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Arts Festival behind the scenes…  

↑ No, it's not Peterborough... But here's how Magnetic Events transformed Buckingham Palace

We talk to Vivacity’s Festival Manager Sheena Carman about how it all comes together  

HOW DO YOU COME TO CHOOSE THE ACTS?
We’re quite lucky in that Peterborough Arts Festival is very well networked. We’re part of ZEPA, which is an EU project with three English partners and four French partners, so we’ve been to other people’s festivals and everyone there talks about acts they’ve seen, or those they’ve seen in development, and that’s kind of how it comes together. We also focus on things that we know we want in Peterborough, and our focus is very much on families. We want families to be able to come out together and enjoy the experience, and that works really well with it being in the city centre. We also like to have something new each year. This year we’re going for something completely different: Magnetic Events. They are a company of international renown, and do these incredible projections lighting up the city – quite unlike anything you will have seen before in Peterborough.

IT ALSO LARGELY TAKES PLACE FOR FREE, AND IN THE OPEN, WHICH MEANS LOTS OF AUDIENCE INTERACTION…
That’s the beauty of having it in the city centre. Last year we engaged with all sorts of people who probably would never have come to an arts event. Other festivals are very jealous of what we have here, in terms of space, because it’s so perfect for bringing these elements together. It’s about making the city centre into a kind of playground, and the way people react to it has changed over the years – they’re much more willing to take part, and last year we actually had people volunteering to join in! A big part of what No Fit State Circus does is exactly that; there’s a lot of audience participation. They create such excitement around them. It really is that feeling of the circus having rolled into town.

MAGNETIC EVENTS HAS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT LEADING UP TO THE FESTIVAL ITSELF, – BUT THE CLASSICAL CONCERT ALSO BRINGS TOGETHER AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ORCHESTRA WITH LOCAL SINGING TALENT…
Last year we had the RPO come and play for the finale performance, and this is off the back of that. This is one of those things that Vivacity and the Creative People and Places scheme in particular aim to do year round – to have local artists, performers and members of the community work with internationally famous organisations. Magnetic Events is actually commissioned by Creative People and Places, and fits perfectly into its remit of developing wider audiences for the arts – which is also the aim of the festival. We also work closely with businesses, which we think is very important. That’s one of the reasons for it being in the city centre and along the Embankment. We’re improving the economy, including the evening economy, by attracting new audiences.

For more on the Arts Festival, visit www.vivacity-peterborough.com  

ABOUT CREATIVE PEOPLE AND PLACES
Vivacity’s Arts Development Officer Kate Hall explains…
‘Creative People and Places is a scheme by the Arts Council, funded by the National Lottery, to develop art activity and get more people engaged with the arts. Peterborough’s programme is called Connection Culture and, as the name suggests, it’s all about building new relationships between organisations, artists and communities as well as, growing expertise and skills.

‘Vivacity is leading a consortium with Metal, a national arts organisation based at Chauffers’ Cottage, Creative Peterborough, the city’s largest and most diverse network of local artists, Step Up Community Association, who have a track record in working with communities, and Voluntary Arts, the UK’s national organisation for supporting voluntary arts organisations. Plus we have support from major stakeholders such as Peterborough City Council and partnerships with a wide range of local and national arts organisations.

‘It means more art, more creative possibilities, and more entertainment for the city. A great example was Metal’s “Upon this Rock” Lantern Parade at the Arts Festival last year. The Liverpool Lantern Company trained local artists for the event and some of them have gone on to make beautiful lanterns for other projects.

‘It’s about encouraging local artists, but also working with national artists and organisations in Peterborough to invest in local talent. We’ll have some young people who will go on paid internships in professional art settings, for example. But we’ll also be investing in community leaders, supporting the many diverse communities in Peterborough to put on events, work with artists and reach new audiences. It’s about sparking people’s interest and finding what’s relevant to them.’ Find out more about Connection Culture at the IDEA1 website, where all related public events will also go on the IDEA1 calendar.

www.idea1.org.uk

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