TBILISI INTERNATIONAL LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (LED) FORUM

British Council keeps the presence at the International Local Economic Development Forum (LED) which has truly become a unique regional platform for the development of Cities and Municipalities and for sharing ideas and experiences. This year we invited Ms. Paula Murray, the Commissioner for Culture of the Brighton & Hove City Council, the very city, which is one of the most beautiful and important resorts in the UK. Her speech on 26 April was dedicated to the ‘Urban Linkages & Connectivity: City – a Hub of International Major Events’.

Ms. Murray is a senior manager with significant experience in: cultural planning, economic development and regeneration, international partnership working, enterprise and employment initiatives in the area of arts and culture, project management and fundraising gained in the public sector predominantly local authority.

We hope that issues such as urban linkage & connectivity, competitiveness, liveability and good governance will add the value to the city development not only for Tbilisi, but all the cities represented at the LED Forum

ANDREW LANE, THE AUTHOR OF YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMS IN TBILISI

On 15-17 November 2011, in partnership with the Bakur Sulakauri Publishing Trust, we invited Andrew Lane to Tbilisi. He is best known for his work on the 'Young Sherlock Holmes' series of young adult thriller novels featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s. This has absolutely captured the hearts of young Georgian audiences, who would comment that they couldn't believe a 'real author' was here and they 'can say hello to him, shake hands and take photos with him.'

Andrew Lane too was really happy to see the children's eyes shining with excitement and enthusiasm to learn more. Some interviewed him and took photos of him. Later, the writer nominated winners of two competitions (for best drawing and best question asked to him ) among about 70 attendees of the meeting.

WELSH ARTISTS EXPLORE HOME-RELATED ISSUES WITH ARTS ACADEMY STUDENTS

Artists Lois Williams and Antonia Dewhurst have recently been invited to take part in Artisterium 2011 and presented their work at the Academy of Arts exhibition hall. The artists have enthusiastically agreed to conduct a workshop for the students of Tbilisi State Academy of Arts.

On 28 October, 15 Students of the Academy wishing to explore ideas around identity, memory and home, took part in the workshop. The students were asked well in advance to bring samples of work for viewing and group appraisal. They also had to have an object that had been of some personal or emotional significance for them along with the materials for making work, ideally ones that they would not normally use, which were not very familiar to them. These could have been cameras, video cameras etc.

The students and artists developed the possibility of creating work on the topic of Identity by using so called non-traditional materials.

The students assisted Welsh artists in setting up and bringing down the exhibition materials for Artisterium.

The exhibition opened on 3 November and closed on 10 November, 2011

PENELOPE SKINNER AND HER PLAY IN THE ROYAL DISTRICT THEATRE

SEEING IN COLOUR EXHIBITION

British Council, in partnership with the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, offers an unique opportunity to everyone interested in the contemporary British art. On 3-17 November 2010 we present the exhibition called Seeing in Colour from the rich and versatile British Council collection in the Academy of Arts spacious exhibition hall.

Workshop and Exhibition for Artisterium

The British Council has always supported the exchange of creative ideas with the countries in which we operate. One example of such support is the involvement of the British Council in the  Artisterium, the 3rd Tbilisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition.

The British Council invited Clare Mitten, the UK artist and teacher at the Wimbledon College of Art to take part in the Artisterium exhibition at the Karvasla museum. In addition, we decided to take this opportunity and, in partnership with the  Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, organise a 10-day workshop for the Academy students, which Clare Mitten facilitated. The theme of the workshop was Voyager: Re-animating the Inanimate.

Clare Mitten worked with 30 students for two weeks and discussed with them contemporary art history and facilitated techniques of making art from ‘unusual’ and recycled materials to create installations which were displayed at the Gudiashvili park in Tbilisi during the Artisterium events from 2 to 10 October.