Whitstable Biennale

Home
United Kingdom
Whitstable
Whitstable Biennale

Festival of contemporary visual art.

31/03/2023

This week, as Sue Jones steps down after 17 years as our Director, we are sharing the news that last year's Whitstable Biennale will be the final edition. As Cement Fields continues to grow, we will carry forward the legacy of the Biennale in our work across North Kent, collaborating with artists, young people, and local communities to create ambitious new art, including plans for future festivals.

Since the first Biennale in 2002, it has been our immense pleasure to work closely with early-career artists to commission and showcase ambitious and experimental new contemporary visual art in Whitstable. We would like to thank everyone in the town - the local people, residents, and businesses - that have supported the festival, as well as all the artists, volunteers, staff, and visitors who have contributed so much over the last 20 years and been an integral part of Whitstable Biennale’s success.

Over the coming year, Sue will continue working with us as an Associate Curator to archive all ten editions of the Biennale so that its history, including details of all its projects, is preserved and remains publicly available and accessible.

24/03/2023

Recommended → Join tonight's SHIFT Flecture ‘Ecology, Art and the Law: Nature talks back’ at the University of Kent and consider the question: ‘Can mountains, rivers and creatures have a voice and be legally protected?’

Speakers include Chromatic Agency, whose recent work at Whitstable Biennale looked at the illegal dumping of sewage by Southern Water.

Find out more: https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/events/shift-flecture-ecology-art-and-the-law/

10/03/2023

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Jon Davis as our new Director. Taking up the post at the start of April 2023, he brings extensive experience to Cement Fields as the organisation heads into an exciting new phase.

Read the full announcement: https://cementfields.org/jon-davis-named-director-of-cement-fields/

24/01/2023

Job opportunity → We're recruiting a Learning Curator to join our team and contribute to an ambitious programme engaging and inspiring a wide variety of participants and audiences in North Kent.

The successful candidate will have experience working in education and engagement in the arts, and a passion for and interest in supporting and working with communities, especially with young people.

Deadline for applications: 9am Monday 13 February 2023

Find out more: https://cementfields.org/opportunities/learning-curator/

05/01/2023

You can still see documentation and hear recordings of several live works from Whitstable Biennale 2022 online for a limited time. Including works by Anna Barham, Arianne Churchman, Anna-Maria Nabirye, and Nicole Bachmann.

Find out more: https://whitstablebiennale.com/journal

21/12/2022

Listen to part of Anna Barham‘s Whitstable Biennale 2022 commission, 'Seasferic', on the website now for a limited time.

A sound work that used the sea as a medium to distort and transmit a spoken text, 'Seasferic' addresses the limits of verbal language in, and between, liquid bodies and recalls the history of pirate radio stations in the Thames Estuary.

The work was performed live by Anna and sound artist Paul Abbott on Whitstable Harbour’s west quay and broadcast online, with the audience in Whitstable watching and listening via headphones from the beach.

Listen to the audio: https://whitstablebiennale.com/journal/listen-anna-barham-seasferic/

19/12/2022

See an excerpt from Arianne Churchman‘s Whitstable Biennale 2022 performance 'When We Were in Horseback' on the website now.

A performative walk in which Whitstable became a stable for unstable and tangled collective histories. 'When We Were in Horseback' invited visitors to don the cloak of the hooden horse and join a procession through the town, tracing the shape of a horse through collective shared actions, song and the sound of bells.

Watch the video: https://whitstablebiennale.com/journal/arianne-churchman-when-we-were-in-horseback/

25/11/2022

You can now listen to Anna-Maria Nabirye's 'The Funnest Room in the House – Afterword' on the website for a limited time.

Presented as part of Whitstable Biennale 2022, this audio work was created after Anna-Maria’s installation, 'The Funnest Room in the House', was destroyed by a fire in the build-up to the festival.

“With the ashes still warm I’m holding firm and responding to this moment with an audio work that speaks to the act of trying to create a celebration of Black Joy and that advocates for a work that no longer exists. A work that carries the pain, the exhaustion, the community, the love and the joy I still hold for 'The Funnest Room in the House' and all it represents.” – Anna-Maria Nabirye

Taking inspiration from the kitchens of Anna-Maria’s childhood and those of her diaspora peers, 'The Funnest Room in the House' invited visitors to travel through time and space to explore a Black British kitchen collected from many pasts.

Listen to the audio: https://whitstablebiennale.com/journal/anna-maria-nabirye-the-funnest-room-in-the-house-afterword/

23/11/2022

Job opportunity → We're currently recruiting for a new Director to take on the artistic and strategic leadership of Cement Fields after Sue Jones steps down at the end of March 2023.

Deadline for applications: Monday 5 December 2022

Find out more: https://cementfields.org/opportunities/appointment-of-director/

09/11/2022

We're pleased to be sharing documentation of Nicole Bachmann‘s Whitstable Biennale 2022 commission, 'shell of hope, in cycles', online for a limited time.

'shell of hope, in cycles' brings together movement and voice to explore the forming of subjectivity and relationships in our present time. The performance work, which took place on Seasalter beach as part of Whitstable Biennale 2022, is informed by the pressing issues of Brexit, hostile immigration policies, and water pollution.

Watch the full video: https://whitstablebiennale.com/journal/nicole-bachmann-shell-of-hope-in-cycles/

08/11/2022

Today we also announce that our Director Sue Jones will be stepping down at the end of March 2023.

In her 17 years leading the organisation, we have delivered 10 editions of Whitstable Biennale, a visual art festival that developed an international reputation for producing experimental new work with early-career artists, and grown into Cement Fields, extending our programme across North Kent from Dartford to Whitstable.

Therefore, we are now recruiting for a new Director to take on the artistic and strategic leadership of the organisation. This is an exciting opportunity to lead Cement Fields into a new phase and ensure our ambitious artistic programme, working collaboratively with artists and communities across North Kent, continues to thrive.

Find out more about the role: https://cementfields.org/opportunities/appointment-of-director/

Address

Whitstable

Website

http://whitstablebiennale.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Whitstable Biennale posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Whitstable Biennale:

Shortcuts

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment in Whitstable?