| This site festival now in its 13th year, presents
the work of over 300 local artists in 83 sites across the Stroud
Valleys during the whole month of June. The site festival creates
a platform for artists and artist collectives to show new work, to
initiate new projects, and work collaboratively with other artists.
Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA), the festival host organisation, will
be opening its doors to invite you to a month long programme of exhibitions,
open studios, film screenings, talks and performance. site09 is working in partnership with Alias, which is celebrating its 10 year anniversary to a programme of activities. This years site09 darbyshire award exhibition at the Museum in the Park has been selected by Tom Trevor, director of the Arnolfini and will feature contemporary artists from across the UK. Another highlight of the festival is the film screening programme, 'Figuring Landscapes' which is a remarkable collection of moving-image works by 58 Australian and UK artists. The screening, presented by Mezzanine, focuses on landscape to address questions of ecological survival, post-industrialism, gender, the touristic gaze, and uniquely in Australia, the status of indigenous people in a post-colonial society. site09 makes international connections as we welcome Jamila Lamrani, a Moroccan-based artist to SVA's studios as part of the Arts Council England 'Inhabit' artist residency scheme. Sally Hampson will be showing 'The Seven Poets' Coats' project, inspired by pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, an ongoing site-specific project, previously shown in Qatar, Egypt and Morocco. This year SVA is working with local businesses by making creative use of empty shops in Stroud for exhibitions and workshops. Amongst these will be 'Seven' an exhibition by Unit 4 Studio group, at Stroud House and 'Tray' a shop window exhibition trail, starting from SVA, John Street, of South West based artists work. An intriguing connection will be engendered between two contrasting places; a gallery space in a busy residential part of Stroud and a woodland glade in the Forest of Dean Sculpture Park, through Colin Glen's project 'The Clearing'. One of the best things about the festival is the opportunity to meet artists living and working in the Stroud Valleys and get to know their work. There will be two weekends of Open Studios with 116 artists inviting you to see their work within their working environment, buy directly from them and to talk about their practice. Pick up the Open Studios Directory for all the information you need to plan your studio visits. SVA is linked to Alias, a network of South West based artist-led groups, many of whom will be opening their doors to the public as part of a regional 24hr open studios event. site09 also brings you an eclectic mix of performance nights ranging from experimental music with Sarah Kenchington and Daniel Padden, performance poetry from festival favorite John Hegley and punk jazz from The Blessing whose debut album 'All is Yes' won the coveted BBC Jazz Album of the Year last year. We hope you enjoy the festival and will let us know that by coming back again next year. • subscribe to the SVA newsletter and stay in touch with arts events around Stroud next >>> previous <<< |