Digital Cuts: June

My latest Digital Practices column is out in a-n. It starts like this:

“In the recent ACE funding review, a shocking number of organisations working at the leading edge of digital and new media arts were cut.

While Axis, B3, Berwick Film and Media Festival, Blast Theory, Cornerhouse, FACT, FORMA, Furtherfield, FutureEverything, Impressions Gallery, Knowle West Media Centre, Lighthouse, Nottingham Media Centre, Phoenix Arts, Redeye, Resonance FM, Somerset Film and Video, Threshold Studios and Watershed all became Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations in the recent ACE funding review, a shocking number of organisations working at the leading edge of digital and new media arts were cut.

For example: Access Space, ArtSway DanceDigital, Folly, Four Corners Film, Isis, Lovebytes, Lumen, Media Art Bath, MotiRoti, Mute, Onedotzero, PAL, Picture This, Proboscis, PVA MediaLab, The Culture Company and Vivid all had their funding cut by 100%. Meanwhile, Aspex Gallery, SAM and Waterman’s all took large reductions, and applications from Animate Projects and Kinetica Museum were rejected.

The cuts weren’t specific to the digital arts arena – others suffered tremendous blows too – but it has left those identifying themselves as ‘digital organisations’ reeling. While trying to establish how to move forward, a set of questions has arisen relating to whether digital practice is still deeply misunderstood.” Read more…