EXPO Leeds: 24.-29.Sept.2009 - Call for Submissions

Expo is the hub and playground of the experimental music and sound art scene in the UK and beyond. Free and open, the event mobilises a national network of artists and engages with communities from all backgrounds – placing sonic art and the people who make it in direct contact with the public. Expo steps out from traditional venues and into spaces that lie at the heart of the community - inspiring practitioners and the public to reconsider their environments.

Expo will land in Leeds in September 09 for a long weekend of performance, exhibition and presentation which will take place across a variety of physical and virtual spaces.

The weekend aims to highlight the broadest possible range of approaches and thinking that surround the sonic arts. We welcome submissions of all kinds. Alongside international artists, the festival has previously showcased work by young people, disabled adults and those with learning difficulties, students and hundreds of emerging UK artists. We want all work of all kinds that has sound as a central element.

As well as asking for all kinds of submitted work for its programme Expo Leeds is offering £4000 of commission money towards the creation of a new installation work that will sit within the Leeds Arena space at Leeds City Museum during the festival weekend.

Please visit www.expofestival.org for details on how to submit and updates on the programme. The closing date for submissions and commission proposals is 29 May 2009.

Northern Design Competition 2009

The fourth annual Northern Design Competition is underway and a new search for creative talent from universities, colleges and schools across Northern England, North Wales and Scotland has begun. The awards celebrate the artistic skills of students and give employers the chance to view the work of future faces in the creative industries. This years prize fund totals over £10,000 which will be shared between category winners, runners‐up and their education providers. The competition is open to students who are studying at a university, college or sixth form
in the north.

There are six main categories to choose from and students are invited to enter more than one category; architectural design, digital media, graphic design, illustration, photography and product design. Winners from each category will receive a £1000 prize. Runners up in each category will receive £100. The overall competition winner will receive a further £2000.

This year the competition includes a new category, the Young Northern Designer (YND). The category allows students under the age of 20, in years 12 and 13, or
at college, studying an A‐level, BTEC National Diploma or equivalent level qualification to enter. There will be three winning students in this category who
will each receive a £500 prize and a further £500 for their educational establishment. Ten runners up in this category will receive £100 each and £100 for their school, college or university. All entries to the YND category must be submitted by the school or college on behalf of the student.

The deadline for entries is Monday 20 April 2009.

To organise a visit or discuss further, please contact Sarah Kirkpatrick Gandy:
s.e.kirkpatrick-gandy@leedsmet.ac.uk / 0113 812 5126.
To set up a YND account please visit www.leedsmet.ac.uk/northerndesign.

Interview of John Elliott with "GEO" (in German)

One of Dr. John Elliott's research topic is "languageness". In this he is also investigating extra-terrestrial intelligence. Recently he was interviewed by the magazine GEO (3/2009). It is published under the title "Interview mit einem Alien-Versteher" (interview with an alien-understander")