Templer Study Centre Assistant  National Army Museum 

I have a background in graphic design, having studied it at degree level at Central Saint Martins. As a designer, the body of my work focuses on exploring the context and meaning of hidden stories. My interests have expanded over the last couple of years due to the different experiences I have gained working with different institutions. 

I joined the National Army Museum at an exciting time, just as it reopened.  As Templer Study Centre Assistant my role has been mainly working with the collection. The National Army Museum’s collection contains over 1.3 Million objects covering over 600 years. Due to the fact that the museum was closed for a long period of time there was a backlog of scanning requests, which I helped resolve. During my traineeship, I managed to scan over 10,000 items.  

With no previous experiences in archives I was given training on object handling, archival store standards and cataloguing classification. I have been involved in organising the archives and ensuring that there is structure and order in regards to the location control of items. Having spent so much time with the collection, I have developed a real interest in collection care and conservation and this is something I would like to develop given future opportunities.  < back

Collections Online Assistant  London Transport Museum 

I have had an interest in arts and culture from a very young age and studied Fine Art and Art History at University. Since graduating, I have worked at a number of heritage sites and this year have been working as a Trainee Curator at the London Transport Museum (LTM). 

I am now in a new role as Collections Online Assistant at LTM, developing their re-launched website.  Throughout the year at LTM I have participated in implementing and de-installing displays. I also had the pleasure of project managing and co-managing two Poster Parades; one of which was advertised in the Metro Newspaper. The temporary display of around 20 posters in the main gallery involved time management, research and interpretation and consultation with external contractors.  

Earlier this year the museum launched a new Collections Online. A highly anticipated project, the website has been built to improve access to the collections and in turn encourage users to utilise and learn from over 200 years of social history. My job has been to monitor data entry, prepare catalogue records and maintain the Museum’s data standards. I have also been involved in testing, developing and evaluating the site, including Google Analytics.  

As someone who likes to be involved in hands-on jobs, I have also enjoyed working on preventative conservation projects within the museum and Integrated Pest Management.  < back

Collections Information Trainee 
Royal Collection Trust

For my SOCL traineeship I worked at the Royal Collection Trust as a Collections Information trainee, based mainly at Windsor Castle. My main responsibilities included updating records of objects on the Collection Management System – this could be their historic locations, the object category, or cataloguing new objects. Some of the cataloguing work I was able to do was based in the Bindery, cataloguing historic finishing tools which are still used today. Another significant part of my role was helping to condition check the collection across the royal sites. This included checking books, prints and drawings, and even miniature items in Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. I loved this hands-on aspect of my traineeship, and it helped me to learn about collection care and object handling.  

One of the highlights of my year was being able to help with the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017 at Buckingham Palace. I helped to choose and research objects from the collection for a display on 18th century design in India and Britain, which is something I continue to be very interested in.  Another highlight was being able to organise and erect a display in Buckingham Palace with my fellow trainee, Alice Houghton. This was a really beneficial learning opportunity for me, and our display went through many drafts and plans. The final product was a colourful display based on the theme of ‘Trains, Planes and Automobiles’. My job as a Collections Information Trainee was wonderfully varied, and has given me essential skills I hope to take with me into the heritage sector.  

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Research, Exhibitions and Museum Shop Officer
Enfield Council 

Freelance Research Assistant for Ancient Civilisations 
Birmingham Museums Trust

During my placement at Forty Hall Estate as Programming & Learning Trainee, I contributed to many different aspects of programming, exhibitions and education. My top three activities that I really enjoyed were assisting with the new permanent exhibition re-display and installation, bringing in a number of new objects into the museum and managing the acquisitions, planning and delivering the first Forty Hall Estate Village Fête and designing and leading on a school session which focused on archaeology and Elsyng Palace. 

Gaining a diploma in Cultural Heritage has expanded my skill-set and I now feel more confident to apply to jobs that I may not have had experience for previously. In the future, I aspire to work with Archaeological objects either in a curatorial or programming capacity. Ideally, I would like to travel and gain experience in museums in Egypt or Europe. In this position I hope to open up barriers to access in cultural heritage and engage with diversifying audience participation.  

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Events Coordinator
Canal and River Trust

My favourite kind of work is creative and cultural heritage programming, running workshops, public speaking, critical thinking, writing and leadership. I am keenly interested in bringing disconnected communities together to facilitate understanding through education, community events and media. I am passionate about young people realising their potential through educational reform that offers a wider emphasis on participation, idea generating, creating, critical thinking, personal development and social sciences with the curriculum geared to the economic landscape of the future. I am interested in the ways in which the experience of loneliness, homelessness, long-term unemployment, mental illness, lack of community, lack of cultural opportunities can be alleviated. Vocationally I would like to gain experience in programming, learning and participation roles in either a cultural centre, arts organisation or charity. 

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Heritage Trainee 
Museum of Croydon 

I’ve worked as trainee at Museum of Croydon gaining experience in digital marketing, exhibitions, interpretation and collections access. Having previously worked in a national museum, I learnt how a museum service can be delivered on a smaller scale with volunteer support and a focus on local history. I particularly enjoy developing archives and collections to diversify audiences and increase public involvement.  

At the Museum of Croydon, I worked on collections connected with World War 1 and on an exhibition about the Fairfield Halls venue. I had the opportunity to research stories on Black history and share these to tell a wider story about the collections. I hope to continue to work in archives and collections with a focus on widening access. I would like to specialise in archival work and develop my knowledge. This way, I hope that I can assist researchers in shedding new light on history. Working with volunteers and the local community is important to me and I hope I can do this too. 

Using various sources, including the Museum archives, I was able to research the lives of two Trinidadian brothers, Ralph and Otho Vignalë, who had lived in Croydon prior to WW1 and subsequently volunteered with the British Army during the war. I examined the casualties of the British West Indies Regiment and presented my research in a pop-up display in the Museum. 

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Rebranding Statement- Errol Francis

As part of our rebranding process we are pleased to announce that from 1 June 2017, after nearly 30 years of opening up who makes and enjoys arts and heritage, Cultural Co-operation will be known as Culture&.

Our decision to rebrand follows research and consultation conducted with our stakeholders and partners. Many of you told us that a shorter, more open brand name is the best way to communicate that we are a contemporary arts and heritage organisation with extensive social connections, programme breadth and geographic reach. The ampersand that follows the word ‘Culture’ communicates the ever-evolving nature of cultural experience and our belief in the multi-dimensional structure of individual and national identities.

We also believe that by marketing our programmes under one powerful brand with a long history of success around the the UK, we will have even greater impact and become a more significant voice in the national and international cultural landscape.

As a result we will be able to provide even more cultural value to you and all of our stakeholders. Once we make the change, you will see the Culture& brand re-introduced in advertising, marketing materials and signage in various media.

This is an exciting time for Culture&. The rebranding builds on many improvements we have made to our programmes in the past year. This continuing evolution builds a cultural brand whose value to you, as our audience, increases by the day.

As a valued member of our audience, we wish to assure you that we continue to be committed to delivering high quality and accessible engagement with the world’s cultures and providing training to arts and heritage professionals. We aim to promote diversity by tackling inequality and discrimination through artistic excellence to achieve positive social change.

Our work draws upon the transformative, life-affirming potential of the arts and our common heritage.

Please view our arts and heritage programme, commissions and collaborations, training opportunities and network for artists, curators and heritage professionals.

Thank you for your continued confidence in us and support.

Errol Francis
CEO

Jocelyn Pook by Hugo Glendinning

Naveen Arles by Belinda Lawley

London International Gospel Choir

London International Gospel Choir

London International Gospel Choir

2 July 2017, 3.00pm, Albemarle Music Centre
9 July 2017, 2.00pm, Southbank Centre

Culture& is working with renowned contemporary composer Jocelyn Pook to stage a new production of her Anxiety Fanfare and Variations for Voices as part of the PRS New Music Biennial at Albemarle Music Centre and as part of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 on 2 July and Royal Festival Hall on 9 July. Both performances will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Jocelyn Pook is one of the UK’s most versatile composers, having written extensively for stage, screen, opera house and concert hall. She has established an international reputation as a highly original composer winning her numerous awards and nominations including a Golden Globe, an Olivier and two British Composer Awards.

Written in five movements, the Anxiety Fanfare will be performed by the Jocelyn Pook Ensemble and the singers of the London International Gospel Choir led by Naveen Arles. The performances will feature the composer on viola with vocal soloists: Lore Lixenberg soprano, Melanie Pappenheim mezzo soprano, Jonathan Peter Kenny counter tenor and conductor and George Ikediashi bass.

The concerts will feature a unique collaboration with computer scientist Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar from Aberystwyth University who has developed specially designed wearable biometric technology that will respond to the level of anxiety indicators in the vocal soloists and trigger a photographic back projection during the performances.

The Anxiety Fanfare is an exploration of the everyday experience of anxiety and extends the multi-award winning composer’s interest in the experience of mental illness, which she explored in her 2012 ground-breaking work Hearing Voices which premièred at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the BBC Concert Orchestra’s Exstatica and H7steria series.

This composition extends the musical form of the Fanfare which traditionally is a piece of ceremonial music written for brass instruments to celebrate an event or someone of great importance. In writing her Fanfare to feature a chorus, Pook celebrates neuro diversity and tackles the stigma surrounding mental health issues with both compassion and humour. The piece was first commissioned for the Mental Health Foundation’s Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014 by CEO and Culture& Artistic Director, Errol Francis.

Errol Francis, CEO of Culture& said: “We are delighted to be working with Jocelyn again on this new configuration of the Anxiety Fanfare. The performances will bring a new visual dimension to the work. The staging will feature an innovative experiment with Reyer Zwiggelaar in measuring the anxiety of performers to trigger image back projections. We are excited to be participating in Hull City of Culture and the New Music Biennial and the collaboration with the International Gospel Choir develops further the intention of the Fanfare to tap into the unique potential of professional and community voices performing together.”

The performance is made possible with support from the PRS Foundation for Music and Arts Council England.

Press Images of Anxiety Fanfare and Variations for Voices

Notes to Editors

About Culture&

Culture& is an independent arts and education charity based in London. We work in partnership with arts and heritage institutions and artists to open up who makes and enjoys arts and heritage. Our well-established heritage training and public programmes promote diversity in workforce and audience development and encourage high quality engagement with the world’s rich and diverse heritage, whilst promoting intercultural contact, dialogue and understanding.

About the New Music Biennial

The New Music Biennial is a PRS for Music Foundation initiative that supports and provides a platform for talented organisations and music creators who are pushing the boundaries of new music in the UK. New Music Biennial presents new music across all genres, from classical and chamber opera, to jazz, folk and electronic. The Biennial aims to reach new audiences for contemporary music and encourage ideas for short works no longer than 15 minutes duration which could be performed in a range of settings.

PRS for Music Foundation’s New Music Biennial and residency programme is generously supported by Hull UK City of Culture, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council England, BBC Radio 3, Southbank Centre, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Cockayne, The John S Cohen Foundation, the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, The Finzi Trust, RVW Trust, The Bliss Trust and NMC Recordings.

About Hull UK City of Culture 2017

Hull secured the title of UK City of Culture 2017 in November 2013. Hull is only the second city to hold the title and the first in England. The vision of the Hull 2017 Culture Company, the delivery organisation of the project, is “to deliver 365 days of transformative culture in 2017 through a range of diverse and high-profile events and projects”. Following on from the Olympics and Paralympics, Commonwealth Games and the Tour de France in Yorkshire, Hull 2017 is the next major event in the nation’s cultural calendar.

The Culture Company is an independent organisation with charitable status, funded both publicly and privately. It has an £18m funding target, with key contributions coming from: Principal Partners – Arts Council England, BBC, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Hull City Council, KCOM, KWL, National Lottery Fund, Spirit of 2012,University of Hull and Yorkshire Water. Major Partners – Arco, Associated British Ports, Big Lottery Fund, BP, British Council, Hull CCG, MKM Building Supplies, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Sewell Group, Smith and Nephew and Wykeland Group. Hull 2017’s International Partners are: Aarhus, Denmark, European Capital of Culture 2017; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Freetown, Sierra Leone (twinned with Hull).

The PRS for Music Foundation New Music Biennial Composer Residencies and Minute of Listening strands complement and link to Hull 2017’s Learning and Participation Programme, which aims to engage all children’s and young people as participation in Hull’s year as UK City of Culture. More details about the learning programme will be announced in October.

Visitor/Listings Information

Albemarle Music Centre

Date: 2 July 2017, 3.00pm
Location: Albemarle Music Centre
Admission: Free, Tickets: www.hull2017.co.uk/whatson/events/jocelyn-pook-anxiety-fanfare-variation-for-voices/ 

hull2017.co.uk
Travel Information: www.hull2017.co.uk/visit/getting-here
Address: 60 Ferensway, Hull HU2 8LN

Southbank Centre

Date: 9 July 2017, 2.00pm
Location: The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall
Admission: Free, No Booking Required

southbankcentre.co.uk
Travel Information: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visit/getting-here
Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

For more information, contact:

Layla Gatens, Communications Officer
T: + 44 (0)20 7264 0001
E: layla.gatens@cultureand.org