island, Bristol and Studio Voltaire, London.
The selected artists for Syllabus IV are: Scott Caruth, Libita Clayton, Jessica Coleman, Bettina Fung, Laura Hindmarsh, Beth Kettel, David Lisser, Alicja Rogalska, Kirsty Russell and Abigail Sidebotham.
Now in its fourth year, Syllabus IV provides a learning programme for artists over a ten-month period and is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.
Syllabus is developed collaboratively with the participating artists, the partner institutions and the artistic advisors, who this year are Sonya Dyer and Helen Nisbet.
The Syllabus IV artists work across a range of practices, from performance, filmmaking, sculpture and curation, researching diverse topics such as queer visibility, game show aesthetics, the post-colonial archive and the politics of food. They live and work across the UK including Pembrokeshire, Aberdeen, Tyneside, Nottingham, Cambridgeshire and London.
Beginning at Wysing in September 2018, Syllabus IV artists will come together to share their work and co-produce the year’s syllabus alongside the partners and artistic advisors. Meeting throughout the year, the cohort will invite guest artists, curators, writers and other practitioners to deliver intensive sessions hosted by each of the partners.
Previous contributors have included Barby Asante, Ruth Beale, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Céline Condorelli, Nav Haq, Anthea Hamilton, Andy Holden, Evan Ifekoya, Mark Leckey, Trevor Mathison, Katrina Palmer, Imran Perretta, Richard Wentworth and Rehana Zaman.
The full list of alumni and sessions from previous years of The Syllabus are available at http://www.wysingartscentre.org/archive/retreats
Resulting collaborations and opportunities have included #WePortal a live-stream event at the V&A; a week-long residency and group exhibition The Opposite of Now and Syllabus Mix a performance and screening evening, both held at Yinka Shonibare’s Guest Projects space in London; contributions to more of an avalanche, a group exhibition at Wysing Arts Centre; and solo exhibitions at Grand Union and Eastside Projects in Birmingham.
Abigail Sidebotham, one of the artists selected for this year’s programme, commented: “For me, as an artist working in rural South West Wales and a new parent with a small baby to care for, the most valuable aspect of Syllabus IV is the time and space to connect with peers and arts professionals across the UK to engage in critical conversation and work collaboratively to make things happen. It’s vital that artists are able to exchange their energies with one another and I’m excited to be able to take part in this valuable opportunity whilst meeting the needs of my son.”
Laura Clarke, Curator at S1 Artspace said: “The selected artists this year represent a great breadth of practices and interests and are each at a point in their careers where Syllabus can provide a useful platform for sharing knowledge, building a strong peer network across the UK and the opportunity to reflect on and develop their ideas. Having just hosted a great weekend for Syllabus III at S1, including a walking tour with a social and cultural historian, a talk with artist Imran Perretta and a vocal facilitation workshop with musician Randolph Matthews, I can see the cross overs and divergences of Syllabus IV will make for a great curriculum. We’re looking forward to collaborating with this exciting group!”
Iniva’s gathering, taking place between 7-9 June 2019, is framed around speculative fiction, working with archives, and “unlocking” future possibilities. Across the weekend the artists will be joined by Iniva staff Melanie Keen (Director), Tavian Hunter (Library and Archive Manager), Simina Neagu (Programme and Operations Coordinator), and by guests Victoria Sin, Taylor Le Melle, Irena Krüger, Priya Jay and Hassan Vawda.
Download the full press release and programme of the Iniva gathering below.
Image: Libita Clayton, I’m not my. My…..my injuries are healed now, but I still don’t remember things, Fledgling, Octavia. E. Butler, 2005, 2018. 30 minute performance, live sonic mapping in collaboration with Chris Boyd, Royal College of Art, London, UK. Image credit: Ollie Harrop