The Arts Institute – public arts programme

The University’s year-round programme of contemporary art and culture
The Arts Institute – public arts programme

Artists from Tjanpi Desert Weavers let their tjanpi sisters fly, Papulankutja, Western Australia, 2015. Image: Annieka Skinner, Tjanpi Desert Weavers

We are delighted to invite you back to in-person events at The Arts Institute. Learn more about safely visiting our venues.

Welcome to the Storytelling season

Storytelling is as old as humanity itself. Whether shared through word, image, sound or performance, the uniquely human act of sharing tales provides us with understanding, context and perspective.  

This season we invite you to delve into a rich programme of cultural events exploring the narratives which continue to shape our idea of the world. From the indigenous Australian narrative of the Songlines exhibition, to a 3-day festival celebrating master musical storyteller Beethoven, investigate the traditions of sharing knowledge, creation stories, visionary storytellers, and the diversity of cultures, lands and languages.

The Arts Institute is the curated public arts programme of the University of Plymouth which plays a pivotal role in building culture and art in the city and South West region, supporting established, new and emerging artists from around the world.

It comprises The Levinsky Gallery, a space for engaging, contemporary artworks; the Jill Craigie Cinema which screens a diverse range of classic films and contemporary cinematic masterpieces; a cutting-edge theatre and dance programme in The House; musical performances and concerts, and a year-long series of fascinating talks that open up a world of art, literature and history.

Open to everybody.

Contact us: theartsinstitute@plymouth.ac.uk

The Arts Institute's public programme promotes audience engagement, access to the arts, and directly supports emerging and established artists' careers. Please consider a donation to support development and delivery of our programme.

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Thank you.

Beethoven: Innovator – a 250th celebration

30 September – 2 October 2021

Join us for an inspiring three-day festival dedicated to some of Beethoven’s most innovative works, with Dr Robert Taub, acclaimed pianist and Music Director of The Arts Institute. Our celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday will feature a series of concerts, fascinating informal lectures, and the world premiere of a new commission from leading international composer, Jonathan Dawe, based on Beethoven's sketches and performed by the Ruisi String Quartet.

Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters

21 October 2021 – 27 February 2022 | The Levinsky Gallery and The Box

This award-winning exhibition takes visitors on an epic journey that traverses three states, three deserts and some 500,000 square kilometres, travelling from west to east: to places in the deserts of the Martu, the Ngaanyatjarra and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) peoples. Using the power of contemporary art, performance, song, photography and multimedia, Songlines shares ancient stories from the world’s oldest continuing culture.

Conceived and curated by a team of First Australians, led by Margo Neale, Senior Indigenous Curator at the National Museum of Australia and custodial elders from the Central and Western Deserts of Australia.

Learn more and book tickets

Seven Sisters Songline 1994 by Josephine Mick, Ninuku Arts © the artist/Copyright Agency 2020. Image: National Museum of Australia

Seven Sisters Songline 1994 by Josephine Mick, Ninuku Arts © the artist/Copyright Agency 2020. Image: National Museum of Australia

BLKDOG

1 December 2021, 19:30 | The House 

“fierce, pounding, unisex movement derived from hip-hop modes”
The Sunday Times

Vital and gripping, BLKDOG is Botis Seva’s haunting commentary on surviving adulthood as a childlike artist. A genre defying blend of hip hop dance and free form antics, BLKDOG explores the inner battlefield of an ageing artist trying to retain his youth.

With music from long standing collaborator Torben Lars Sylvest and performed by Botis’ powerhouse company Far From The Norm, BLKDOG searches for coping mechanisms in the ultimate hunt for acceptance.

Learn more and book tickets

Photography: Camilla Greenwell

Photography: Camilla Greenwell

Premiere screening of The Arts Institute Film Commission 2021

6 December 2021, 19:00 | Jill Craigie Cinema

See this year's winning film Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms, by internationally renowned filmmaker, Mohini Chandra - a new piece of work devoted to amateur sea divers and the stories they tell.

Using archive material from The Box to reflect on the experience of living in the South West, Mohini Chandra's new film explores the hidden histories of Plymouth and the city’s links to the wider world. Through this annual commission The Box aims to build a body of work that reflects on Plymouth’s film heritage and looks towards its future.

Learn more and book tickets

Mohini Chandra, Paradise Lost: Kikau Street/Forty Ships (moving image) installed in HEAT, Third Oceanic Performance Biennale, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand, 2017. Supported by Asialink, Arts NSW and the Australia Council.

Mohini Chandra, Paradise Lost: Kikau Street/Forty Ships (moving image) installed in HEAT, Third Oceanic Performance Biennale, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand, 2017. Supported by Asialink, Arts NSW and the Australia Council.

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