Anna Heinrich & Leon Palmer, Strange Attractor, 2016

Debate. Discuss. Connect.

Through panels, lectures, portfolio reviews and advice sessions, the Future Now Symposium provides an imaginative platform for attendees to consider the arts ecosystem within a broader social, political and professional context. Holding talent development at its core, this two-day event is a hive of innovation and idea generation.

The world is increasingly shaped by surveillance and data collection, and the human condition has become one of rehearsal and performance. Exploring the wider effects of over-consumption, media stimulation and data dissemination, this year’s topics call into question new modes of communication, offering reflection upon the era of post-truth through discussions surrounding photography, design, sculpture, painting and journalism.

Future Now is a platform for creating connections and sharing ideas with those shaping the art world today, with a wealth of speakers from the UK’s leading organisations, publications and galleries. Topics for 2018 include The Value of Design; Arts Journalism in the Digital Age; The New Language of Software; How To Get Ahead as an Emerging Artist; An Examination of Post-Truth; Risk Taking in Curation and Diversity in the Art World among others.

Sustainable Practices: A Material World

Caroline Till, (FranklinTill Studio and author of Radical Matters) will discuss how idea generation is bringing about a new wave of talent that recycles and creates with sustainability as the premise.

Portfolio Review Sessions with Industry Professionals

These sessions are for practitioners working across all different types of genres including drawing and painting, photography and digital art, sculpture, design and three-dimensional art, video, installation and performance.

Jiayu Liu, Ocean Wave

How to Get Ahead as an Emerging Artist

This panel offers insight into how art prizes work as a model for talent development. Considering the end goals of gallery representation, interest from collectors and further exhibition, this session will discuss ways for artists to break into the sector. Find out what prizes are looking for and what they offer in terms of creative support and professional development as part of a wider career plan as a platform for new ideas and connections. Speakers include Griselda Goldsborough (Aesthetica Art Prize) and Scott Gray (World Photography Organisation).

Joanne Handley, Untitled (Orange), 2016

Ethics of Content: Art Journalism in the Digital Age

What is the meaning of responsible content in the 21st century? Online platforms have introduced new possibilities for sharing, commenting and editing. Questions need to be asked: do digital outlets encourage certain types of behavior? Is everyone a critic? We must consider if there is such a thing as authentic content and reliable publications. Kate Simpson (Aesthetica), En Liang Khong (Frieze), Lara Prendergast (Spectator), Ed Potton (The Times) and Will Hudson (It’s Nice That) will discuss the changing nature of arts journalism and the balance of sponsored and non-sponsored content in the digital age.

Edmund Clark, Swimming pool in the Hotel Gran Melia Victoria Palma de Mallorca

An Examination of Post-Truth

In a world where “alternative facts” are offered instead of reality, art offers us the chance to make sense of the world. Edmund Clark is an award-winning artist who engages with state censorship to explore the hidden spaces of control in the “war on terror.” Having exhibited at a number of galleries including ICP, New York, and Imperial War Museum, London, Clark will discuss how his work finds new ways to visualise the covert sites and experiences associated with the global response to terrorism, and the impact this has on our society and culture.

Nicolas K Feldmeyer

Redressing the Balance: Diversity in the Art World

The arts communicate a wealth of ideas and experiences, however, the industry, like any other, still carries a certain amount of imbalance. This reflective session looks directly at diversity from a variety of perspectives, from those working in galleries to practitioners, as well as audiences and funding. Amira Gad (Serpentine), Ayo Adeyinka (TAFETA), Skinder Hundal (New Art Exchange) and Mike Layward (DASH) will consider how to create measurable change through widening participation and how to build a sector where diversity is fully integrated into curation, creation and exhibition.

Emmanuelle Moureaux, I am here, 2016

Exhibition Programming: Risk Taking in Curation

Galleries are tasked with balancing blockbuster exhibitions while supporting talent development. How much does public opinion determine what is programmed? Does an artist need to be acclaimed in the private sector before being recognized by the public sector? Darren Pih (Tate Liverpool), Amira Gad (Serpentine), Nigel Walsh (Leeds Art Gallery), Zavier Ellis (Charlie Smith Gallery) and Steven Gartside (Holden Gallery) will look at various aspects of economic impact and footfall, considering how far calculable assets affect what is being exhibited.

Digital Grotesque Grotto, 2013

Digital vs Handmade: 21st Century Craftsmanship

Technology is allowing artists to push to the extremes of design and product development. The fear that humans will be replaced by machines is as relevant as it was during the Industrial Revolution. This session explores how artisans are combining elements of digital and analogue – through the means of various multi-disciplinary methods – and what freedoms this introduces. Lucy Johnston (Author of Digital Handmade, Thames & Hudson) considers the local and global impact from practices that combine the craftsman with the machine.

Noémi Varga, The Happiest Barrack, 2017

Artists’ Film: The Evolution of Moving Image

Video content is integrated into our culture, with one-third of online activity spent watching the moving image. Is artists’ film benefiting from a rising interest in video? How is it responding to new modes of communication? How much narrative is necessary and how can we encourage audiences to further engage with this art form? Artists Noemi Varga and Jasmina Cibic will consider how artists’ film has become a standalone genre alongside Phoebe Roberts (Artangel), Gideon Koppel (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Alessandro Vincentelli (BALTIC).

Joachim Hildebrand, Wild West (detail) 2015-17

Democratization of Photography

How do we distinguish between an image and data? Today, there are over 2.1 billion people using smartphones and editing software, and uploading images to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Scott Gray (PHOTOFAIRS), Thomas Dukes (Open Eye Gallery), Eloise King (Vice / i-D), Olivier Richon (Royal College of Art), Lottie Davies (Artist) and Andrew Marsh (Central St Martins) discuss how the very definition of photography has been altered. Panellists will advise on how to create a successful image through composition, style and technique.

Future Now Symposium 2018

Representatives from the following organisations will be in attendance

Aesthetica Magazine / According to McGee / ArtAngel / Artnet / Arts Council England / BALTIC / Bright White Ltd / Central St Martins / Charlie Smith London / DACS / DASH Arts / FACT Liverpool / Flowers Gallery / Frieze / Holden Gallery / It’s Nice That / Lazenby Brown / Leeds Art Gallery / London College of Communication / National Media Museum / New Art Exchange / Open Eye Gallery / PHOTOFAIRS / Royal College of Art / Serpentine / Spectator / Spectrum / Sony World Photography Awards / TAFETA / Tate / Thames & Hudson / The Times / V & A / York St John University

Future Now Symposium 2018
May 17–18, 2018 / York St John University
Please visit the symposium page >