Explore the wonders of the Lincoln Imporium: Where earthly wonders meet otherworldly curiosities, but beware the allure of mischief lurking in this interactive street spectacle, 4-6 May at Lincoln Festival of History.

Our co-founder and CEO Uzma Johal MBE is moving on after 25 amazing years at the helm of our organisation to take up a role with arts agency Counterculture. Samantha Lindley becomes Chief Executive and will lead our agency through the next exciting phase of our creative journey. Uzma leaves on a high – we’ve … Continue reading New beginnings for Threshold Studios →

Behind every good festival is a great team who are committed to creating the very best experience for visitors.
If you are passionate about live events, are creative, digitally savvy and experienced, and can commit to us from June to December, then this role could be for you. Join our crew in the role of Marketing Manager. More information and how to apply here.

For the final interview in the series Digital Democracies:Voices, Practices, Stories, Futures, Donna Close and Professor Helen Kennedy are chatting to Catherine Allen about how we can support positive experiences in the metaverse and challenge negative behaviours.

Following on in the series, Digital Democracies: Voices, Practices, Stories, Futures, curated by Donna Close and Prof Helen Kennedy, we’re chatting to Nina Salomons, Co-Founder of Anomie XR, about diversity, inclusion and exclusion in immersive technologies.

Following on in the series, Digital Democracies: Voices, Practices, Stories, Futures, curated by Donna Close and Prof Helen Kennedy, is an interview with Verity McIntosh about the metaverse as a new frontier for the internet.

We have commissioned a series of articles, collated by Donna Close and Prof Helen Kennedy, that explores diverse perspectives on the Metaverse through a series of conversations with women working in the immersive technology space. Donna and Helen introduce the intentions and contributors for the series.

We are conducting a national Artists and Creatives Survey to help us better understand the practice, needs and barriers of UK based artists. If you’re a UK based artist or creative please fill in the survey and share with your networks! Survey closes 13 February 2022.

As part of Digital Democracies we invited curator and researcher, Laurence Hill, to commission some short pieces of writing on how digital technology and digital thinking have impacted us and our public spaces.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our 10th year anniversary of Frequency Festival! Through the festival, culture played its part in bringing us back to our public spaces as we return to our cities and towns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2021 marks the tenth anniversary of Frequency Festival, an ambition we at Threshold aspired to back in 2011 without knowing quite how we would pull that off. Co-Founder of Threshold Studios and Ex-Festival Co-Director, Barry Hale, talks about his journey to achieving the impossible.

We are pleased to announce the second Artist Development event as part of the Digital Democracies project, Digital Democracies Masterclass #2: The Art of Sound.

This free online Masterclass on Wednesday 21 July, 1pm-4pm (BST) is led by artist and sound designer Thor McIntyre-Burnie (Aswarm GB). The masterclass will provide an intro to the art of sound as a site-specific, spatial, immersive and interactive form.

In a time of unprecedented reliance on digital technology to connect people, a pioneering two-year national public art project Digital Democracies is being launched.

In 2020 we were delighted to help NN Contemporary tackle the challenges of delivering professional creative development during the pandemic. Funded by SEMLEP, the NN Ambassadors programme introduced us to a cohort of talented new voices working across a range of disciplines.  And, as they prepare to take on the first new cohort of 2021 … Continue reading Meet NN Ambassador: Midlands-based Maker and Illustrator Rosie May →

In response to the pandemic, we worked with NN Contemporary from July to December last year to turn their physical programme into an online CPD programme.

The UK’s first national project led by Neurodivergent (ND) artists will present a landmark report at Mozilla’s MozFest later this month.

Threshold Studios founder and director on his decision to leave and pursue his own creative practice

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 – Frequency Festival in Lincoln, Freedom Festival in Hull and Brighton Digital Festival – along with a network of associate partners and collaborators across the UK.

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.

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 feasible to reinstate what we knew as the norm.

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 influence and make best use of the free time to come.

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 through one or considering your future options and just need to run your thoughts past someone, get in touch.

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 globally. This will make us stronger.

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 perceptions and inspired change.

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 ever see him or even speak with him. … Continue reading Commander Loveless; First Man on Mars →

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 Suited and Booted. Flight booked, visa sorted, with Mark Bishop going out there in just … Continue reading Camara Chica: Life has a way of sobering you up →

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 gym memberships lie paid-for and unused once March comes around?   Instead, I got into … Continue reading What’s your Resolution? →

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 Practice, have replaced the term Community Arts, but for me the work is still very similar –it’s just a different … Continue reading Art and Social Activism →

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.  But what if you don’t want to sell … Continue reading We Need to Talk About Money! →

“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.  We were commissioned to make a short drama for Central Television and that enabled us to offer … Continue reading TS20: First Light →

“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 months and asking ourselves where we think we should be going … Continue reading TS20: Darklight →

“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 us.” – Angel, Campesino farmer, … Continue reading TS20: Camera Chica →

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 professionals. These young people would write, shoot and direct their own short film in a week.  … Continue reading TS20: Opening Up Access →

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 Critical Friend service we provide to artists and filmmakers. Although the primary focus of these sessions is a specific project or the career development needs of … Continue reading Who’s your Critical Friend? →

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 represents, but something positive is definitely happening. It was five years … Continue reading An update on Cámara Chica, from our man (recently) in Havana →

Please see below for our amended website Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms and Conditions Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern Threshold Studios … Continue reading Updated Privacy Policy →

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 residents and creatives to compare the changing face of an historic and influential part of the city. The freelance roles currently being recruited … Continue reading Now recruiting: new freelance roles available for This Is Us community engagement project, Lincoln →

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 activity, communications and marketing activity across our range of projects and for the core organisation. We want to ensure a reach to regional and national audiences in order … Continue reading Vacancy: Marketing and Digital Communications Freelancer (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 work closely with the Director of Programmes as well as supporting the staff team. … Continue reading Vacancy: Programme Assistant (deadline closed) →

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 skills and talents into practice in the workplace. RADAR also includes bespoke personal development and mentorship, tailored to the individual … Continue reading Daisy’s story – RADAR Graduate →

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 England is once again investing in our work. From 2018, Threshold Studios’ 20th anniversary year, we will be placing … Continue reading Arts Council NPO Funding Success →

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 Lab. Following on from our recent Collider Conversation event on neurodiversity, we are proud to be … Continue reading Flow Observatorium →

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 Council in this, Milton Keynes’ 50th birthday year. Phil’s proposition was an intriguing one; in such a … Continue reading Exploring Milton Keynes →

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, artist and National Autistic Society Cultural Ambassador and Mike Layward, Artistic Director at DASH, a disability-led visual arts organisation; we discussed … Continue reading We Are Neurodiverse →

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 significant contributions in championing diversity and equality of voices in the arts and media landscape, fostering talent … Continue reading Threshold Studios Co-Founder Uzma Johal receives MBE →

We celebrate the unrefined voice.

I see art as something that can’t be graded.

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 changing role of creators and consumers. Joined by Barry is Frequency’s Curatorial Assistant, Sophia, who discusses her role, and approaches to … Continue reading Sound Art Radio Interview →

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 around nowadays, it’s also really cool to have an understanding of how your phone apps … Continue reading It’s ‘game on’ for GAME ON →

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 to the dread reverberations and sufferations of Roger Robinson’s dub poetry, the … Continue reading Guest Post – John Doran (The Quietus) →

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 Britain in 1976. What was bad about that time was the sense that an entire … Continue reading Is Independent Publishing the new Punk? →

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 still an experience powerful enough to stir the emotions. … Continue reading Back to Totality →

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 end of last year, I was invited to participate in a conversation with musician Steve Lawson for a guest lecture, focusing on … Continue reading Kristy Diaz in conversation with Steve Lawson →

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 trick is to avoid overstretching one whilst not stifling the other. Much juggling to come! Frequency … Continue reading Mallarmé Leads the Way →

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 development I never thought I’d see in my lifetime. Make … Continue reading Cuba Calling II →

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 have known Matt for 19 years. Coincidentally, … Continue reading When it all comes right →

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 more films made by our young participants in our Camara Chica … Continue reading Cuba Calling →

[View the story “Collider Creative Conversation at Kinetica Art Fair” on Storify]

“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’re graduating! Now what? Suddenly we’re meant to know. Do I want to run the BBC? Do I want to freelance? … Continue reading A diary of a recent graduate. →

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 have inadvertently left behind something of value in all … Continue reading Namedropper! →

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 career was as a filmmaker. No training, no qualifications, … Continue reading Thirty Years and Counting… →

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 Steve a few times – we corresponded a bit, we wandered the streets of … Continue reading These Shattered Vessels →

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 liberation for me is the way digital technology has given expression to a panoply of … Continue reading Liberty, Equality, Anonymity →

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 human, having a clear set of values and interests, finding others who share them, and doing … Continue reading RSA Presentation July 3rd 2014 →

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 never appreciate you for. I just swear at you when … Continue reading An open letter to the internet. →

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 worked with Bret Battey a few years ago, when we commissioned … Continue reading Summer 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 bubbling, buzzing on the down-low up in the Northern Territories. We’ve got the Royal and Derngate, the Museum and Number Nine … Continue reading Collider Round-up →

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 wait for the trays of sandwiches to arrive. Pass though. Make your way … Continue reading Emerging from the Aethyr →

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 store.

“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 with the fractured present as the end of a turbulent l’Amour Fou is mirrored in the city’s self-destruction. … Continue reading Secret Cages – Barry Hale →

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 British school finds her identity and strength to face daily physical bullying … Continue reading Hibakusha – Stephen Loveless →