Future Performance Institute - Artist-centred feasibility programme
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Shakespeare Company (United Kingdom)
Department Name: Research
Abstract
We are requesting a grant of £1,165,000 over four years (2023-2027) from AHRC to support a programme of artist-centred feasibility work. This will include a suite of work packages and Fellowships, creating new inclusive opportunities for interdisciplinary practice, research and development, and co-creation - which will attract wide-ranging talent, allow artists to take risks, and enhance the exchange of knowledge and best practice. This work will form the foundation of our business case for creation of a world-class Future of Performance Institute, ensuring the sustainability of, and future growth within the arts.
Funding for artist-led research and cultural leadership is fundamental to set out the possibilities for the future of the arts and live performance. This rationale outlines the case that we must invest in artist-led research now as the sector and artists attempt to manage the combined pressures of the financial impact of Covid-19, reductions to public funding and unprecedented increases in costs - intersecting with pre-pandemic challenges such as fragile business models and structural inequalities. As summarised in the Big Freelancer Survey in 2022, we need "more creative, collaborative ways of working and funding infrastructures to support creative hubs, e.g. for theatre especially, the ability for collectives of artists to band together for single large projects without forming a company, and the flexibility to co-create work."
The RSC is uniquely positioned to respond to these challenges and opportunities as a learning and teaching theatre and as the first performing arts Independent Research Organisation (IRO) - providing knowledge exchange (through R&D, practice, making and sharing) between tech, research partners and the UK arts ecosystem. We are a practice-based organisation with research interwoven into every stage of the artistic process and output, from performance history, to costume making, to harnessing digital technology, to music composition, to audience behaviours. This expertise is coupled with our reputation for innovation and R&D (Dream and The Tempest), national reach through theatre partnerships across the country and outstanding educational work, and international brand profile (including 1.2 million global supporters across our social channels).
This feasibility programme is distinct from other funding opportunities such as AHRC's Convergent Screen Technologies And performance in Realtime (CoSTAR). Our proposal is artist and practice-led, and by putting the artist first we will find the relevant tools for them to make their work, rather than being driven by technologies. We will attract diverse talent, providing space and time for creatives to focus on their practice (including live performance, new media, and other art form disciplines) and interdisciplinary research. Our partners will predominantly be cultural and research organisations, building a field of artists with networks to share knowledge and best practice, whilst putting inclusion at the centre of our plans.
Funding for artist-led research and cultural leadership is fundamental to set out the possibilities for the future of the arts and live performance. This rationale outlines the case that we must invest in artist-led research now as the sector and artists attempt to manage the combined pressures of the financial impact of Covid-19, reductions to public funding and unprecedented increases in costs - intersecting with pre-pandemic challenges such as fragile business models and structural inequalities. As summarised in the Big Freelancer Survey in 2022, we need "more creative, collaborative ways of working and funding infrastructures to support creative hubs, e.g. for theatre especially, the ability for collectives of artists to band together for single large projects without forming a company, and the flexibility to co-create work."
The RSC is uniquely positioned to respond to these challenges and opportunities as a learning and teaching theatre and as the first performing arts Independent Research Organisation (IRO) - providing knowledge exchange (through R&D, practice, making and sharing) between tech, research partners and the UK arts ecosystem. We are a practice-based organisation with research interwoven into every stage of the artistic process and output, from performance history, to costume making, to harnessing digital technology, to music composition, to audience behaviours. This expertise is coupled with our reputation for innovation and R&D (Dream and The Tempest), national reach through theatre partnerships across the country and outstanding educational work, and international brand profile (including 1.2 million global supporters across our social channels).
This feasibility programme is distinct from other funding opportunities such as AHRC's Convergent Screen Technologies And performance in Realtime (CoSTAR). Our proposal is artist and practice-led, and by putting the artist first we will find the relevant tools for them to make their work, rather than being driven by technologies. We will attract diverse talent, providing space and time for creatives to focus on their practice (including live performance, new media, and other art form disciplines) and interdisciplinary research. Our partners will predominantly be cultural and research organisations, building a field of artists with networks to share knowledge and best practice, whilst putting inclusion at the centre of our plans.
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| Sarah Ellis (Principal Investigator) |