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“Always On Their Mind”: Elvis Presley and Consumer Culture

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Registration is now open for

“Always On Their Mind”: Elvis Presley and Consumer Culture

3rd June, 2017

University of Kent, UK

Since Elvis Presley’s rise to stardom, his star image and persona has been used to sell products. However, it is through his death that his name and image can be found in seemingly unrelated locations and commodities. The estate’s company, Elvis Presley Enterprises, has attempted to further Presley’s fanbase through re-releases of his music, Graceland, and most recently, an exhibit at the O2, London. The combined effort of the Authentic Brands Company, EPE, and the ability to re-create Presley through fictional and non-fictional texts, has allowed Presley a unique position in contemporary culture.

To celebrate the upcoming 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, this conference will attempt to re-evaluate and explore how Presley’s star persona continues to be a commercial success. Commodities; re-runs of television documentaries and concerts; re-mixes of Presley’s music; tourist attractions and the expansion of Graceland’s entertainment complex, are just a few of the ways that Presley’s ubiquitous stardom is presented and sold to contemporary society. Through this conference we would like to explore the connections between consumer culture and stardom, analysing how Presley’s star history has allowed his continued presence in today’s culture.

 In addition to the conference, participants are invited to take part in a screening of Elvis documentaries made by members of our industry panel on the 2nd of June. More Elvis Presley screenings, workshops and events are soon to be confirmed.

Register here 

Check here for our conference schedule 

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The World Is So Small It’s Enormous

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The University of Kent Paris School of Arts and Culture is pleased to invite you to an exhibition of the recent work of our associate artists, Alice Gauthier and Rob Miles, known as ‘Crocolitho’. Held in the Grande Salle of Reid Hall, the beautiful home to the Paris School, the art work on show will be a selection of drawings and lithographs made in the artist’s studio, a short walk from Reid Hall in the site of Les Grands Voisins in Denfert-Rochereau.

Vernissage (Preview):

21st of March at Reid Hall
in La Grande salle, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
4 rue Chevreuse, 75006 Paris – Métro Vavin.
free entry – Cocktail
Do join us for drinks and the opportunity to see the work and talk to the artists, plus a short concert by Rob Miles & Les Clés Anglaises (8pm).

The exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks until the 4th April, between 8am – 11am, Monday to Saturday (apart from the 31st), and the artists will be available to join you by appointment – crocolitho@gmail.com

With many thanks to the artists, and to Columbia Global Centre Paris for their collaboration in hosting this exhibition.

S4R Creative Student Awards

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The Solutions 4 Recruitment Creative Student Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the plethora of creative talent across the UK.

The awards are open to anyone and work as follows:

Each month, the S4R team will shortlist the standard competition entries. The monthly shortlist will be publicised on our website and across our social media channels. Everyone shortlisted will be notified in advance. If shortlisted, you are encouraged to promote your entry online to capture votes. The monthly winner will be decided via a public online vote, the winner being the entry with the most votes at the end of the month.

How do I enter?

It is quick and easy. You can submit as many entries as you like each month, across these 8 categories:

  • Advertising
  • Audio / Video & Animation
  • Blog
  • Branding
  • Copy & PR
  • Photography
  • Social Media
  • Web & App

Simply email csawards@solutions4recruitment.com with your name and contact details, along with your entry (either attached or linked to) and confirmation of which category you are entering. You can also submit entries via our social media channels, with the hashtag #CSAwards17

Olivedog Productions Looking for Plays to Open New Season

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University of Kent Post-graduate Company Olivedog Productions are currently looking for short plays to open their new season.

They are looking for 20 – 30 minute short plays of any genre to be involved in their next project for next term.

All scripts will be read by the team with two being chosen for the project. If picked it will open the new season and be filmed in a NT live style to be distributed digitally, making it perfect for show-reels or any enquiries about your work in your future careers.

The deadline for work is flexible but they would prefer if all submissions were as soon as possible, so they have time to read and sort out dates for later in the process.

Please send your work with the title of the play and your name and preferable contact details to: olivedogproductions@gmail.com

WHIST at the Gulbenkian

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AΦE present WHIST…

WORLD PREMIERE | 12-13 APRIL 2017 | THE GULBENKIAN, CANTERBURY

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE

“Amazing! Complete transportation into another space/ time/ world.“ 

“Very engaging experience, vivid and powerful images.“ 

What happens when the desires hidden in the dark corners of your mind are suddenly brought to light? What if they have been the driving force of your choices all this while?

Inspired by the work of Sigmund Freud, WHIST invites you on a journey into the unconscious mind, where your instincts will guide you through a narrative of surreal dreams and fears.

The experience merges Physical Theatre and Mixed Reality Technology, in an environment that blurs the boundaries between consciousness and unconsciousness, reality and fiction, the physical and the virtual. Through art and sound installation coupled with cinematic and interactive 360° film, you will be immersed in a world of unfolding dreams. Who knows where your subconscious will lead you?

WHIST is an installation that combines 360° film with 3D sound, physical designed objects and physical theatre, where audiences becomes active participants of the journey through introduction of touch and auditory sensory and movements in space.

 

Homespun Yarns Kicks Off 2017 Film Competition

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Talent-nurturing competition opens for its fourth and biggest year yet

Film competition, Homespun Yarns, returns for its fourth successive year, the talent-nurturing competition seeks to support up-and-coming filmmakers and young editors by giving them a space to work on creative projects and form important relationships. Open to anyone from school students right through to fully fledged producers and directors, Homespun Yarn’s will fund four short films this summer.

Since entering the competition as budding filmmakers, Homespun Yarns’ previous winners have all gone on to become fully-fledged directors. 2014 winner Zak Razvi was a music video producer when he submitted his film Jordanne to Homespun Yarns.  Blowing the crowd away with his directorial debut, Zak went on to win an impressive number of awards and accolades at film festivals globally, including Best Documentary at Kinsale Sharks and the Shots Best New Director Award. He is now represented by a major London production company. 2015’s winning entry, the heart-warming comedy, ‘Vanya’, was Caroline Hicks’ second short film. She’s now in the midst of directing a feature. 2015 also saw the youngest ever entrant, sixth-former Florence Winter-Hill, shortlisted and funded in 2015.

Commenting on the experience Florence says: “I absolutely loved doing the Homespun Yarns competition – it was so wonderful to work with everyone at Stitch and the experience was incredible. For a 17 year-old it was a huge opportunity! I learnt an invaluable amount and loved every second. Since Homespun Yarns I’ve been signed as a director at Sugarcane Media for music videos, commercials and shorts. I’m currently 18 and only recently left studying A-levels, so this was a huge deal for me. I’ve been working full time as a VFX Production Assistant at Industrial Light & Magic on the VFX of Star Wars VIII for 5 months now too. I’m also shooting a 20 minute short film that I have been working on for over a year now, starring Les Miserable’s ‘Young Cossette’, Isabelle Allen!”

Last year, a record number of filmmakers submitted their ideas for a short film inspired by Lyves’ haunting track, ‘Darkest Hour’, for which the editing collective partnered with Wave Music. The four shortlisted films were screened at the Ministry of Sound to an audience of over 350 people, including industry professionals and press, who voted Thomas Ralph’s topical post-Brexit documentary on Britain’s youth as the winning film.

Homespun Yarns is a competition run by editing collective Homespun. The collective was created to shine a light on the creative projects – music videos and short films – that can sometimes be overlooked in favour of commercial budgets. It crucially enables the younger editors at mother-company, STITCH, to start all-important director-editor relationships, without which, it can be difficult to kick-start a career.

This year’s theme will be announced along with the call for entries on March 22nd

For more information about Homespun and how to enter please contact Alice Clarke, e: alice@stitchediting.tv t: +44 (0)20 3056 5000

Opportunities at the Canterbury Festival

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Canterbury Festival are looking for submissions for works of Dance and Performance for their Made in Kent Competition, offering dance companies and artists the opportunity to perform in the popular Festival venue of St Mary’s Studio Theatre as part of the 2017 Canterbury Festival.

More information on the dance competition can be found here.

More information on the performance competition can be found here.

The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition 2017 has also just launched so now is the time to release that inner poet and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and send in your poems, limericks, ballads, odes, haikus, whatever! More information.

Finally, the Festival are also currently looking for volunteers! 

By volunteering with the Festival, individuals will

  • gain experience of customer care and events management
  • meet new people and be part of a friendly team
  • feel a sense of achievement
  • be supporting the arts in Canterbury
  • enjoy high quality performances (although often it is not possible to see the whole show)

As the public face of the Canterbury Festival, volunteers provide a customer friendly service for the audience.  Volunteers have the chance to experience different roles within the festival.  The Festival will seek to give you the support you require, and training where appropriate and in return ask for 100% attendance and involvement.  It is a mutual commitment.

For enquiries please contact Mark Burford, Business Manager at mark@canterburyfestival.co.uk.

Get Discounted Tickets for some great Gulbenkian Shows!

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Get £2 off the standard student ticket rate at the Gulbenkian by using discount code ‘ SOA1’ when booking online for these great shows…

ROSALIND

JAMES COUSINS COMPANY present ROSALIND.

Rising star of the British dance scene James Cousins’ latest work is inspired by one of Shakespeare’s most headstrong and independent heroines. Set in a modern city – conservative by day, wonderland by night – the curious, courageous heroine Rosalind embarks on a journey of self-discovery, fuelled by love and oppression.

HEAVEN EYES

By David Almond

Three youngsters run away from their children’s home and sail down the River Tyne on a makeshift raft. Stuck on the mudflats, they meet a strange girl who lives with an old man, Grampa. The girl has a secret only Grampa knows …. and he’s not telling.

RUN

2Faced Dance present RUN.

A triple bill choreographed by Tamsin Fitzgerald, Lenka Vagnerova and Rebecca Evans
Original music by Angus MacRae and Tomas Vychytil

Fight or flight? There is always a choice.

A gritty and explosive triple bill from the award winning and physically adventurous 2Faced Dance Company. Featuring three exhilarating commissions by world class choreographers Tamsin Fitzgerald, Lenka Vagnerova and newcomer Rebecca Evans, RUN explores the darker side of humanity, through an explosion of movement, theatre and design.

STEPMOTHER/STEPFATHER

Arthur Pita & HeadSpaceDance present Stepmother/Stepfather.

In a new commission by DanceEast, award-winning Director and Choreographer Arthur Pita, in collaboration with HeadSpaceDance, presents a wickedly gruesome, darkly surreal double bill of dark dance.

Stepmother leads us into a menacing world where macabre folklore meets the terrifying grotesque. Fairy tales distort into nightmares as familiar characters from Snow White to Hansel and Gretel are pursued by a force of monstrous and abusive stepmothers.

Stepfather tells the grisly tale of a twisted family situation, inspired by the folk punk ‘Country Death Song’ from cult American band Violent Femmes. Spiralling into a hellish world of incest and murder, the search for redemption is played out beyond the grave.