Monthly Archives: May 2016

fine art, music, news, research

Sticky Thick: Thinking through Practice – School of Music and Fine Art annual Practice Research Forum on 7 June at Whitstable Biennale

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Deep Above, Adam Chodzko 2015.

 

The School of Music and Fine Art will be holding its annual Practice Research Forum Sticky Thick: Thinking through Practice on Tuesday 7th June 2016. 12:00—19:00, United Reformed Church, Whitstable as part of the Whitstable Biennale.

Hosted by the School of Music and Fine Art, University of Kent, and the Sound-Image-Research Centre (SISRC), this one day symposium will bring together artists, writers, filmmakers, composers, actors, geographers, historians, anthropologists, architects, performers and researchers across disciplines to explore key directions in current research practice, and contemporary discourse around the importance of practice research in art, culture and society.

FREE to attend, the event will include presentations by Shona Illingworth, Adam Chodzko, Sarah Turner, Duncan MacLeod, Amber Priestley, Gretchen Egolf and Sinéad Rushe, Tim Meacham, Jan Hendricks, Steve Klee and others.

The day starts at 11:00, meeting for coffee in the Horsebridge  Arts Centre to listen to readings from Rebecca Solnit’s The Faraway Nearby. Symposium presentations begin in the United Reform Church Hall from 12:00, with breaks at intervals to view Biennale exhibits. The symposium closes with drinks on the beach at 19:00 before the world premiere of Nichola Bruce’s new film Gifts.

More information and directions at http://stickythick.tumblr.com

Alumni, creative events, fine art, news

Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Culture goes to MA Fine Art student

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School of Music & Fine Art student, Nadia Perrotta (MA Fine Art), has been awarded the University of Kent prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Culture Award, which recognises a student’s contribution in the area of fine art or music, photography or writing, drama, dance or design. The student is expected to develop their own cultural learning and that of the student population or members of the local community.

Nadia’s innovative award winning Wetlands project uses art to encourage interaction between Kent’s students and the Medway community; the project has previously received a grant of £5,000 from the University of Kent Student Projects Grant Scheme for the Wetlands Hub, to build an archive of documentation and film works about the local maritime history and the wetland landscape, to include film screenings, art workshop and installations inspired and shaped by the Medway expanse.

Says Nadia:

“Wetlands is an art project initiated in 2015 inspired by the powerful metaphor of a possible memory retained and preserved by the waters. The aim of the project is for University of Kent students and alumni  to involve and interact with local communities living in proximity of waters, recreating a dialogue between them, their maritime history and the wetland landscape.

Wetlands has been a real journey for me. I started with the hope to be able to create a link between the local community and the students of SMFA, to build an understanding of the environment outside the “bubble” of the university and for the public to get to know the potential of our school and the talents of the students of SMFA. I acknowledge that this was an ambitious aim. However, I was able to create a sustainable network of contacts with local authorities and art organisations who opened their doors to collaborations with SMFA students. I am proud this pioneering project has been inspirational for the art practice of most of the students involved – and a demonstration of how much it is possible to achieve when students are entrusted with freedom of expression outside the assessed studio work and supported by the University. I am very happy to be able to leave a legacy with Wetlands Hub, offering students and alumni a platform for free expression and at the same time celebrating their talents with the creation of the new Wetlands video hub archive.”

 

Related stories: https://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/news.html?view=2006
https://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/news.html?view=1945
https://www.kent.ac.uk/student/kentawards/winners/contribution-to-arts-culture.html

Alumni, music, news

Orchestral commission for MA music student Amy Morgan

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Amy Morgan, 2016.

 

School of Music and Fine Art MA music student Amy Morgan will hear her new work, commissioned by the City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra, performed  in a concert on Saturday 28th May 2016 at The Central Theatre, Chatham at 7.30pm.  Her piece for the orchestra, called Stranger Things Have Happened shares a programme with works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.

Says Amy: “The commission was facilitated by Duncan MacLeod, who is my Specialist Project supervisor. After getting the idea down on paper, or computer – and sometimes they are sung – I then put them onto music software programme Sibelius. The last stage takes the longest as I tweak the ideas to fit the mood of the composition. In Stranger Things Have Happened, I purposely make some parts dissonant and try to make use of a wide range of extended techniques. This is something new for me, as I normally stick within the boundaries of the instruments. The inspiration for this piece comes from retro game music (such as Super Mario), film music (particularly composer John Williams) and rock music.  The orchestra is really friendly and helpful, and it is even more exciting when I hear the orchestra playing the piece in rehearsals.  After my Masters, I hope to continue composing for a wide range of instruments.”

For tickets, go to: http://crso.org.uk/concerts/

fine art, news, research

School of Music and Fine Art hosts event in Medway for Arts Fundraisers

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Organised by Fundraising UK Ltd and hosted by the University of Kent’s School of Music & Fine Art, this event for Arts Fundraisers on Thursday, 14 July, 2016 is a fantastic opportunity for local and regional arts professionals and fundraisers to learn, share good practice and network. Despite the name, there are no tents involved!  A Fundraising Camp is a one-day ‘unconference’-style event for fundraisers: there are no set speakers and no set topics. Each participant is invited to suggest a topic at the beginning of the day. Local fundraising, business, philanthropy or grant making experts are invited to share practical fundraising knowledge and experience.

Find more info here: http://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/events.html?eid=18365&view_by=month&date=20160724&category=&tag=

There will be a limited number of FREE places for University of Kent staff, students and alumni. Please contact j.seaman@kent.ac.uk for details.

Venue: The Historic Dockyard Chatham. 
Times: 9.30am-4pm

Booking link:http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fundraising-camp-arts-registration-21486231898

Early bird tickets are just £30+VAT for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.