British Council
The British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, celebrates Canada’s milestone year with a rich cultural program, entitled About Now / À Propos. The program of events and activities engages Canadians from coast to coast and inspires audiences in Canada and the UK through projects that feature cultural exchanges and collaboration between artists.
To build on this year of celebrations, the British Council collaborated with a diverse range of partners in both countries to develop a cultural program that explores the rich stories that can be found in the complex and prolific relationship between the UK and Canada.
“We see this milestone year in Canadian history as an important opportunity to reflect on and nurture the cultural dialogue between the UK and Canada,” says Mariya Afzal, Country Director of British Council Canada. “In our continued efforts to connect and promote exchange opportunities through the arts, we hope to share artistic and social challenges and be innovative in our approach. We sincerely hope that our programs will be inspiring, and will highlight the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion for a prosperous future.”
Comprised of performance art, live music, train residencies, exhibitions and much more, the projects run from May to November and include:
Échange OFFTA/BUZZCUT Exchange
May 30 – June 8, 2017
The OFFTA festival in Montreal and BUZZCUT festival in Glasgow unite for a week of artistic exchange.
The Republic of Inclusion
June 27-29, 2017
Performance bursts, curated conversations, live music and visual art from the world of Deaf, disability and Mad arts will be featured at The Shenkman Centre, in Ottawa.
Sound Journeys
July 2017
British and Canadian musicians travel by train from coast-to-coast and inspired by the sights and sounds along the way, they conclude their train residencies at the Sounds of Home festival series in Toronto.
Outriders
August 2017
Five pairs of writers traverse the Americas and develop work to be unveiled at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
INTER_CONNECT MONTREAL
August 23-26, 2017
Programming as part of the MUTEK festival will celebrate the contemporary connections between the cultural metropolises: Montreal and London.
A Colossal Wave
August 30 – October 15, 2017
An interactive and immersive installation presented at the KM3 event will encourage people to see the city in a new light and experience urban space differently.
Walking Cities
October 2017
Literary festivals across Canada will connect Canadian and British voices to exchange ideas related to identities, places and territories.
Michael Landy
September 23 – May 22, 2018
Michael Landy will investigate the Canadian relationship with the world in a site-specific commission for The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto.
Creative residencies: We All Have Stories
2017 – 2018
London-based curator Karen Alexander will curate a creative residency between 10 artists and filmmakers for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche in 2018.
The Art of Changing the World
November 3-5, 2017
Artists, scholars, policy and change-makers explore the field of art for social change and community-engaged arts.
About Now | À Propos would not be possible without the collaborative work of our following partners in Canada: Art of Changing the World, Banff Centre for the Arts, Harbourfront Centre, International Festival of Authors, Marshmallow Laser Feast, MUTEK, National Arts Centre, Nuit Blanche Toronto, OFFTA, Quartier des Spectacles, The Power Plant, Vancouver Writers Fest and Writers Trust, and in the UK: Barbican, British Underground, Buzzcut, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Somerset House.
Learn more about the British Council office in Canada and the 2017 arts program.
British Council
Founded in 1934, the British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. The British Council is a global organization with more than 200 offices in over 110 countries and territories. The Council touches the lives of around 500 million people every year – almost a tenth of the world’s population. In Canada, the British Council has two offices and works across Arts, Education, Society, English and Exams.
Source: British Council