Conjunction 12 is a Contemporary Arts Biennial in Stoke-on-Trent. This year’s festival will be based on responses to the theme ‘The Art of Survival.’ Previous events happened in 2008 and 2010, held at various venues in Stoke-on-Trent City Centre, and had a wide variety of works from artists including Paul Rooney, Phil Collins, Alex Frost, Yoke and Zoom, Gayle Chong Kwan, Juneau Projects, Rinat Kotler and Victoria Lucas. The key partners in Conjunction are Staffordshire University, The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Jelly Arts and AirSpace Gallery. The project is supported by these institutions and the Arts Council England.
The festival will be held in venues and outdoor spaces leading from Stoke-upon-Trent town and train station, up to the city centre making use of existing and temporary art spaces. It is a chance to showcase and develop new contemporary artwork in a public setting, exploring the variety of ways that artists engage with the public and the world around them.
In 2012 the biennial will look at ideas of survival within; the natural world, the economy, and the artworld and will consider the role of conservation, recognition of resources and grass-roots activity in creating future sustainability. We will cover the ruthless Darwinian notion of ‘survival of the fittest’ whilst also looking at the often-subjective practice of museum collecting and archiving. We are very pleased to be working with a variety of fantastic artists, bringing high quality works to the city. Our Outreach programme will specifically engage local people, communities and groups with contemporary art practices through a series of exciting participatory events and projects which explore survival in all its forms. There is also a series of performances, artist’s talks (in the form of Artist Soup Kitchen) and other events – check the events section of the website for details and how to book.
