Ten creative teams have been selected to develop a series of events, public engagement programmes and virtual projects as part of a government-backed UK-wide “festival of creativity” in 2022.
Festival UK 2022 is a major nationwide festival featuring 10 large-scale commissioned projects designed to “reach millions, bring people together and showcase the UK’s creativity globally”.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced the 10 teams yesterday (Monday), and they have been tasked with developing “showstopper national moments” that will involve science, technology, engineering, arts and maths.
Dowden said: “These ten showstopper projects will wow audiences in towns and cities right across the country, and show off the UK and its creative genius to the world. Alongside the Commonwealth Games and Platinum Jubilee, they will make 2022 a year to remember, bringing the nation together as we build back stronger from the pandemic.”
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has organised the event, which is backed by £120m of new investment from the UK Government.
The festival programme is due to be announced with a new name in late 2021, but has so far been dubbed the Festival of Brexit.
The final selection was chosen from a shortlist of 30 projects that took part in a paid research and development phase.
Following a three-month R&D programme and a “rigorous” assessment process, the 10 teams have now been commissioned to take their projects into full production for next year’s Festival UK 2022.
The festival will continue to offer support to the 20 teams whose project ideas were not taken to commission.
Martin Green, chief creative officer for Festival UK 2022, said: “We asked 500 of the best creative minds in the UK to tell us what a festival of creativity could be. What they came up with has exceeded our expectations, and then some, which made deciding which 10 teams to commission very difficult.
“We believe the extraordinary breadth of talent, their thrilling ideas and geographic spread, will be ground-breaking, inspiring and exciting for millions of people across the UK and further afield.”
The 10 chosen creative teams are:
- 59 Productions Collective
- Approxima Arts Collective
- Assemble + 8 Collective
- Collective Cymru led by National Theatre Wales
- Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios Collective
- Nerve Centre Collective
- NEWSUBSTANCE Collective
- Storyfutures Collective
- Trigger Collective
- Walk the Plank Collective
Find out more about the 10 teams and their projects here.
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