28 February 2012

Lighting the spark for Ignite 2012

Cultural organisations across Tayside and Fife are combining to 'Ignite 2012' with a 10-day festival in May.

Building on the success of last year's 'Ignite Your Weekend' programme -which attracted over 15,000 people to events in Dundee - this year's programme is growing to involve more groups across a wider area and over a longer period.

The 'Ignite' idea stems from the Dundee.com campaign of the same name and arose as a result of the desire for cultural organisations large and small to work together to raise the profile of the region and increase visitor numbers to the benefit of all.

This year's events, taking place from May 17th to 27th, will include:

• Degree Show 2012 at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
• Creative Dundee's Pecha Kucha Volume 3
• Museum of the University of St Andrews Murder Mystery Night
• V&A at Dundee's keynote annual lecture

Events have been organised by an array of institutions, from universities and major arts establishments to small collectives and cover a wide range of arts and culture from theatre to contemporary art, museums to dance.

"The forthcoming arrival of V&A at Dundee has shone a spotlight on cultural activity in and around Dundee and Ignite 2012 is a great way of celebrating and highlighting the region's thriving creative sector," said Philip Long, Director of V&A at Dundee.

"There is a genuine culture of collaboration and support across the cultural sector here, and V&A at Dundee is proud to be a part of this. Through Ignite we hope to put the area well and truly on the cultural map, helping to transform outdated perceptions and show the region for the cultural hotbed that it has become.

"This year's festival is just a snapshot of the kind of activity that 'Ignites' the city and wider region on a regular basis and we hope that it will encourage new visitors to the city as well as providing a great programme for local audiences to enjoy."

A full programme of events will be published over the next month, with news and additions highlighted on the main V&A at Dundee website, Facebook and Twitter.

Ignite 2012 is a partner event of Visit Scotland's 'Year of Creative Scotland' programme.

www.VandAatDundee.com

www.facebook.com/VandAatDundee

http://twitter.com/VADundee

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
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