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Get Involved in The Sussex Festival of Ideas 2024! Call for Expressions of Interest Now Live
Posted on behalf of: School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Last updated: Friday, 8 December 2023
Calling all creatives! Are your ideas bold, brilliant, and unapologetically original? Are you ready to push boundaries and think beyond the conventional? Then get involved in one of Brighton's most dynamic and engaging arts festivals – The Sussex Festival of Ideas!
Returning for its fourth year in April 2024, the Sussex Festival of Ideas brings together students, staff and the wider community for a lively programme of talks, events and activities. The festival aims to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities to fashion new ways of thinking about the past, present and future, and build a more inclusive and creative world.
As part of the 2024 Festival of Ideas, students in the School of Media, Arts and Humanities are invited to curate a programme of up to 10 events centred around the theme of ‘Beginnings’. These student-curated events will receive up to £500 funding per event and wrap-around marketing and technical support, providing an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable industry experience.
Events can range from performances, talks, workshops, conversations, film screenings, masterclasses and much more, and will take place in venues across campus – including the Attenborough centre for the Creative Arts.
Full criteria for event proposals can be found below.
Events should be:
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Proposed by at least one Sussex student (undergraduate or postgraduate)
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Respond to the curatorial theme of ‘Beginnings’ and link to ideas encountered through work undertaken at Sussex
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Align with the Festival’s mission to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities to build a more inclusive and creative world (See our Vision and Mission statements below)
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Targeted primarily at an audience of Sussex students and staff, drawn from a wide range of disciplines across the whole University
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No longer than 1 hour (preferably a bit shorter)
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Engaging, dynamic and (ideally) inter-disciplinary
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Have minimal technical requirements and be deliverable within either the Attenborough Centre’s smaller spaces, the Student Centre foyer or meeting rooms or Falmer House Room 76. Feel free to think creatively about how you would use the space!
Events should be exciting and engaging and could:
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Involve invited external speakers or Sussex students and staff
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Adopt a wide-range of formats, including (but not confined to) panel discussions, workshops, series of short presentations, screenings, conversations, and performances. Please avoid lectures or papers – this is a Festival, not a conference!
The Sussex Festival of Ideas will take place in the week beginning 22 April 2024.
If you are interested in contributing to the 2024 Festival of Ideas programme, please submit a short Expression of Interest using this online form.
The deadline for proposals is Tuesday 16 January, 5pm.
Please note that we are currently envisaging a small programme of events and anticipate receiving a large volume of proposals, which means it’s unlikely that all events will be able to take place. Decisions will be taken by the 2024 Festival Organising Committee, based on the quality of the events proposed and the need to develop a balanced and engaging programme.
The Sussex Festival of Ideas: Vision and Mission Statement
Our Vision
‘An Inclusive Future that Values Experimentation, Creativity and Collaboration’.
Our Mission
‘The Festival will connect students, staff and the community to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities’.