8 February 2011

DJCAD lecturer proves a Vital Spark

A lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design is celebrating after being awarded almost £100,000 as part of Creative Scotland's Vital Sparks programme.

Graham Fagen, a visual artist and lecturer at DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee, has received funding of £99,953, the largest award in this year’s programme. Along with theatre director Graham Eatough and film-maker Michael McDonough, he will create a live event and installation to be shown at the Tramway, a contemporary performing arts venue in Glasgow, and a film which will be screened internationally.

Graham explained that the project came about following the success of ‘Killing Time’, a collaborative installation-theatre exhibition that he and Graham Eatough held at Dundee Contemporary Arts.

'Killing Time was the first time I'd worked with a theatre director, but everything went well and, afterwards, we thought about how we could expand on this collaboration,' he said. 'One way we thought of taking the project further was to involve a film-maker, and so this was the idea we pitched to Creative Scotland and which they, thankfully liked.

'As well as this being an art exhibition that features a piece of theatre, we are now working with a film-maker so the whole thing is made into a film. At the moment we’re working on the overall script and developing the creative process.

'I'm delighted that we’ve received this funding, and a lot of the credit must go to DCA, who took a chance on us when we proposed holding Killing Time there. Combining an exhibition with theatre is a bit of a gamble for a gallery, but they supported us all the way and we ended up receiving a lot of good critical reviews. We wouldn’t have got this award without their support in the first place.'

The film is one of the key commissions within the Director’s programme for Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2012, and will also be shown at a number of festivals in other countries.

The project is one of eight interdisciplinary creative collaborations to benefit from almost £500,000 of investment from Creative Scotland, the national body for Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries. The Vital Sparks programme encourages experimentation, radical new work and innovative approaches to engaging with audiences.

Vital Spark awards of between £30,000 and £99,953 support collaborations between talented artists and professional practitioners working across a broad range of sectors including the creative industries, medical, and education sectors.

The investment creates a unique network of partnerships that allow for in-depth research enhancing both the artist’s professional practice and the audience experience.

Fiona Hyslop, Minister for Culture and External affairs, said, 'The Vital Spark Awards celebrate two of Scotland’s great strengths - innovation and creativity. The winning projects, with their collaborative approach, are sure to inspire and provoke thought and at the same time will enhance our nation’s global reputation for creative excellence.'

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