Situations is one of three organisations to receive a share of £1.1m from a new Arts Council England fund that aims to support cultural development across the country.
The Bristol-based organisation has been awarded £300,000 to produce The Tale, an arts festival, immersive theatre programme and site-specific visual art exhibition to take place across three coastal towns – Torquay, Paignton and Brixham – over nine days in spring 2017.
Working with artists, musicians, theatre-makers and performers, Situations will commission new artworks, events and participatory projects inspired by a text written by author and broadcaster Philip Hoare in response to the landscape, towns, histories, people and unique geological heritage of the Torbay area.
Announcing the award, Phil Gibby, area director, ACE South West, said: “We are very pleased that one of the first, exciting Ambition for Excellence projects is being supported here in the south west.
“Situations delivers exceptional projects of scale and ambition, engaging new and different audiences, and we look forward to seeing how this project develops artists’ skills in working in the public space, at the same time as supporting the regeneration of Torbay.”
Situations’ most recent project, Sanctum, saw Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates create an architectural installation in the grounds of a disused Bristol church as the host venue for a 552-hour continuous programme featuring hundreds of musicians, performers and speakers from the city.
Excellence across England
While ACE says it is aiming to spend 80-90% of the £35m Ambition for Excellence fund outside London, as part of its intention to ensure that a minimum of 75% of lottery funding is committed outside the capital by 2018, two further awards will support projects managed by London-based organisations.
Tricycle Theatre will receive £450,000 to fund a series of ‘risk-taking’ major co-productions, working with UK and international black, Asian and minority ethnic talent and theatres across the country.
An award of £350,000 will enable Urban Development to deliver a national youth urban music programme in conjunction with partners in Bristol, Derby, Newham and Manchester.
Darren Henley, chief executive of ACE, said: “We’re confident that these exciting awards will be the first of many to nurture and support diverse talent and leadership, and to deliver the highest quality new work for audiences across England.”
