Prepare for Launch
Threshold Studios founder and director on his decision to leave and pursue his own creative practice...
Leading UK art festivals connect to create innovative digital work for public spaces
We're excited to announce Digital Democracies - a national project exploring technology enabled art in public spaces - is launching in September 2020. Led by Threshold Studios, Digital Democracies connects three UK-based festivals...
Black Lives Matter
As an organisation and as individuals we stand in full support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We need to build and empower industries, institutions, audiences, sectors and a society that are truly representative and equal....
Culture is about to reopen
As UK lockdown eases, what has been the impact on our cultural sector and where do we go from here? We need to consider how we will bring audiences back. What post-pandemic cultural experience and practice will look like. It’s not...
It’s Time for Cultural Alchemy
We writers, artists and musicians need to seize this opportunity that enforced social distancing now offers us before it evaporates. It's time to switch into hermit mode, put aside our anxieties of the factors over which we have no...
Critical Friend Micro-Surgeries
We're pleased to be offering remote artist micro-surgeries, a mini version of our Critical Friend Programme, during the present crisis for isolated artists, writers and filmmakers. So if you’re embarking on a creative project, mid-way...
This will make us stronger
It's heartening to see the positivity that is coming out in this challenging and uncertain time, with people across all sectors and walks of life keeping it together and stepping up to support each other as we navigate this situation...
CreativeXR returns for its third year
Digital Catapult and Arts Council England’s CreativeXR is looking for creative teams working with virtual, augmented or mixed reality | Applications close 17 April...
Traveller in a strange land
In partnership with British Council and Into Film, Threshold and Suited and Booted in Bath have created four community-based media hubs in Venezuela, eleven or more in Cuba, and now, with Hafsah from Working Class in Manchester and...
FREQUENCY RETURNED TO LINCOLN FOR FIFTH EDITION
FREQUENCY International Festival of Digital Culture – a digital festival for everyone – returned to Lincoln in October 2019, transforming the city’s rhythm over four days with a festival programme that captured imaginations, challenged...
Burning Down the House
20 years ago I rescued from a skip the video archives of a community arts organisation here in Northampton that I used to volunteer for. It had closed its doors after 19 years of service to the town and there was no one left but me to...
Commander Loveless; First Man on Mars
Six months ago I met my good friend of 35 years, writer Stephen Loveless, for our usual weekly coffee and a chat. It was just before I went away on holiday for a couple of weeks. I didn’t know then that would be the last time I’d eve...
Camara Chica: Life has a way of sobering you up
We were preparing for the next phase of our Camara Chica project in Cuba, loading the filmmaking software onto five more iPads for the ten media hubs we’ve set up across the island in partnership with IntoFilm, British Council and Suit...
What’s your Resolution?
I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. I gave them up some time ago – we all know why; they tend to be based on some mild guilt about something we do and shouldn’t or something we’re not doing and should. How many New Year gy...
Art and Social Activism
There’s been a huge increase in events, exhibitions and engagement projects around art and activism in visual arts galleries, major institutions and independent spaces. In fact there is now a new phrase; Activism, or Socially Engaged ...
We Need to Talk About Money!
No-one in their right minds goes into the arts for the money, but so many artists remain in the dark about the financial aspects of the arts – whether they can ask to be paid, whether they can sell their work and, if so, for how much. ...
TS20: First Light
“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” – Alan Turing From our very first project, Threshold had a commitment to reinvesting our skills back into the community. W...
TS20: Darklight
“Aim high, for every arrow feels the pull of the earth.” – Dr Tahir Choudhry Once a year, usually in April/May, Threshold gets away from the office for a long weekend. We spend 3 days reviewing the past year, planning out the next twelve...
TS20: Critical Mass
In many ways the coming of the UK Film Council in 2002 was a positive thing, however, for many of the artists we knew who worked with the moving image, it seemed the hand-over of responsibility for film from Arts Council to UK Film...
TS20: Camera Chica
“I’ve been a farmer all my life; I have nothing, but when I see my daughter standing in the centre of our village with the camera in her hand I know what it means for her future and I just want to thank you for the opportunity you bring to...
TS20: Opening Up Access
When I first started working with the organisation, my very first project role was supporting as a Production Assistant on a First Light project, Dark Reels. 5 groups of young people making their own short films with support from profe...
Opportunity: Commercial Engagement Manager Tender
We are recruiting a Commercial Engagement Manager to support our development of commercial relationships and sponsorship opportunities linked to our Frequency Festival of Digital Culture, in order to take Threshold into the next phase of...
Who’s your Critical Friend?
Of all the Knowledge Sharing services we provide at Threshold, from Continuing Professional Development, Trouble-shooting, Life-coaching, Training Linked to Production initiatives and Mentoring to Consultancy, my favourite is the Critica...
An update on Cámara Chica, from our man (recently) in Havana
There’s something happening here… I’ve been back from Cuba for about two months now and it’s taken that long to process all that went on in the three weeks I was there. I am still not sure I understand fully what our time there represent...
Now recruiting: new freelance roles available for This Is Us community engagement project, Lincoln
We are currently recruiting for 3 brand new roles as part of our latest (HLF-funded) community engagement project. This Is Us will explore the history of one of Lincoln’s most culturally diverse areas, and bring together local reside...
Vacancy: Digital Resource Developer – This Is Us
We are currently looking to commission a Digital Advert and ident for our forthcoming HLF-funded community engagement project This is Us. The purpose of the advert is to create a living active resource from archive materials and assets...
Vacancy: Freelance Artist Educator Photographer (Young People) – This Is Us
We are currently looking to commission a dynamic Freelance Educator Photographer with experience of working collaboratively with communities and participants to develop high quality content. The creative brief for this project is to wor...
Threshold Studios wins National Lottery support for new community-led heritage project in Lincoln.
This Is Us – the past, present and future of Sincil Bank, Lincoln We are delighted to announce that we have received a National Lottery grant of £56,800 for an exciting community-led engagement project, This Is Us. The project will take...
Threshold returns to Cuba
As one of the creators of the Cámara Chica project we were pleased to recently be invited back to Cuba to expand on its incredible work. Threshold Director, Barry Hale previously helped set up filmmaking and media hubs with the project...
Vacancy: Marketing and Digital Communications Freelancer (deadline closed)
Threshold Studios are looking for an enthusiastic, dedicated and dynamic Marketing and Digital Communications freelancer to work with the team over the next year. This role encompasses social media management, audience development act...
Vacancy: Programme Assistant (deadline closed)
We are looking for an enthusiastic, dedicated and dynamic Programme Assistant. This is a new role that will support the day to day running of the organisation as well as delivery of projects and initiatives to a high standard. You will w...
Daisy’s story – RADAR Graduate
RADAR is an accelerator scheme devised in collaboration with the University of Lincoln for graduates looking for a head start after University. Through a paid internship, we give graduates first-hand experience and a chance to put their...
Vacancy: Marketing Assistant for Frequency Festival
Frequency Festival Directors, Threshold Studios are looking for a dynamic Marketing Assistant to work in a fast-paced environment, with the festival team and partners. Frequency Festival of Digital Culture is a biennial festival hosted i...
Arts Council NPO Funding Success
Threshold Studios are delighted to announce that we are part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio of organisations for 2018-22. At a time when the funding environment is increasingly complex, we are honoured that Arts Council E...
Vacancy: Marketing, Digital and Communications Manager
We are looking for an enthusiastic, dedicated and dynamic Marketing, Digital and Communications Manager to work with the team to deliver social media, audience development communications and marketing activity across our range of project...
Flow Observatorium
This World Autism Awareness Week, we are delighted to share the news of the launch of Flow Observatorium (FlOb), a new national project funded by Arts Council England and based at New Theatre Royal Portsmouth as part of their Creative L...
Exploring Milton Keynes
I spent about 7 hours yesterday exploring Milton Keynes with artist and mythographer Phil Smith. We set out to orient ourselves in the city in preparation for our Digitalis project, working with the Libraries network there and the Counci...
We Are Neurodiverse
On 17 January we held the first Collider Conversation of the year, bringing ‘diversity’ forward, at Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester discussing Neurodiversity. Chaired by Susan Jones, published writer and researcher, with Jon Adams,...
Threshold Studios Co-Founder Uzma Johal receives MBE
Threshold Studios are thrilled to announce that Co-Founder and Director Uzma Johal has been awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours List for services to the Digital Economy in the East Midlands. The award recognises Uzma’s sign...
Sound Art Radio Interview
The brilliant Ariane Delaunois of Sound Art Radio yet again produced some great coverage of Frequency. Check out this interview Barry gave, discussing Frequency’s ethos and vision, current debates surrounding digital culture, and the cha...
Threshold commission new audio work by award-winning composer
Threshold are excited to announce that we have commissioned a new multichannel audio work from Jo Thomas, Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica Winner Music and Sound. Agna Rita will premiere at Lincoln’s Collection Gallery in October at thi...
It’s ‘game on’ for GAME ON
28 participants, two days, three workshop stations. How will the young generation of today cope when thrown into the world of coding and creative tech? “It’s so important to learn the skill of coding because of how much technology is...
Game On Launch 2015
We are now living in the digital age, with thousands of people relying on technology in their everyday lives. However, it is so easy to use this smart technology without thinking of what it takes to make it work. For many years creative ...
Threshold’s Intraference exhibiting at Breaking Convention 2015
A set of recurring motifs seem to feature in ancient and primitive art from around the world, spanning centuries, cultures, continents. Some have speculated that these motifs represent evidence of an inherent noise within the hardwired c...
Frequency 2015 Internships
As part of RADAR, our Creative Graduate Accelerator Scheme in partnership with the University of Lincoln, we have an exciting set of internship opportunities available to recent graduates of the College of the Arts to work on Frequenc...
Frequency Festival Call Out for Artists: Futurology
FUTUROLOGY: Hybrid and digital works, experimental tech, public performative, interactive works and beta demonstrators Introduction Frequency 2015 represents the third iteration of Lincoln’s Festival of Digital Culture. For ten days in ...
Frequency Festival Call Out For Artists: Postern Gate Exhibition Site
Postern Gate exhibition site: Durational or performative digital and hybrid art works Introduction Frequency 2015 represents the third iteration of Lincoln’s Festival of Digital Culture. For ten days in October we take over the city...
Guest Post – John Doran (The Quietus)
Something magic(k)al happens every time I end up in Northampton. Last time it was hanging out with Alan Moore at Robert Godfrey’s Lodge Studios where I got lost in a haze of Unearthings and Dodgem Logic. This time round the NN Cafe shook...
Is Independent Publishing the new Punk?
So yes, I’m old enough to have been there at the dawning of the cultural revolution that was Punk and all the subsequent kaleidoscopic offshoots that blossomed from that defiant root, planted in the industrial ruins of what was Broken Br...
Game On
About Game On Women are currently under-represented in creative technology fields. These industries are growing quickly and as digital culture becomes a part of everyday life, it is vital that women are an equal part of the emerging gene...
Internship vacancies
As part of RADAR, our Creative Graduate Accelerator Scheme in partnership with the University of Lincoln, we have two exciting internship opportunities available to recent graduates of the College of the Arts. Get more information, a...
Back to Totality
March 20th offered us a rare chance to experience a partial solar eclipse – did you see it? Only 95% of Totality this time so no dip to darkness, nothing to scare the birds into silence, none of the corona or Baily’s Beads to see but sti...
Kristy Diaz in conversation with Steve Lawson
I’ve been working with Birmingham City University’s School of Media department for a few years now, usually as a panel member assessing their Music Industries students presentations on setting up record labels and PR companies. At the e...
Mallarmé Leads the Way
This month we’ve been focusing on the planning for October’s Frequency Festival of Digital Culture – sketching out possible sites and the artists who might suit those spaces. As always, the budgets are tight and the vision ambitious; the...
Communications and Marketing Assistant Internship
As part of RADAR, our Creative Graduate Accelerator Scheme in partnership with the University of Lincoln, we have an exciting internship opportunity available to recent graduates of the College of the Arts. Lincoln Drill Hall are looki...
Cuba Calling II
I can’t begin to explain how happy I feel for Cuba and the friends I’ve made there. The recent news that Raul Castro and Barack Obama have agreed to reinstate diplomatic links and the 50 year blockade is coming to an end is an exciting d...
Podcast: Collider Creative Conversation in partnership with Dance4
A podcast from our latest Collider Creative Conversation in partnership with Dance4: Choreography, Technology and New Audience Experiences Chaired by Jen McLachlan, Head of Development at Random Dance with speakers Mark Coniglio, Co-Foun...
When it all comes right
Yesterday was one of those days when you get a hefty reminder of why we do what we do. Sometimes you step into another person’s life, just for a short while, and try to have some impact on their future. Matt was one of those. Uzma and I ...
Radar
Creative student or graduate? RADAR is an accelerator scheme for creative graduates looking for a head start after University. It connects you with opportunities in creative media and the arts through a paid internship designed to get yo...
Cuba Calling
For the last three weeks I’ve been cataloguing all the media assets we gathered on our two visits to Cuba – the hours of documentary films made by TV Serrana that capture the traditional way of life in the mountains, the two dozen or mor...
Next Collider Creative Conversation Announced
Thursday 4th December // Antenna Media Centre, Nottingham // 6pm Threshold Studios, in collaboration with Dance4, invite you to a Collider Creative Conversation: Choreography, Technology and New Audience Experiences A chance for creative...
Storify: Collider Creative Conversation at Kinetica Art Fair
[View the story “Collider Creative Conversation at Kinetica Art Fair” on Storify]...
63|3D and Creative Collider Conversation at Kinetica Art Fair
We will be showing our JFK installation 63|3D at Kinetica Art Fair on the 16th – 19th of October. Kinetica Art Fair ‘provides a global platform for galleries, curatorial groups, design studios and artists working in the realm of inte...
A diary of a recent graduate.
“What’s your plan? What’s next?” The dreaded questions faced currently by zillions of graduates around the country. We’ve finished our degrees; hopefully we’ve done well. Three years of our life has built up to this moment. We’...
Namedropper!
So let me tell you about the time I met Stan Brakhage! Well, his name has cropped up a couple of times this week in conversations I’ve been having with people about the realm of digital in relationship to art and the sense that we may ha...
Cultural Destinations Online Communications and Marketing Internship
Graduated from University of Lincoln’s College of Arts in the past three years? Enthusiastic about marketing, communications and the internet? Great, read on! As part of our Creative Graduate Accelerator Scheme, in partnership with the U...
Thirty Years and Counting…
2014 is a pivotal year for me. In June of 1982 I was made redundant from the printer’s where I worked. With my small redundancy payment I bought a super 8 camera, a projector, all the editing gear and some film stock and decided my new c...
These Shattered Vessels
This week writer Steve Moore’s earthly remains were cast to the four winds beneath a Supermoon, during a meteor storm, while a comet whizzes past at the tail end of a hurricane (thanks for that image Amber Peachey-Moore). I only met Stev...
Lincoln Voices – Artist’s Research Residency
Here’s an exciting opportunity for artists to collaborate to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. The City of Lincoln and University of Lincoln have created a residency programme and are looking for artists to...
Liberty, Equality, Anonymity
I’ve been thinking a lot today about the theme for the next Frequency Festival in 2015 and about the word liberation in the context of the digital revolution. I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important aspect of digital liberati...
RSA Presentation July 3rd 2014
I recently presented at the RSA What Would William Shipley Do? mini-conference at New Art Exchange. It was a quickfire, 5-minute talk, but here’s my slides (minus me chatting over them). I talked about building social networks by being h...
An open letter to the internet.
Dear Internet, I’m sorry, Internet. It’s not you… it’s me. For too long now this relationship has been all too one sided – I just take, take, take. I know, I know, Internet – all the little things that you do for me that I neve...
Threshold remains part of Arts Council NPO for 2015-18
Dear colleagues, partners, supporters and friends, Threshold is proud to announce that we are part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio of organisations for 2015-18. At a time where investment in the arts is increasingly diffic...
Summer Round-up
It’s been a really busy year for us and it seems we’ve slightly neglected our blog. But fear not! Here’s a round up of some of the things we got up to: March 2013, Northampton: Electrickal Seances 2 at the Legendary Labour Club We work...
Collider Round-up
March 2013: Northampton: Electrickal Seances at the Legendary Labour Club Nottingham: Mute Synth workshops at Antenna Northampton: Syzygy Live Cinema Sessions at The Victoria Inn There’s a creative quarter of Northampton where things are...
Emerging from the Aethyr
Behind the red door the management retains the right to refuse admission, but as long as you promise not to bother the cribbage club you’re fine. An informal queue call orders from zimmer frames and stools in a dark corner, as they wai...
Hibakusha Interview with Stephen Loveless
Here’s our very own Barry interviewing Stephen Loveless about his novella, Hibakusha. If this sounds like the sort of thing you’d be into, you can get the eBook from Amazon, or a signed paperback from Threshold’s eBay...
Secret Cages – Barry Hale
“beneath the waters of the river, trapped in the chains of the dancing weed, I listened to the rumble of my own escaping breath….” Reality disintegrates on the riot-torn streets of Paris. Hallucinations and distorted memories collide wit...
Hibakusha – Stephen Loveless
Shey has found a room to build her boat, a small boat big enough to hold a lot of pain and one symbolic passenger, herself. Through seeing historic film of the horror of the A-Bomb attack on Hiroshima an Anglo-Japanese schoolgirl at a Br...
Threshold hosts Business Secretary Vince Cable
Today we were visited at our Northampton offices by Secretary of State, Vince Cable, for an intimate conversation regarding Threshold’s future within a new and changing industry. Threshold welcomed the recommendations outlined within t...
Threshold Studios featured in Arts Professional
“Threshold originally set itself the challenge of taking unique voices from hard to reach communities out to an international audience. Today, it recognises that new digital tools have democratised production and offers open access to ...
Film Nation Shorts Nomination Update – WE WON!
Massive congratulations to the makers of “Our Journeys”, which won the Film Nation Shorts Best Animation (17-19) sponsored by Panasonic. The film was made by young film makers as part of Threshold’s “We are the Word” project in...
Intraference Screens at Frequency Festival 2011
As part of the upcoming Frequency Festival, Threshold Studios is screening ‘Intraference’ exclusively at the Usher Gallery in Lincoln. Intraference harnesses the chaos of simple video feedback loops or isolates the inherent noise ...
We Are On Television
Over the next two weeks, our We Are The Word films are going to be on television. If you have access to one of those telly boxes, you should turn your attention to The Community Channel (Sky 539, Virgin Media 233, Freeview 87 and BT Visi...
We are the Future – Exhibition and Publication Launch
In December 2010 The Phoenix Youth Centre in Daventry became the best new gallery in town. Young artists transformed the main hall into a slick exhibition space and set up a lounge cinema to launch the We Are The Future book and photogra...