Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios announced as one of the ten commissions to deliver an experience as a part of Festival UK* 2022.
To delve further, today, they present ‘CALL ME*’, a hotline and conversation inviting members of the public to have their say on the need for meaningful experiences and nightlife celebrations as a part of public services.
WATCH THE LIVE STREAM. FOR ALL LINKS AND DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME CLICK HERE
PART 1- THE HOTLINE– 10am to 5pm GMT – a hotline where you can call Nelly on her mobile directly on +44 (0)7377837842 to discuss with her your thoughts and desires for the festival in 2022. You can also talk about anything else. Nelly will be at the service of any members of the public.
PART 2- A CONVERSATION– 5pm to 9pm GMT- a live stream conversation with experts from the creative industries and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) sectors but also with the team at Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios who worked on the Festival UK* 2022 ‘s pitch. Together they will discuss the role of public service and the need for meaningful experiences and nightlife celebrations as a part of it.
WATCH THE LIVE STREAM. FOR ALL LINKS AND DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME CLICK HERE
Today Festival UK* 2022, a major UK-wide festival of creativity and innovation with an independent board drawn from STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering Arts and Mathematics) sectors, announces the 10 teams commissioned to develop a ‘festival of creativity’ in 2022. Following a three-month Research and Development programme working with a cross sector team to develop, scope and pitch a big idea, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios- a studio run as a collective of pluralistic minds and skills- has been appointed to lead and deliver one of these experiences for members of the public in the UK and beyond. While the full programme can’t yet be revealed, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios said that they are working on delivering a ‘cosmic adventure exploring immersive experiences, new technologies, science innovation, social media, youth culture and the power of imagination to change perspectives, dismantle boundaries and ignite the creative energy of towns across the UK’. For this project pitch, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios worked with a team composed of 46 individuals, each contributing with unique viewpoints and talents. The team is based in an artist collective in a train carriage on top of a nightclub in London.
As Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios have been appointed to serve members of the public in the delivery of a festival in 2022, they invite members of the public to voice their concerns, share feedback or thoughts and points of views via an open hotline. To this effect on Wednesday 24th March, members of the public are welcome to call Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun- Stépanian from 10am to 5pm, directly on her mobile phone, at 07377837842. Following this and later on the same evening, from 5pm GMT until 9pm GMT, the team at Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios together with friends and members of the event industries are discussing in a live stream, the need for meaningful experiences and nightlife celebrations as a part of public services. Indeed, data collected by industry and sector bodies points to a devastating, disproportionate and lasting impact on our nightlife, events, arts and culture in spite of growth before the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Today we propose to discuss what is the role of public service? Who should benefit from it? How was this invented and structured in governments? What do we value as essential into our societies and how governments should respond to public demands? Should public service bring unity? What does ‘a festival of creativity’ mean to you? What is ‘UK creativity’?
WATCH THE LIVE STREAM. FOR ALL LINKS AND DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME CLICK HERE
Data:
It is Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios’ belief that we should all discuss the need for meaningful experiences and nightlife celebrations as a part of the portfolio of public services, just as healthcare and education is. Indeed, as per the data collected by the UK Night Time Industries Association, nightlife and the event industries bring a revenue of ‘66 Billion per annum (6% of the UK’s total), while bringing together 300 million people, UK Night Time Industry accounts for almost 8% of the UK’s employment, and bringing run down areas back to life and employing 1.3 million people’. However, as per the National Audit Office’s report, it is a sector that has been reported as having the largest percentage of businesses (65%) extremely impacted by the covid crisis- with 65% of the event industry forced to stop trading. Festival UK* 2022 is backed by £120 million of new investment from the UK Government, including funding to the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales devolved administrations. This funding has been divided into the production of a research and development phase, and is now followed by the commissioning of 10 festivals across the UK- intending to bring new opportunities for creative people in sectors that have been significantly impacted by COVID-19.
Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios Ltd.
Founded in 2009, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios Ltd. designs experiences for you to become an astronaut in your living room while dark energy is being created in your kitchen sink and a volcano erupts on your couch. They are an interdisciplinary design studio which devises subversive events, experiences, and feature-length films. They work on multimedia, highly ambitious projects to empower countercultures and communities by building platforms for them to challenge power structures, while also allowing for change and critical thinking through multi-faceted immersive experiences. They are pioneers in the design of experiences, their mission is to reveal meanings and power structures through experiential practices and to foster critical thinking within institutions across the world. They have consulted and worked with leading scientists, creatives, writers, brands, politicians, policymakers, musicians, and engineers worldwide and they have a track record of having successfully challenged public engagement mechanics through theatrical, experiential, and design practices. They rethink and question systems in education, design, distribution, communication, public speaking, politics, economics, history, and sociology towards further pluralistic models which we implement in their projects. The team of architects, graphic designers, textile designers, philosophers and more are based in an artist collective in a train carriage on top of a nightclub. Plurality is one of their core tenets and as a result they support the training of youths, through the University of the Underground, a tuition-free charity they founded in 2017 with board members such as Pussy Riot, Noam Chomsky, and Massive Attack; it supports free, pluralistic, and transnational education. In 2020, Dezeen shortlisted Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios Ltd. one of the world’s best design studios and in 2021 The Dots selected Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios Ltd. as one of the “Top 50 companies to work for in 2021”. Festival UK* 2022 initial Research and Development and pitch phase at Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios Ltd was composed of original contributions from Aoife Van Linden Tol, Sitraka Rakotoniaina, Edna Pletchetero, Nahum Mantra, Aditi Ahalya Jaganathan, Mikael Calandra, Asmaa Jama, Anjali Prashar-Savoie, Sharon Kanolik, Malena Arcucci, Joseph Bond, Jamie Antin, John Best, Tea Uglow, Beth Shulman, Tom Pursey, Magid Magid, Victoria Adams, Ayse Hassan, Damian Bradfield, Michael Garrett, Natasha Patterson, Yinka Ilori, Mukesh Khatri, Nicholas Johnson, Jamie Smith, Lara Deffense, Studio Yukiko, Martin Phillips, Piers Shepperd, Carolyn Dodds, Benjamin Mehigan, Scottie McKean, Adam Teskey, Isabel Warby, Ranjit Atwal, Alastair Pickard, Edna Pletchetero, Huseyin Gunduzler. www.nellyben.com
About Festival UK* 2022
Festival UK* 2022 is a major UK-wide festival of creativity and innovation, is commissioning 10 major public engagement projects designed to reach millions, bring people together and showcase the UK’s creativity globally. It is backed by £120 million of new investment from the UK Government, including funding to the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales devolved administrations. The festival will take place in 2022 and each project will bring new opportunities for creative people in sectors that have been significantly impacted by COVID-19.
The Festival UK* 2022 Research and Development Project ran from 16 November 2020 to 31 January 2021. 30 Creative Teams took part following an open call. A rigorous selection process considered 299 submissions, involving almost 3,000 organisations, freelancers and other creatives representing the five STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics sectors). Each team received £100,000 to enable them to develop their ideas, with 10 being selected following panel presentations in February. The festival programme is due to be announced with a new name in late 2021.
From the 10 teams, one each has been selected for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with 6 UK-wide commissions. The strategic delivery bodies for the devolved nations are Belfast City Council, EventScotland and Creative Wales. Festival 2022 Ltd. is leading on the UK-wide projects and is the strategic delivery body for England.
A special purpose vehicle (“Festival 2022 Ltd”) was established in Birmingham, overseen by an independent Board drawn from STEAM sectors and from across the UK, chaired by Dame Vikki Heywood CBE. Martin Green CBE is Chief Creative Officer for the festival, leading a team to curate, manage and promote the project, working with strategic delivery bodies within each nation to devise and deliver the programme. www.festival2022.uk