A group exhibition showcasing emerging talent by recently graduated contemporary artists from the South West region.
Fine artists graduating in 2017 at BA & MA level and based in in the South West region*, are invited to submit entries to display a series of works as part of a group exhibition in the Café Bar Gallery at Exeter Phoenix in January 2018.
The exhibition will run from 10th January – 10th February 2018.
*South West region as defined by Arts Council South West. This covers the counties of Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Somerset, and the unitary authorities of Bath & North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, Isle of Wight, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Swindon, Torbay and Wiltshire.
Entries open Tue 2 May.
Deadline: Sat 30 Sep.
GUIDELINES
Open to 2017 BA & MA Graduate students based in the SW region.
Only wall-based works are eligible to display in this busy, café bar environment. 2d practice such as painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, mixed media & photography as well as wall based sculpture, video & sound will be considered.
Works submitted must be finished pieces that relate to your current practice.
Maximum scale: 100x100cm
Selected artists must be willing to arrange delivery and collection of their work
Works must be delivered to Exeter Phoenix by Friday 15th December
Postal delivery is accepted although responsibility for the work lies entirely with the artist.
Works must be collected at the end of the exhibition from Exeter Phoenix
Fees: Free
Deadline: Sat 30 Sep
Successful applicants will be contacted by 17 Oct 2017
HOW TO SUBMIT
Please email up to 3 images of your work (No smaller than 1MB each) along with a brief artist’s statement that reflects your current practice, website link and CV to andy.cluer@exeterphoenix.org.uk, no later than 30 Sept 2017.
To hear about further opportunities from our Creative Hub and gallery exhibitions at Exeter Phoenix, join our mailing list here and select your chosen preferences.
Comments Off on What’s On: UnPacked Family Theatre Festival
4 – 6 Aug | For ages 4+
UnPacked Festival curators, PaddleBoat Theatre Company, have packed a very big suitcase full of exciting theatre shows and creative workshops for all the family to enjoy this summer.
All performances £8 (£6), families £25 and workshops £5 unless stated otherwise.
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Unpacked Launch Event
Exeter Phoenix | Thu 4 Aug | 11am
Join us in the Café Bar for a bite to eat and find out what’s happening at the festival.
Mr Whatsit is Sophia’s imaginary friend. That is, until Sophia unimagines him, and invents the tea-drinking, lipstick-wearing Margo. PaddleBoat Theatre Company present an imaginative tale where real and imaginary worlds collide and friends are never far away.
Exeter Phoenix | Thu 4 – Fri 5 Aug | 12pm | children £3, adults go free
Meet Arthur – an odd old man who lives all alone in his attic. Arthur spends all of his time with his friend the moon, but one cloudy night the moon is nowhere to be seen. Can you help him find his friend?
A play adaptation of Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson and Alex Schleffler, created in one week by young people aged 11-18. Want to get involved? Contact lucy@theyoungpretenders.net.
Join us for an exciting family shadow puppetry workshop inspired by techniques all the way from Bali. Includes a short shadow puppetry performance from Above Bounds’ latest show The Ugly Duckling.
A very silly medieval adventure complete with puppetry, live music and audience interaction. Join King Arthur on a mystical quest, meeting brave knights, giant dragons and a jolly jester along the way.
Comments Off on Plans for Summer Film School 2016 are in full swing!
Here at Exeter Phoenix we love the process of filmmaking and seeing young creative minds develop through artistic practice. This is why we are so excited to be plotting the third edition of our famous Summer Film School, which will be running from Mon 1 – Fri 5 Aug at the magical and atmospheric Poltimore House. Every year the kids have an awesome time as we offer children aged 10-14 years the unique opportunity to make their own short film, supported by a host of skilled and experienced film and theatre professionals.
We are delighted to be welcoming our Associate Artist filmmaker Luke Jeffery on board. Luke has a whole host of short film and theatre projects to his name, including the award winning Seeing Red that was produced through the Exeter Phoenix Devon Short Film Commission scheme, plus his current project – iShort Hells Bells that is being shot in this summer.
We have space for some extra helpers this year, so if you have some experience with working with kids, have a passion for film production, and aren’t afraid of a little hard work and (preferably) have DBS clearance then please do get in touch on the details below. For your efforts you will be rewarded with a week full of fun, a credit on a professional quality short film and travel / food will be covered or provided.
Summer Film School was created and developed in 2014 by Exeter Phoenix & Colourburn, an Exeter-based film production company. We assembled a particularly talented team of youngsters at Brampford Speke Primary School who by the end of the week had produced The Sqweakening – a quirky comedy horror about a particularly obnoxious were-hamster.
For a taste of what we got up to at 2014’s Summer Film School, watch The Squeakening here!
Returning this year as a third partner is Four of Swords, a local theatre company which specialises in multi-media performances in unusual, forgotten locations. Four of Swords aided the kids in the creation of last year’s Big Trouble in Little Poltimore, a story of mystical exploration as a group of kids get lost on a school trip, discovering the magic and conflicts of woodland creatures and goblin communities.
Big Trouble In Little Poltimore was screened at Exeter Phoenix’s Big Screen in the Park 2015 in Northernhay Gardens and had its own special premiere at Poltimore House last summer. Watch the film here:
Four of Swords Theatre has entertained sell-out crowds and won rave reviews for shows such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at Exeter Cathedral and Dr Faustus at St Nicholas Priory.
‘As well as our performances for the general public,’ says Philip Kingslan John, co-founder of Four of Swords, ‘we have been building a body of educational work, partnering with the Central Devon Personalised Learning Service and Cambridge University Press on different projects and visiting various schools in the South West. It’s this experience of working with young people in creative environments that we bring to the project.’
Four of Swords most recently reprised their production of Jekyll and Hyde at Poltimore House, the same venue for this year’s Summer Film School. Sarah White, Philip’s colleague and Four of Swords co-founder, says, ‘Poltimore House and grounds are a wonderful and magical world of their own! Not only will they provide an ideal base for the week in terms of facilities, but also a fantastically rich environment for sparking the children’s imaginations”.
The week will include a host of fun-packed activities for the children to get involved with. A parent from Summer Film School class of 2015 commented, ‘It’s no mean feat keeping a 13 year old completely absorbed, engaged and creatively challenged for a week and we are indebted to everyone involved in the organisation for their diverse skills, energy and enthusiasm… it’s been great for his confidence and shown him endless creative possibilities.’
This year, the activities will include drama games and puppetry and prop-making workshops, as well as providing hands-on experience with cameras, microphones, clapper boards and exciting special effects.
How To Get Involved
There are only 25 places up for grabs so be sure to book soon. Tickets are available here >>
This September we present a significant showcase exhibition of emerging and established contemporary visual artists from across the UK and beyond.
Exeter Contemporary Open is an annual, open submission exhibition, which over the last eleven years has built national and international reputation as a prime opportunity for artists to showcase their work, drawing audiences and attention from across the country.
This year’s exhibition includes a shortlist of eight artists, selected from several hundred submissions by Cheryl Jones (Director of Grand Union, Birmingham), George Vasey (art writer and curator at the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art, Sunderland) and Phoenix Gallery curator Matt Burrows.
The eight selected artists are Michelle Conway,Jamie Fitzpatrick,Naomi Frears, Susie Green, Brendan Lancaster, Dorine van Meel, James Parkinson and Devlin Shea.
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This year, there will be an accompanying programme of Artists Moving Image artworks, screened in our independent cinema space, Studio 74, during the run of the show. Joining works from artists featuring in the main exhibition will be further works from artists Anne-Marie Creamer, Nick Jordan, Thomas Yeomans.
The exhibition will launch with a VIP preview hosted by main sponsors Haines Watts Chartered Accountants, at which several awards including the £1000 Overall Award, £500 Additional Award and a Moving Image Award will be made. This will be followed by a further £200 Audience Choice Award – voted for by the public throughout the run of the exhibition and announced in the final week.
Shooting Season Commences in style for the Exeter Phoenix Short Film Commissions 2016
After being selected in March, our commissioned filmmakers – including our new Micro Short and RAW film strands – have thrown themselves whole heartedly over the production start line, demonstrating a promising range of talent from the emerging filmmakers of Devon.
Bethan Highgate-Betts has been busy in Bristol with her cinematographer James McColl transforming the Edwardian Cloakrooms into 1940’s Iran for her 3-minute micro short commission Pink.
This week, Bethan has reported that they have ‘completed our first day shooting Pink and we’re really pleased with how it’s coming together. Just getting ready to shoot our last couple of scenes and get stuck into the edit!’ We can’t wait to see the final result of this interesting short that explores generational and cultural expectations in the diverse British landscape.
Rupert Green and Jack Oliver have been a busy pair, with their micro horror short Nightmare of Garbhlach wrapping its production phase with the climax shoot next week. ‘There will be blood!’ says Rupert. Throughout the process, Rupert and Jack have been experimenting with different filmmaking techniques, mixing live action, animation and puppetry to create their very own visual style for this story of legend, nightmare and peril. They hit Exeter Phoenix’s Digital Workshop next week to use the ‘super computer’ to edit their way to a final cut.
Dom Lee has been busy honing his script for his micro short Rocketshed that tells the story of six-year old Jack and his Dad as they sit in their garden shed, a home built ‘Rocketshed’ as a countdown timer ticks down. Pre-production on Dom’s film is going well. The process of dismantling a shed to use as the core set for the film has begun, and filming in this confined space will be much easier once the roof is removed! We are pleased to hear that the cast and crew are all in place and filming will commence in a few weeks time.
Also in the final stages of pre-production are University of Exeter students Timi and Hana. The pair have launched their campaign for The Search Party, a short film is set on the beautiful landscape of Dartmoor National Park, revealing the experience of a woman who manages to join her own search party. Check out their Kickstarter video here, showing off a range of rewards to thank those generous supporters amongst you, including teaser trailers, digital downloads, maps and thank you videos from the directors.
Documentaries on the road to discovery…
After months of planning and hard work, Simeon Costello – winner of the Devon Documentary Short Film Commission – is about to launch his cross country adventure on local bus services. Simeon raised over £2000 with a brilliant kickstarter for Bus Stories, his documentary exploring the use of local bus services across the UK from John O’ Groats to Lands End.
The fundraising is over now as he hits the start line on his epic UK journey, but to see more info on the project and the capmpaign offers, take a look here >>
Follow his progress and see the personalities he meets on the way @SimeonCostello as he tweets his way across the country.
A little further east in the U.K, Lord of the Logos is in action as director Luke Hagan delves into the little known world of Christophe Szpajdel, the prestigious metal band logo designer who has en estimated 10,000 designs to his name and exhibitions as far as Japan and New Zealand. This week, Luke has been busy documenting Christophe’s experiences at the first exhibition of his work to be held in London. With a series of exciting interviews lined up with collaborators and fans, we are eagerly awaiting some behind the scenes goodies to share with you.
One Hell of a film…
Despite the cloudy forecasts, summer is here for production work in Devon. After successfully securing his iShorts funding for morris dancing thriller Hell’s Bells, our Associate Artist, filmmaker Luke Jeffery has been shooting out and about in Devon.
We look forward to sharing more updates with you throughout the year. Find out more about commissions at Exeter Phoenix here >>
Comments Off on Volunteer For Big Screen In The Park
7 AUG – 13 AUG
This years’ Big Screen In The Park is bigger and better than ever! After the roaring success of last years’ cinema under the stars we’re returning with not six, but seven nights of outdoor cinema magic.
The event has a huge profile as well as a large audience to look after. To help make this event a success we need a strong team of passionate volunteers to be part of the event management crew.
As well as being able to watch these fantastic films on our 10m screen volunteers will receive a pair of free tickets to a film at our cinema, Studio 74. Volunteers will also get a taste of event management on a large scale. This is a great opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes workings of one of the city’s favourite events.
Big Screen In The Park requires volunteers to be enthusiastic, engaging and professional. A passion for film is also desirable.
You will be asked to great audiences on the gates, take money, tickets and answer questions. You may need to help audience members find their way around the Big Screen site, locate suitable seats and have a basic understanding about the film being shown. You may also be asked to take care of corporate clients and the VIP area.
Volunteers are asked to arrive at 6.30pm on the night for briefing and are expected to stay throughout the screening and help with the pack down at the end of the night. The nights will draw to a close at around midnight (no later).
Volunteers are line managed by the Front Of House manager.
This summer, we’re giving you a sneak peek of some of Edinburgh’s best comedy pick before they hit the big time.
With four nights of comedy lined up, buy tickets for one show for £8, two shows for £7 each, or enjoy three shows for £6 each.
Mon 11 Jul
Ed Gamble: Stampede
Gamble thunders into town with a wagonload of misguided opinions and wild conjecture. Off Mock The Week, Almost Royal, Drunk History, and Conan.
Bilal Zafar: Cakes
Join the NATYS 2016 winner as he tells you how he was mistaken for a Muslim only cake shop and became a prime target for the furious far right around the world.
Tue 12 Jul
Mark Cooper-Jones: Geographically Speaking
Description: A comedy show with interesting stuff about the world. Accolades: Russell Howard’s Good News, BBC Three with sketch group WitTank, BBC Radio 5, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and ex-teacher.
Kieran Boyd: Egg
The girly one from Fringe sketch veterans WitTank presents his debut stand-up show about how weird we all are. As featured on BBC Three and BBC Radio 4.
Wed 13 Jul
Naz Osmanoglu: Exposure
Debut show number three… Loudest member of sketch group WitTank, star of Flat TV and Bull returns to the Fringe to bare all.
Steve Bugeja: Unpronounceable
Steve has a bag for life, he remembers it every single time. That’s only the third coolest thing about him. BBC New Comedy Award winner, heard on BBC Radio 4, seen on BBC Three.
Thu 14 Jul
Giants
Bashful debutantes, Giants are slinking up to Edinburgh to dump their hotly-anticipated sketch show on to the Festival. Evening Standard’s Pick of The Fringe 2015. ‘Inventive ideas and ambitious writing’ (CHORTLE). ‘Sickeningly talented’ (BROADWAY BABY).
Gareth Richards: The Halo Effect
Join Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee, Gareth Richards, from Russell Howard’s Good News and Frank Skinner’s Absolute Radio show, for his solo show of hilarious stand-up and gorgeously low-key comedy songs.
Comments Off on Artists Invited To Apply For Exeter Contemporary Open 2016
Artists are now being invited to submit work to our national platform for contemporary visual arts.
Exeter Contemporary Open is one of the highlights of the South West’s arts calendar. Now in its eleventh year, it provides an important national platform for contemporary visual art with an emphasis on supporting new and emerging talent alongside more established artists.
The submission process is now open and artists working across a variety of disciplines are invited to submit work that will be considered by a panel of industry experts. The shortlisted works will be exhibited at the Exeter Contemporary Open exhibition between 16 September and 5 November 2016 at Exeter Phoenix. The Overall Award winner, announced at an exclusive awards ceremony and opening event on 15th September, will receive a £1000 prize and an Additional Award winner will receive £500. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite work and the Audience Choice Award winner will receive £200.
Past selection panels have included artists and curators such as David Shrigley, Ceri Hand, Alex Hartley, Hannah Firth, Day & Gluckman and Kevin Hunt.
PaddleBoat Theatre Company have packed a very big suitcase full of exciting theatre shows and creative workshops for all the family to enjoy this summer.
Exeter is set to experience its very first family-focused theatre festival on the 4th, 5th and 6th of August, an exciting selection of shows and workshops just waiting to be unpacked and played with during the summer holidays. UnPacked Family Theatre Festival is being curated by Exeter’s very own PaddleBoat Theatre Company, with the Bike Shed Theatre and Exeter Phoenix working together to host three days of creativity and imagination.
“We’ve brought together a dazzling selection of shows and workshops from playful and passionate theatre-makers – now we need you to come along, unpack our holiday suitcase and play” (PaddleBoat Theatre Company)
Headlining the festival is PaddleBoat’s brand new family show ‘Margo & Mr. Whatsit’, performing at Exeter Phoenix from 2nd – 6th August. Then each morning of the festival, Exeter Phoenix will give the whole family a chance to take part in exciting workshops – sharing stories, playing with puppetry, and the chance to hear a very special reading of PaddleBoat’s enchanting storybook ‘According to Arthur…’ that will be BSL signed for Deaf audiences.
There’s an exciting array of family shows to see at the vibrant Bike Shed Theatre. Man meets bird in Open Attic’s hilarious ‘Much Ado About Puffin’ and Soap Soup’s beautiful love story ‘The Snow Baby’ will entrance young and old alike. ‘Squeezy Green’s Compendium of Games’ is the TV game show in a theatre – ‘a lip lickin’ afternoon of games for everyone to play’. Local youth theatre company The Young Pretenders present their ‘Play in a Week’, and exciting puppetry brings an old tale to life in Moon on a Stick’s ‘King Arthur and the Inglewood’.
Whether you’re 4 or 400, don’t pack up and go this Summer – stay and experience the very best of family theatre at Exeter’s first UnPacked Family Theatre Festival.
In Autumn 2015 we re-opened our Digital Workshop, which now features brand new macs with the full range of Creative Suite software and Final Cut Pro X to meet a whole host of creative training and project needs. We currently run a wide range of courses for creative freelancers, corporate clients and complete beginners taking their first steps into digital print and web design, filmmaking, editing, animation, film literacy & appreciation and many more. We are looking to extend this to ensure we are offering training and support for all levels, skills, processes and software so we are opening our doors to expressions of interest from experienced trainers, teachers and producers who have skills to share with the community of Exeter and the surrounding areas.
If you have at least 2 years experience in delivering training or working in an education role in a film, media, design, web, marketing or business capacity please get in touch with a proposal of what you think should be delivered at Exeter Phoenix.
Subject areas we are seeking to develop include:
App development
Coding
Digital animation and motion graphics
Innovative filmmaking styles e.g. interactive documentary
Script development
Sound recording for film
Music video
Live streaming
Project management
Artists moving image/installation
Film studies & media literacy
We are open to all areas of expertise within the digital creative landscape, additional to those listed above. Please explore the Creative Hub pages here to gain an idea of the training, projects and film programme we currently have on offer and shape your expression of interest accordingly.
Register Your Interest
Please download and complete the Expression of Interest form here >>
Completed forms to be returned to digital@exeterphoenix.org.uk by 5pm, Fri 10Jun 2016.
Paper Phoenix is an indie design and art market that will be held on Sat 3 Dec, 10.30am – 4pm.
Showcasing the best of Exeter’s established independent designers, whilst nurturing and encouraging up-and-coming talent, Paper Phoenix is part of Exeter Phoenix’s ongoing provision of artist support through the Creative Hub.
About
Paper Phoenix is a platform for independent artisan, craft and DIY designers to showcase their work in a vibrant and lively environment.
The aim is to showcase emerging and established makers alike in indie craft and design, keeping the event approachable, relevant and focusing on the highest quality. Paper Phoenix is a hub for new talent and a place where a community of creatives can gather to celebrate of all things handmade.
The event is co-ordinated by small team of creatives at Exeter Phoenix with an aim to showcase makers who handcraft one-of-a kind pieces.
Participate – Makers
We are seeking makers of handcrafted goods that range from the unique and one-of-a kind to bespoke craft, print, design and art. Simply fill in the application form below, and we’ll be in touch.
Participate – Workshops
We want to create a lively and engaging environment for like-minded DIY designers and makers to participate and mingle. Hosting a hands-on crafty workshop is a great way to get people to experience your product.
Stalls
We have a limited number of 5ft trestle tables available for hire at the cost of £10. You are welcome to bring your own table free of charge but please make sure it is no more than 6ft for space allowances.
Fee
Paper Phoenix is part of Exeter Phoenix’s Creative Hub, promoting a free platform for the independent designers and crafters to showcase their work in a vibrant and lively environment. The only cost to stalls will be the hiring of a table on the day of the event.
How To Apply
Step 1 – Application To Paper Phoenix
Applications are now closed.
Step 2 – Submitting examples of your work
Please ensure you email nia.gould@exeterphoenix.org.uk with up to 3 examples of your work. Ensure attachments are less than 1mb in size. If successful, these images may be used by Exeter Phoenix’s marketing department.
Comments Off on Artists Moving Image Commission Announced
Exeter Phoenix is delighted to announce the 2016 Artists Moving Image Commission has been awarded to Bristol based artist Ben Tupper to develop a new work A Mythology in Self Defence.
Tupper was selected from almost 60 applicants from all over the South West to become the recipient of the £1000 commission and will use this along with the associated mentoring support to help him bring this artwork to fruition to be screened this autumn at Exeter Phoenix.
The artwork will draw upon a combination of European film references, newly shot handheld footage and unused visual and sonic ‘offcuts’ from Tupper’s previous films to explore ways in which moving image is encountered and how its surrounding political landscape affects what is presented.
The film’s script will mainly be drawn from a conversation between the French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard and camera inventor Jean-Pierre Beauviala as they discuss and argue over a, never fully completed, handheld camera commissioned by Godard. It will also contain visual references to Pere Portabella’s Cuadecuc, Vampir (1972); a high contrast black & white film shot behind the scenes of Jesus Franco’s famous film adaption Count Dracula.
Research Image
In addition to collaging audio offcuts from previous works to make up the film’s soundtrack, Tupper will create a new score using samples of skipping CDs and records.
Ben Tupper’s practice aims to explore the harmonies and conflicts between politics and poetics. Currently working within moving image and sound, Tupper’s practice looks to rework established bodies of fictional and non-fictional film and literature within localised contexts as a way of identifying alternative narratives. By questioning the anticipated nature and language of story telling, he is interested in the potential of affecting and being affected as a method of social communication.
We are very much looking forward to working with Ben on this piece. Follow his progress throughout the commissioning process by signing up to the Creative Hub newsletter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on twitter.
Comments Off on BBC Radio 1’s Academy Comes To Exeter Phoenix
We are pleased to announce that we have been chosen to host the prestigious Radio 1 Academy, a week of inspiring creative industry events, gigs and workshops all for young people, which will run alongside the Radio 1’s Big Weekend.
Our four storey arts venue, creative hub and café bar has been the arts and culture epicentre of the city since the 1990s, encompassing galleries, a cinema, a large music auditorium and theatre space, recording studios, a print workshop, digital learning suites and studio spaces, all under one roof.
We will be pausing our usual activity for a week in May to make way for a BBC takeover exclusive to local 16-19 year olds looking for hands-on creative industry experience in music, TV and film, business and social media. Taking place between Tue 17 and Sat 21 May, Exeter Phoenix will host a programme of gigs, radio shows, practical workshops and Q&As, with live broadcasts from some of the nation’s favourite Radio 1 presenters.
Live Lounge sessions with special guests will be taking place throughout the Academy week, with Exeter Phoenix-based organisations Phonic FM and Sound Gallery Studios also getting in on the action with broadcasts and recordings.
Louise Kattenhorn, Radio 1 Editor, says: ‘This year’s Radio 1 Academy is shaping up to be one of the best yet. There are so many amazing opportunities for young people to find out how to channel their creativity and explore different career options, as well as showcasing their talents.’
The full Academy line up and schedule will be announced by Radio 1 in early May and tickets will be available in person at Exeter Phoenix on a special launch day soon after. More details to be announced.
Comments Off on A Top Music Line Up, Explosive Science and Cinematic Food for Thought
May-Jun Events at Exeter Phoenix
We are pleased to announce our new season of events spanning everything from live performance, comedy and music, arthouse cinema and documentaries to contemporary art exhibitions.
What’s more, regular visitors and city centre shoppers will be pleased to hear that our buzzing café bar has rolled out a new menu of fresh, lovingly made nibbles and meals to enjoy on its suntrap terrace.
The venue’s live music programme this spring features one of Britain’s most noteworthy bands, Brighton based indie rockers British Sea Power. Other highlights include two of the country’s biggest names in folk, Martin & Eliza Carthy, and hailing from New York, the steel string guitar legend Eric Bibb. To top off this esteemed line up, Exeter Phoenix will be enjoying a visit from Ronnie Spector, lead singer of The Ronettes this June.
Ever wondered why your fingers go wrinkly in the bath? What do explosions in space really look like? Or why beans make you fart?! TV’s science genius Greg Foot (Factomania, Blue Peter) presents a live science show for anyone who wants answers (and likes a bit of danger!) whether aged 9 or 90. Other notable performances are I Am Joan, an irreverent and laugh out loud show from award-winning performer Viv Gordon, and a performance and participatory workshop from the postgraduate company of London Contemporary Dance School, EDge Dance.
The UK Green Film Festival arrives at Studio 74 in March, offering a glut of fascinating documentaries, activist talks and Q&As for film lovers and green thinkers.
Other cinema highlights to watch out for in Exeter Phoenix’s new season include the boundary breaking Victoria, a gripping heist thriller shot entirely in one fluid take through a Berlin streetscape, and Mustang, the powerful Oscar-nominated feature about five sisters growing up in northern Turkey.
A leading Exeter exhibition space for contemporary art, the Exeter Phoenix gallery hosts one of the highlights of the venue’s spring programme. Running from 14 May – 2 Jul, The Weight of The World presents work from one of Ireland’s leading contemporary artists, Sean Lynch, and features the UK premiere of Adventure: Capital; the projected video element of Lynch’s show which represented Ireland in the 2015 Venice Biennale. Lynch forensically investigates anecdotes, hearsay and half-truths, unearthing marginalized stories that have been overlooked or have fallen by the wayside. The project was initiated by contemporary arts organisation Spacex, and produced in a three way partnership between Spacex, Exeter Phoenix and RAMM. The gallery is open Mon – Sat and entry is free.
Comments Off on Meet The Filmmakers – Exeter Phoenix Short Film Commissions 2016
This year, Exeter Phoenix is taking a new approach to its commission schemes and has launched a brand new range of categories. In total, over £15,000 of support in artist fees and equipment hire will be made available to filmmakers and moving image artists at all levels, to create 8 short films.
With a broader range of categories, we aim to develop moving image talent in the South West by supporting fresh talent and offering new opportunities to more established filmmakers.
Read on to find out more about our 2016 commissions, and to meet the filmmaking teams behind the projects.
DEVON DOCUMENTARY FILM COMMISSIONS
Exeter Phoenix Digital is supporting the development of a documentary short film project. Exeter Phoenix will expect two edits of the final documentary, one which is 10 minutes long and one which is three minutes long.
SIMEON COSTELLO – BUS STORIES
ABOUT SIMEON After studying drama and media studies Simeon realised that his real love lied in filmmaking. He started making short little films with his friends for YouTube. These friends developed into the crew he works with today. Simeon has been an active member Shooters in the Pub for 3 years ago and in that time he has produced six short films, worked as a sound recordist, boom op, clapper loader, assistant director and runner. He landed himself an extra part in the upcoming blockbuster Huntsman Winter’s War. After seeing the massive scale of the production, he had his heart set on a big crew.
In the summer of 2015 Simeon co-wrote and produced his biggest short film yet, Nowhere Place, a coming of age drama set on a fictional moor where a ‘monster’ haunts the local village.
ABOUT HIS COMMISSION Simeon originally had the idea of his documentary not as a film but as an epic journey to travel around the UK using only local buses. He then saw the Devon Documentary Short Film Commission advertised on Exeter Phoenix’s website and developed the idea from there.
Simeon plans to travel from John O’Groats to Land’s End in less than 4 days using only local buses. Accompanied by DOP Scott Stevens (Nowhere Place) they will be finding out along the way why people use these routes and why they are so crucial to the UK.
EXETER PHOENIX DEVON SHORT FILM COMMISSIONS
The Devon Short Film commissions will be original ideas from any genre that will speak to a cinema audience. Exeter Phoenix will expect two edits of the final documentary, one which is 10 minutes long and one which is three minutes long.
LUKE HAGAN – LORD OF THE LOGOS
ABOUT LUKE Luke is a freelance filmmaker and editor, whose career and has seen him work on a range of feature films, music videos and award winning shorts. He has also worked for some of the best known national and international brands, creating content for TV, web and live events. All in the Valley, his debut feature film as writer and director, was awarded Best Feature Film at the Cornwall Film Festival 2014.
ABOUT HIS COMMISSION Lord of the Logos is a documentary exploring the work of the Exeter based artist Christophe Szpajdel. With an estimated 10,000 designs to his name, exhibitions as far afield as Japan and New Zealand, and clients from across the globe, Christophe is one of the most famous logo designers you’ve probably never heard of. That’s because Christophe designs logos for metal bands.
TIMIAKINDELLE-AJANI AND HANA ELIAS – OUTSIDE
ABOUT TIMI AND HANA Timi Ajani and Hana Elias are a filmmaking duo who met at university where they began their collaboration in filmmaking. Having both travelled far to reach University at Exeter, Hana from Fiji and Timi from London. Hana began working with women’s organisations and radio broadcasting using film to express social justice themes. Timi found his footing in narrative filmmaking and over the years produced various short projects. Their experiences in Guerilla documentaries and Indie narrative forms, contribute a unique and personal style that will feature in their upcoming project The Search Party.
ABOUT THEIR COMMISSION Experiences with fellow students and locals in Exeter provided a wealth of material for them to draw from. They aim to explore based off of shared experiences, the effect of becoming separated from yourself as a result of being made to feel foreign by your community. Realised through a light hearted telling of a comical story, where a woman who speaks very little English finds herself on a search party for a missing person in Dartmoor.
EXETER PHOENIX MICRO FILM COMMISSIONS
The MicroFilm Commissions will be concise, innovative stories developed for screen through brave and lustrous filmmaking. We are expecting these films to speak to a cinema audience and to be bold enough to sit before the Studio 74 Programme. The final film will be 3 minutes long.
RUPERT GREEN – NIGHTMARE OF GARHBLACH
ABOUT RUPERT Rupert is a Devon based entertainer/film-maker who has been working with Jack for the past year making short films and promotional trailers. He has been directing or acting in short films since 2000.
ABOUT HIS COMMISSION So I asked James if he knew any ghost stories and he didn’t, but he said Marcus knew a really good one, so I rang Marcus and he went and asked his father who recounted this true ghost story.
Once I had read the story, I wanted to make a film with puppets but in a Japanese bunraku style and add to that a bit of stop motion exploring the processes of what will be needed to scare myself and then an audience in 3 minutes.
DOM LEE – ROCKETSHED
ABOUT DOM Dom was born as a baby and has been trying to grow up ever since. He’s written and directed a number of short films and has been involved with many projects in the South West and beyond. Recent projects include editing Scareycrows, a comedy/horror feature film primarily shot in Dawlish and writing/editing Portent, a short film set on Dartmoor.
ABOUT HIS COMMISSION Six-year-old Jack and his Dad sit in their ‘Rocketshed’, a garden shed they’ve converted into a rocketship. The countdown timer ticks down. Two minutes. Not long to go now.
EXETER PHOENIX RAW FILM COMMISSIONS
The Raw Film Commission is aimed at Devon’s most promising young filmmaking talent. We are expecting applicants to be committed, creative and passionate about transforming ideas in to big screen stories. Ideas will speak to a cinema audience and will be innovative and unique enough to sit before the Studio 74 Cinema programme.
BETHAN HIGHGATE-BETTS – PINK
ABOUT BETHAN Bethan Highgate-Betts is a filmmaker and freelance artist from the South West. Having previously taken on commissions from organisations such as The BFI, Doc Next Media and Bath Fringe, she has had her short films shown throughout the country. A passionate and imaginative filmmaker, she creates shorts that offer a new way of looking at something familiar.
ABOUT HER COMISSION Pink is a film about old age and about remembering the lives we’ve lived. About love and the moments in time that stay with us forever. Set in both the present day United Kingdom and 1940’s Iran, Pink explores the secrets of a Grandmother and a life seemingly forgotten.
GEORGE GRIFFITHS – THE VISIONS IN THE DARK
ABOUT GEORGE Freshly graduated from the University of the Creative Arts with a Ba Hons in Film Production George has become infatuated with the creative process of documentary film making. He has always lived in the area surrounding Exeter and has been making films since owning his first camera at the ripe age of 10 where he made a short nature documentary about a 6ft penguin that was scaring people on the River Otter but had yet to be caught on camera. George’s aspirations in the field of documentary film making are to one day create both investigative and political documentaries that help give different perspectives on their subjects as George feels that we are loosing our nuance and individualism to the generalised scatter gun of mass media.
ABOUT HIS COMMISSION The Visions in the Dark (W.T) is a short Documentary film about people who suffer from Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS). CBS effects 2/3 of people who go blind and manifests itself in people by superimposing vivid hallucinations over the persons vision. It is caused by the visual centre of the brain as it tries to interpret the limited information it is receiving from the eyes causing it to create intricate patches to the persons sight from its memory in compensation for the reduced level of vision. These patches however are often wrong and can range from moving patterns on walls to gargoyles stalking you everywhere you go and to even full 3D sequences of memories superimposed over the sight like a VR headset you can’t take off.
George intends to capture what it is like to live with CBS, what it is like to not be able to trust your vision in the already uncertain situation of turning blind and to fear that this not a symptom of blindness but a symptom of dementia. He intends to interview sufferers about what it is like to live with CBS and will grasp what it is like sensually and emotionally live with the syndrome.
These films will be screened at our Two Short Nights film festival. Find out more about the Two Short Nights film festival here >>
Comments Off on Mueseum Of Contemporary Commodities (MoCC)
Valuing the things we buy today as the heritage of tomorrow.
Mon 25 Apr – Sat 21 May
Imagine as you next walk down the high street or relax in your local park, that everything is known about you – your name, your favourite cafe, your last purchase, your most personal feelings, and even your religious beliefs. Does a warm feeling of belonging grow within you, or does this invasive surveillance freak you out? With retail driving the development of real-time big data processes, how and what we trade, exchange and consume and where we do it, is affecting both the worlds we live in, and those we dream of making – in ways that seem increasingly far beyond our knowledge or control.
Museum of Contemporary Commodities (MoCC) is a digitally networked arts project that invites us to collectively re-value our commodity cultures, by treating the things we buy today as the heritage of tomorrow. In May 2016 MoCC is presenting a series of lively, and entertaining digital hacktivist activities and associated events in Exeter and online, that explore the deep links between data, trade, place and values that shape our everyday lives.
The Museum of Contemporary Commodities is neither a building nor a permanent collection of stuff – it’s an invitation. To consider every shop, online store and warehouse full of stuff as if it were a museum, and all the things in it part of our future heritage. Imagine yourself as this museum’s curator with the power to choose what is displayed and how. To trace and interpret the provenance and value of these things and how they arrived here. To consider the effects this stuff has on people and places close by or far away, and how and why it connects them. What do we mean by things or stuff? Everything that you can buy in today’s society. The full range of contemporary commodities available to consume.
MoCC is an art-social science research project led by artist Paula Crutchlow (Blind Ditch) and cultural geographer Dr Ian Cook (University of Exeter & followthethings.com). The project is being developed in partnership with Furtherfield (nominated for Prix Ars Electronica 2016), collaborating artists, technologists, and members of the public with an aim to investigate and make visible some of the complex relationships at play between data surveillance, trade justice, and global and local commodity culture.
MoCC in Exeter is also working with partners Exeter Phoenix, FabLab Devon, Exeter Library, Art Week Exeter and TOPOS Exeter to curate a series of outreach activities that investigate our relationships to things, value and digital culture.
You can find our newly refurbished Mac-based training suite is nestled amongst the Film Production Office and Studio 74 at Exeter Phoenix, offering a range of facilities available to hire for any creative digital project.
If you are working independently on a project, you can hire a Mac in our new Digital Workshop and work alongside other creative professionals in this Creative Hub facility.
This comfortable space offers access to brand new macs, high end facilities, wireless connectivity and the latest editions of Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Pro, After Effects and the full Adobe Digital Design Suite.
Spend a day with a standard machine for £20, hire the entire room for £200 to train your team or explore a range of options for specific software and concession rates.
Call the Digital team on 01392 667066 for more details or to book your space.
After receiving a record number of applications for our new and improved commission schemes this year, we have selected the 6 filmmaking teams that will take their innovative ideas to the big screen and premiere their shorts at Two Short Nights Film Festival in December 2016.
Responding to the new screening opportunities offered by the fantastic Studio 74 cinema that opened at Exeter Phoenix last October, the new Micro Film commissions asked filmmakers to pose ideas for 3 minute shorts that will entertain and inspire the cinematic audiences of Studio 74 during next years screenings. The Devon Short film commission asks for an additional 3 minute cut and the new Raw Film Commission, open to 16-24 year olds asks for short, sharp, concise visual storytelling from the young voices of emerging filmmakers.
The programming team of Studio 74 were joined by the wider steering group of film and media professionals and experts to be treated to a wide range of exciting, dramatic, experimental and hilarious ideas which were finally whittled down to the chosen 6.
To our Devon Short Film Commission we welcome Luke Hagan with Lord of the Logos, his documentary of local metal band logo designer Christophe Szpajdel, and Timi Akindelle – Ajani’s team with their short drama Outside, that explores themes of nationality and otherness set on the beautiful landscape of Dartmoor.
Creating three minute Micro films will be Rupert Green and Jack Oliver with their puppet led tale of the Nightmare of Garblach and Dom Lee, who explores the last 3 minutes on earth between a father and son in the moving Rocketshed.
Our Raw filmmakers include George Griffiths with his abstract documentary style animated exploration of Charles Bonnet Syndrome in The Visions in the Dark and Bethan Highgate-Betts with Pink, poignant exploration of memory, culture and experience between modern day UK and 1949 Iran.
Congratulations to all! We look forward to working with this batch of new creative and will keep you posted of their progress on our commissioning scheme throughout the year.
Playing on a bi-monthly basis from 16 April, CERT.X presents a series of films from the dark corners of cinema history. Before becoming entirely associated with pornography, the X-certificate used to mean adult films of a different kind. These were audacious movies that offered an alternative to staid mainstream productions, pushing against the boundaries of conservatism and established taste cultures.
These were the films they didn’t want you to see, from grindhouse classics cut to ribbons by US censors, to banned video nasties that caused a moral panic in 1980s Britain. The films in our collection are indeed controversial, but in their evocative nature have become a rich source of debate for critics, theorists and cinemagoers alike. Whether trash or treasure, extraordinary or exploitative, CERT.Xgives you the chance to decide in this unique big screen experience.
The series begins with Italian director Dario Argento’s Deep Red, an operatic horror masterpiece that takes us into a dizzying world psycho killers and twisted mysteries. As if this weren’t enough, the film will be accompanying be a screening of Carl Shanahan’s short film Eat, alongside music and much more. It promises to be an unmissable night for fans of horror, cult cinema and the curious not easily offended.
On 18 Jun alongside Arrow Film we’ll present a newly restored print of The Witch Who Came from the Sea, a disturbing slice of American exploitation banned across the world but here restored to its widescreen and uncut glory for the first time ever. This will be followed on 20 August by 1981s gloopy Lovecraftian horror Possession and our tribute to the film’s director Andrzej Zulawski, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
But X is not just about blood and scares and future events will navigate through the weird world of midnight movies, mondo trasho, Euro sleaze, Blaxploitation baadassssses, kung fu killers, pink samurais, sadistic westerns, arthouse oddities and offbeat classics from the vault. Certificate X is not for the faint-hearted, but, for those brave enough, promises to be an exhilarating ride into an unseen cinema where anything can happen.
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