York Mediale, meet the future

Creative Director, Tom Higham reflects on 2020 and sets out the vision for the future 

At the opening event of York Mediale 2018 I nervously, and proudly, announced that we’d be back again in 2020. Bigger and better, making our play for establishing York, and our festival, as an internationally significant media arts biennial. What a two years it’s been. 

We’re lucky in many ways, we’re a small and productive organisation, without a building or a large staff team, and we’re incredibly lucky to work on projects, and with people, we believe in. The whole landscape for culture has changed, of course; the world will want and need something different. Funding that was almost guaranteed has gone, sponsorship and partners are much harder to find. 

YM2020 looks to explore, challenge and reflect on what connects us. At a transitional time of social distancing, climate emergency and social and political upheaval, we look to shine a light on how we connect with loved ones, with our community, with nature and with our culture. We’ve been developing projects about now, about how we live, what we value, and what we might benefit from reflecting on.

Trying to plot a future for our organisation during these times has not been easy, and is something the entirety of the cultural sector is struggling with. We’ve had to adapt to be as agile as possible, and you might notice that while the ‘festival’ starts on 21st October, it runs into 2021. Festivals are about critical mass. About the serendipity of connections and conversations. The inspiration of when things (and people) rub up against each other. Exactly what we can’t, and don’t want to, do now. So we’ll be presenting a series of projects, in the streets, galleries, cathedrals and zoom accounts of our audiences when they make sense, and over an extended period. 

Taking a longer term view has enabled us to secure some very, very exciting projects into 2021, so watch this space. We’re not moving away from festivals completely, but will be a much more year round presence, and are developing projects nationally and internationally. Now, more than ever, we need to be flexible and dynamic enough to go where the opportunities and energy takes us. 

Our ‘why’ hasn’t changed. We still believe in the power of art to transform, enrich and positively impact our lives. We still believe that art has a crucial role to play in the development of our society, our places, our communities, and in its capacity to delight, illuminate, provoke and inspire. One of the silver linings on the massive cloud that has been 2020 so far has been an opportunity to reflect on the opportunity we have, refocus, and clarify our why. We are an agile network of high quality collaborators who commission and produce ambitious digital art projects. Nothing more, nothing less. In other words: