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Demo Week features a week of public events where the University’s artists can showcase their talent and demonstrate their progress. The programme is packed with 20+ hours of works-in-progress, discussions, pitches, workshops and exhibitions spanning live art, photography, dance, theatre and public art.

Prof Helen Bailey who leads on the project for the University said: “TestBeds brings local, early-career creative practitioners together with internationally-renowned artists and immerses them in a hothouse for creative innovation.

“The project focuses on developing artists from diverse backgrounds as placemakers - enhancing their capacity to make a lasting difference to Luton and spearheading innovative, cross-disciplinary research into the employment of arts & culture as catalysts for change.”

During Demo Week the TestBeds artists will introduce the public to the ways in which their creative practice intersects with a range of interdisciplinary research topics including life sciences & biology, medicine, placemaking & urban development, social inclusion, preservation and psychology.

TestBeds is an artist’s professional development programme informed by current entrepreneurship practices in the commercial start-up and technology industries. It pushes artists to consider the social, economic, environmental and technological contexts that impact their work and enables them to thrive creatively, socially and economically.

It is part of the Luton Investment Programme: a £1.5m investment by Arts Council England over four strands: A new Cultural Celebration (Watford Palace Theatre); A Public Realm Arts Plan (Luton Culture); A Professional Development Programme (ÑÇÉ«ÊÓƵ); A Ten Year Vision and Strategic Arts and Cultural Plan for Luton (Luton Borough Council).

Together, the four strands will enhance the arts and cultural infrastructure of Luton and ensure that this super-diverse town has a cultural offer with something for everyone.

ENDS

Note for Editors

1. TestBeds is an artists’ professional development programme, designed to support and develop the needs of Luton-based artists by developing their entrepreneurial skills and fostering new creative businesses.
2. It is part of £1.5m investment by Arts Council England to enhance the arts and cultural infrastructure of Luton through the Luton Investment Programme.
3. Four strands of funding have been developed to raise ambition, provide development opportunities and foster partnership working in Luton. The four different strands of activity are: A new Cultural Celebration (Watford Palace Theatre); A Public Realm Arts Plan (Luton Culture); A Professional Development Programme (ÑÇÉ«ÊÓƵ); A Ten Year Vision and Strategic Arts and Cultural Plan for Luton (Luton Borough Council).
4. TestBeds has been developed in partnership with Luton Culture and Royal Opera House Bridge
5. The Luton Investment Programme has been developed in partnership with Luton Borough Council, Luton Culture and the ÑÇÉ«ÊÓƵ and involved consultation with a wide range of artists and organisations in Luton.
6. Luton is considering a bid for UK City of Culture 2025.