 |
|
|
|||
|
News
|
|||
|
News
|
Dateline: 26th October, 2008
Sky Sponsors Art Events Company Artichoke, which specialises in big public art events, has announced a new two-year sponsorship with SkyArts, beginning next summer. This agreement, unprecedented for a small arts organisation founded only three years ago, will allow Artichoke to develop projects which will touch the lives of huge audiences, both live and virtual.
Artichoke’s mission is to "produce extraordinary live events that live in the memory forever." In May 2006 the company presented the biggest piece of free theatre ever seen in the UK, Royal de Luxe’s The Sultan’s Elephant. In 2008 it joined London and New York by means of British artist Paul St George’s The Telectroscope. And in September 2008 it mounted the flagship event for Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations, with La Machine’s 50-foot high mechanical spider which transformed the streets of the city into a giant playground for five days. Since 2006, Artichoke has been funded by Arts Council England, and this subsidy has provided a solid foundation from which the company has been able to present world-class work. Now, with the support of Sky, Artichoke is poised to enter a new phase in its development. The sponsorship deal recognises the importance of high quality, world-beating, free and accessible art, that democratises culture in a way and on a scale hitherto unimagined. Sky’s support will enable the organisation to develop and will contribute to the cost of realising a raft of exciting projects in 2009 and 2010.
The first collaboration will see Sky supporting Artichoke’s next project, Antony Gormley’s One & Other, which will take place next summer. The next in the hugely successful Fourth Plinth series, supported by the Mayor of London, One & Other will place a different individual on the plinth in Trafalgar Square every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days. Nicky Webb and Helen Marriage, founders of Artichoke, said, “With Sky’s support we will be able to expand our work, so that we can produce several major projects over the next two years. The partnership will allow us to surprise, delight and challenge millions of people by showing that art doesn’t need to be locked up behind closed doors.”
Jeremy Darroch, CEO of Sky, said, “Sky Arts gives people arts programming they really love, every hour of every day. We want to match this off-screen, by partnering Artichoke in ground-breaking public art projects and by helping arts organisations across the country to reach new audiences. This is an exciting opportunity for us to try and bring more fun and enjoyment to everyone through the arts, whether that’s on screen, on stage or on the streets.”
Moira Sinclair, Executive Director Arts Council England, London, added, “A mixed ecology of public and private sector support is important for the growth of the arts and audiences across the country. Our mission is to provide great art for everyone and this exciting new partnership for Artichoke, alongside our ongoing investment will help to deliver just that. We are also pleased that the partnership will contribute to the realisation of the next phase of the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth contemporary arts programme, which we have been proud to support since its inception.”
Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
|
||
|
|
