大象传媒

In 23 April 2008 Made in England is being launched. The new national project is a collaboration between 大象传媒 English Regions and Arts Council England.

Made in England aims to explore the county from a diverse range of artistic activities. Finding different perspectives and unearthing new talent, as well as bringing the work of more established artists to a wider audience online, on television and on radio.

We have a nation worth celebrating and this project looks at how we create in respect to our surroundings in 2008. The the people, the places and the quirky relationships between the two.

Identity

Looking at how our identity forms and is informed by the landscape. It has always inspired creativity, as it did for Gainsborough (see below) and Constable and more recently Maggi Hambling. Her Scallop sculpture for Benjamin Britten sits on the beach at Aldeburgh.

Cottage Door with Girl and Pigs (1786)

This idea extends to the non-traditional landscapes too. Such as music in the form of soundscapes, urban landscapes or seascapes along the Suffolk coast. And to the non-traditional mediums that may be idea based.

For instance, it could be using social networking websites to text or instant message people with a dialectic word creating a poem that goes across England and back. It might be a phone in with each caller creating a line for a story live on air.

This will be an innovative and highly interactive project. The diversity of creativity will be as rich as the Suffolk people and their places.

We are expecting an influx of creative ideas and involvement from the people in our county. The exciting thing about this project is it involves everybody and encourages the creativity within us all.

Made in England: national

The project is running the length and breadth of the country. We can look for inspiration from all parts of England.

Think about the Lake District - dramatic and elegant, the lush greens and icy blues depicting an un spoilt England. William Wordsworth was so inspired by the landscape he wrote poems, sonnets and ballads dedicated to it.

Non-traditional art is just as important to recognise - graffiti on the streets, estates built in the Sixties. Does this architecture, history and culture inspire you to think of all things English?

If you're bursting with enthusiasm at the thought of creating something - why don't you see how you can get involved? Visit the main Made in England site to find out how you can get your creative juices flowing.