Transfer - Impact

This proposal has been developed collaboratively by four project partners: The University of Newcastle (PI - Prof. W. Weileder); international visual arts commissioning agency Locus+, Newcastle; Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London; and Canary Wharf PLC, London. 'TRANSFER-Impact' is a twelve-month project with a proposed start date of 1st December 2015.

The main aim of the project is to expand the impact of the 2006 AHRB funded 'TRANSFER' project and its outcomes demonstrating new and innovative ways of what site-specific public art could be, where it could be located and how it could address different and unexpected audiences. This was achieved mainly through a temporary architectural-scale installation in which a 1:1 replica of the Milton Keynes art gallery was simultaneously constructed and deconstructed over a three-week period at Station Square, Milton Keynes.

Our new proposal employs the practice-based methodology of 'TRANSFER', expanding its audience and amplifying its outcomes for a worldwide distribution by:
(1) re-presenting 'TRANSFER' in a new way and with new and different partners;
(2) in a new and high profile location at Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf, London; and
(3) through new media, specifically experimental film and contemporary dance.

(1) This Follow-on project proposes a new collaboration with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London, in two ways. First, the innovative architectural façade of the Laban Building (Herzog & de Meuron Architects, 1997) becomes the source for the architectural installation at Montgomery Square, London. Second, the project expands on the performative dimension of 'TRANSFER' through the production and presentation of new site-specific and stage dance works that highlight the spatial and time-based aspects of the original research, linking it directly to the use and purpose of the new Laban Building. The partnerships with Locus+ and Canary Wharf PLC are also mayor impact enhancement factors in this proposal (see below).

(2) The choice of Montgomery Square, the central circulation hub within the Canary Wharf estate, ensures exposure to a new, diverse and wide public audience. Over 100,000 people work at Canary Wharf, the majority of whom will pass through Montgomery Square on their way to and from work each day. During the working week an estimated 70,000 people use the Montgomery Square exit/entrance of Canary Wharf underground station and thus will have a direct and daily encounter with the installation over its two-week duration.

(3) One of the outcomes of the original research was time-lapse film footage that was used to create a four screen video installation made specifically and only for the main exhibition space at Milton Keynes Gallery. The Follow-on project will generate similar footage but in this case this will be used to distribute the 'TRANSFER' research to a worldwide audience through the development of a new experimental short film for international film festivals and exhibitions. The footage will also form a central part of the stage-based dance performances at Trinity Laban.

A key impact enhancement factor of this proposal is the involvement of and partnership with internationally acclaimed visual arts commissioning agency Locus+. Locus+ works with a strict peer review process ensuring that all its projects achieve a high critical reputation within the art world and beyond. The artwork installation and the film will be profiled as part of Locus+'s on going project portfolio, giving it longevity beyond the 12-month timescale of the Follow-on project. For 'TRANSFER-Impact' Locus+ will act as sponsor, producer and project manager for the architectural-scale installation at Canary Wharf and the experimental film, taking responsibility for all aspects of production and promotion. Locus+ will also lead on the international marketing, media and press strategy for the project.

The opportunity to participate and engage with the 'TRANSFER' research outcomes in the form of an architectural installation, a series of dance performances, as well as a new experimental film will have a direct cultural, social and economic impact on the following three user groups and communities:
(1) General public audiences at Montgomery Square (an estimated weekday audience of 70-100,000); at Trinity Laban stage performances; and at international film festivals and exhibitions.
(2) Professional national and international user groups and audiences in the field of art, architecture, contemporary dance and the building industries.
(3) New educational audiences, specifically staff and students at Trinity Laban.

In what way will the 'TRANSFER-Impact' Follow-on project generate and enhance the cultural, social and economic impact of the original 'TRANSFER' research outcomes for these user groups and communities?

(1) General public audience:
1. The general public audience will gain access to new and high quality cultural experiences that will stimulate them to think about the role and function of urban public place and contemporary art and its relationship to inner city regeneration.
2. The installation and on-site performance will raise the public profile of Montgomery Square as a cultural site emphasising the role and value of cultural activity within corporate urban space.
3. The audience experience of the on-site performance will widen their understanding of what contemporary art in the form of dance can be, how it might engage with public space, and who it might be for.
4. Through their experience of the varied artistic outputs of the project they will develop their awareness and understanding of the contemporary artistic discourse around temporary vs. permanent and process vs. product, as intended in the original research.

(2) Professional national and international audiences:
1. It will enhance cross-disciplinary exchange between art, architecture, and dance organisations and the building industry, demonstrating innovative ways in which future collaborative practices could be developed.
2. This unusual cross-sector collaboration will also have a direct impact on policy makers and commissioners of public art and urban regeneration programmes by developing their understanding of how public audiences might be addressed by and engage with such work.
3. It will increase the professional reputation of project partners through their association with innovative public art and high profile academic research.
4. The connection of art and industry within 'TRANSFER-Impact' furthers the original process of knowledge/technology and skills transfer between a new and extended group of professional user groups and audiences.
5. Involved construction industry participants will gain access to emerging construction practices, including the latest dry joint building methods and system scaffolding technology, which are still unusual in the UK.

(3) New educational audiences
1. Engagement with the project will give Trinity Laban participants an insight into innovative visual art research methodologies and new understandings and experience of site-specific practice and experimental film.
2. By participating directly in the development and performance of the collaborative dance works, both on-site at Canary Wharf and at the Laban Centre, staff and students will also gain a unique opportunity to showcase their own skills and creative ideas and to promote these through new and innovative distribution channels.

Additionally, this project provides new knowledge and insights for practice-based research by creating a better understanding of the potential of sculpture and dance collaboration. 'TRANSFER-Impact' presents cross-artform collaboration on a new scale in a high profile public context for an international audience.