[call for artists: £5.4m project for cultural olympiad]

Artists of all kinds from across the UK are being challenged to use the nation as a blank canvas for twelve inspirational commissions that will showcase our creativity to the world, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Artists of all kinds from across the UK are being challenged to use the nation as a blank canvas for twelve inspirational commissions that will showcase our creativity to the world, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

‘Artists taking the lead’ is the most ambitious and wide ranging art prize in the UK and is being developed by Arts Council England, in partnership with London 2012 and the arts councils of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

12 commissions of up to £500,000* will be awarded to create 12 new works of art across the country; one in each of the nine English regions, and in the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (*See Notes to Editors for the value of commissions offered in each Nation and Region)

‘Artists taking the lead’ is the first of ten major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad to be launched. It provides artists across the country with an unparalleled opportunity to create work that celebrates the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and reflects the rich cultural diversity of the UK.

Moira Sinclair, Executive Director of Arts Council England, London, said on behalf of the UK arts councils: “The London 2012 bid was always about more than England’s capital city and about more than sport. Artists taking the lead illustrates that bigger, bolder vision – of art inspiring people up and down the UK to celebrate the Olympic Games, of nurturing and developing our artistic talent, and of culture and creativity at the heart of our national life.

We’re excited to be laying down such a unique challenge to artists. We want them to look at their region and their connections with fresh eyes, to mark a moment in our histories in unexpected ways and places across the country, to surprise and delight the world with their extraordinary artistic vision.”

From today,19 March, until Friday 29 May 2009, artists can submit their ideas for the commissions online at www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk

Read more here: http://www.london2012.com/news/media-releases/2009-03/artists-take-the-lead-in-5-4m-project-for-cultural-olymp.php

[employment: lecturer in digital anthropology]

I just love seeing employment opportunities that are focused on the digital (especially within humanities).

Applications are invited for a permanent lectureship in Digital Anthropology to begin 1 August 2009. The successful applicant will be responsible for, and will teach within, our new MA programme in Digital Anthropology and contribute to general teaching in Material and Visual Culture. They will carry out research in Digital Anthropology and contribute to normal administrative duties within the UCL Department of Anthropology.

Applicants should have a PhD and begun researching in the field of Digital Anthropology.

Applications from qualified candidates specialised in any area of the world are welcome.

Further particulars are available here. This appointment is available from 1 August 2009 on the UCL salary scale Grade 7 in the range £ 32,458 per annum to £35,469 per annum plus £2,781 per annum London Allowance. A UCL application form may be downloaded from the UCL website. Applications consisting of the application form, a CV, the names and contact details (particularly e-mail) of three referees and a cover letter describing the candidate's research interests and teaching expertise should all be sent electronically to the Departmental Administrator, Mrs Alena Kocourek (a.kocourekucl.ac.uk).

UCL Taking Action for Equality
The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 1st April 2009.

[employment: podcast developer at UCL]

I haven't seen one of these positions at a university before. Pretty forward thinking of UCL even if it is only a year long pilot project. But, there is the implication, should the project go well, UCL will require a permanent podcast developer.

Podcast Service Developer

UCL Information Services Division

1 year post (ref 54260)

UCL has embarked on a project to assess the feasibility of setting up a service to record, store and then make lectures available for viewing or download. This is known as the Podcast Project.

The project will involve the re-encoding and publication of existing media into various publication environments, and the creation of portable and fixed capture stations that are integrated into the Podcast Producer environment. The project is for one year in the first instance.

We are looking for an IT professional to join the Applications Development team in ISD who develop and support e-learning and multimedia web-based applications. A key aspect of the role will be building work flows for Podcast Producer and Episode. The successful candidate will be able to communicate fluently and present technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences. This post could suit a new graduate with enthusiasm.

Salary will be on UCL salary scale 7 in the range of £31,620 to £38,250 per annum (inclusive of London Allowance).

Applications should be received no later than 5pm on close date.

Interviews are likely to be held on Tuesday, 9th December 2008.

To apply for the post, please download an application form and job description from ( http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/vacancies. )

If you cannot obtain these from the web, you can email is-jobs@ucl.ac.uk quoting the relevant reference number (above), or write to Information Systems, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. Do NOT send a CV. For further queries, phone 020-7679-7357. No agencies.

Closing date for this post is 26 November 2008

[canada day in london]

[nature and textile art]

A little while ago I participated in a round-table discussion at the ICA where 2 of the 3 artists were textile artists...or at least they created art with textiles. I'm thinking here specifically of Rachel Beth Egenhoefer and Nicola Naismith. Both artists create some really interesting objects and installations with wool etc... That must be why I'm going to be checking out the THE HYPERBOLIC CROCHET CORAL REEF at the Hayward Gallery in London curated by Margaret and Christine Wertheim from the Institute for Figuring.

"During Summer 2008 - in this International Year of the Reef - the Crochet Coral Reef will be showing in London at the Hayward Gallery. The exhibition will include an expanded version of the Bleached Reef, a new configuration of the Ladies Silurian Reef, the beautifully archaic Branched Anemone Garden, and the ever-growing Toxic Reef. On show for the first time will be the wondrously surreal Chicago Cambrian Reef (curated by IFF contributor Aviva Alter), plus a new formation of the Beaded Reef by master beaders Rebecca Peapples and Sue Von Ohlsen. The exhibition will also debut several new plastic installations: The Exploding Plastic Inevitable Reef (with hot-pink sand by Kathleen Greco), and the Bottle Tree Grove (featuring works by Christine
Wertheim, Evelyn Hardin and Nadia Severns). Hanging elements in the show will include the all-plastic-bag Rubbish Vortex by Australian contributor Helle Jorgensen, a flotilla of jellyfish by Irish crafter Inga Hamilton, and Dr Axt's psychedelic coral-cloud "Reefer Madness."

In addition to the IFF reefs, the exhibition will also debut the amazing new UK Reef, currently being constructed by crafters across the UK (with contributions from Ireland, and even Australia - hey its a former colony)."

On the 13th of June there's going to be an all-day symposium with the crochet reef creators Margaret and Christine Wertheim; mathematician Dr Daina Taimina, inventor of hyperbolic crochet; radical UK crafters, environmentalists, and coral reef biologists. How neat is that?

Now I just need to learn how to knit or crochet...right Edith?!

Thanks to Sue for the head's up.

[ojos de brujo at the roundhouse...again!]

Thanks to LavaOcean for letting me know that ojos was going to be in town at the roundhouse again this year. Although I had already seen ojos live I was no less excited and at the end of the vening (3am!) I was still rearing to go. The upbeat music and extreme enthusiasm that the group exhibited was totally contagious. Unlike their performance in Feb. '07, ojos was joined by their now not pregnant dancer who was breathtaking. The way she coordinated her tapping feet, clapping hands, snapping fingers, swinging hips, and turning head was beautiful. Also joining ojos was a special guest and friend Faada Freddy (Daara J). Injecting some senegalese flavour only drove the crowd even wilder and soon their roaring almost drowned out the lead singer's (Marina Abad) voice. Another difference this time at the roundhouse was an amazing brass sound thanks to a very talented Cuban trumpeter Carlos Sarduy.

A short vid of the dueling between singing and dancing:

[Museum Residency: New Media]

The V&A is inviting applications from experienced and established practitioners for a New Media residency in the Sackler Centre for Arts Education, the first in an exciting new programme of residencies.We are particularly interested in UK based practitioners, who wish to work with the Museum’s spaces and use the facilities in our new Digital Studio with visitors, and who have a track record of development and regular exposure of new work.Purpose of the Residency

The new Sackler Centre at the V&A, opening in Spring 2008, will have two studios for museum residencies which will be occupied by artists/ craftspeople/ designers/ writers/ performers/ architects/ film and video makers etc. There will be 4 residencies of 6 months ( 26 weeks ) each year. This programme is integral to the philosophy of the Sackler Centre, helping to make it a dynamic, creative space. The residency offers practitioners the opportunity to develop new work, re-assess their practice or see work in different contexts by responding to and working with the Museum’s collections and to promote greater understanding of art and design processes for the public.

The aims of the residency are to:

· Enable the selected practitioner to carry out research, develop new skills and explore new ideas towards the creation of new work in the future

· Promote greater understanding of new media production processes for the V&A’s audiences.

· Create links between the V&A’s collections and contemporary art practice.

· Develop practitioners as ‘artist educators’.

· Raise the profile of contemporary art practice with the V&A’s diverse audiences.

The residencies will include a research and developmentphase, enabling practitioners to consider new directions for their own work, work with the collections and plan a project with the public. This could include holding open studios, running workshops or master classes, giving talks and presentations or working with specific groups to produce work for display. This programme of work will be negotiated with the successful candidate and confirmed by the V&A. Any additional activities, such as involvement in the Museum’s public programme will be separately negotiated and an appropriate additional fee agreed.

The resident artist will be supported in their public projects by the V&A’s experienced Education, Access and Diversity staff. This will make a significant contribution to the artist’s own CPD and help to develop a pool of ‘artist educators’ for future museum projects.

Expectations

The focus of the residencies will be on process and on engagement with audiences. We would like to achieve a balance of benefits for the artist, the public and the V&A. Evaluation is a very important component of the residency programme since we will be piloting new approaches and the resident will be asked to contribute to this.

Residents will be expected to:

· be based in the museum for a minimum of 3 days per week

· open their studio to the public for a minimum of one weekday, two late night Fridays per month and one weekend per month (to be arranged in advance)

· display work in progress in their studio (there may also be other opportunities for display elsewhere)

· contribute to the process of dissemination on the V&A website· provide feedback for the purposes of evaluation

Note : work produced during the residency remains the property of the maker, but the residency programme must be acknowledged in any subsequent public or press showing. Any work produced with the public as part of this residency is owned by the V&A.

Selection Criteria

The residency should be dynamic, ambitious and inspiring – pushing forward boundaries of perception about contemporary art and design We are looking for residents who can adopt a range of different roles and who are keen to develop those aspects of their career which include using collections, engaging in public programmes and communicating about their work.

Candidates must demonstrate:

· originality, and evidence of a strong personal style in their work

· dynamic and inspiring ideas about how they would use this opportunity and how they intend to meet the aims of the Museum Residency

· ideas for innovative ways to respond to the V&A’s collections

· an established practice, through a track record of development and regular exposure of new work through exhibitions at a regional, national and international level· an interest in or experience of working in educational / community settings

·an ability to work and communicate with a diverse range of people

Payment

This appointment will be on an Occasional Professional Assistant (OPA) basis and, for the avoidance of doubt, there is no intention to render the Resident an employee of the V&A. The artist will be paid approximately £7000 during their 6 month residency. This will be paid on completion of agreed work stages at the equivalent of £1083 a month (plus 8.3% rolled up holiday pay).

For more information e-mail: hr AT vam.ac.uk

[los de abajo]

Los de Abajo were great live! Lots of enthusiasm and excitement and really got the crowd going. The venue, The Borderline in London was perfect. A well-hidden basement/cantina that seemed to add to the reverberation of the bass-heavy merengue and mamba beats. Their name, loosely translated as "those from below" encapsulates their theory that there are no underdogs: "That's all, that's all, we're all just human. We're all just human."

From the Los de Abajo manifesto:

Identity - is knowing who you are. And that's what this is all about - our Mexican identity. We are indefinable as a people. Our blood is restless, because we are the bastard children of a forced marriage between Jesús and Coyolxauqui. We have a demented uncle named Sam, and our brother is Emiliano. On one side of the Rio Grande we are ilegales and on the other we aliens. Aliens in our own country.Equality - is something the West likes to talk about a lot but there are just four words to describe it - We Are All Equal.

[megan and sam's first EVER visit to London]

This past weekend Steve and I took niece Megan and nephew Sam out to that great big metropolis we call Londonium. It was such fun; running around, hunting for treasure, playing on a pirate ship, surveying London from the OXO tower, eating in the midst of elephants and monkeys at the Rainforest Cafe....

[london - sunset]