The Stage

Brighton Festival appoints Eno as guest artistic director

Published Monday 30 November 2009 at 13:09 by Lalayn Baluch

Musician, composer and record producer Brian Eno is to be the guest artistic director of next year’s Brighton Festival.

He will be responsible for curating a collection of events across the city featuring 77 Million Paintings, a newly commissioned sound installation.

The festival programme will be inspired by Eno’s key areas of interest, including social creativity, climate change and the environment. The topics will be woven into different projects, which will be presented in a range of artforms, debates and outdoors events.

Eno said: “I am delighted to be part of a festival which has consistently places itself at the cutting edge of the creative arts in Britain. I hope to be able to show some recent work that has not yet been seen in this country, and also develop new works especially for the festival.”

As part of the festival, contemporary ensemble Icebreaker will perform Eno’s 1983 album Apollo, which will be played alongside the original NASA footage of the Apollo moon landing.

Andew Comben, chief executive of Brighton Dome and Festival, said: “Brian Eno is bringing some extraordinary events to the 2010 festival, along with the infectious energy and intellectual range of polymath.

“Eno in many ways embodies the idea festival curator with interests and experienced so eclectic and extensive.”

Meanwhile, the festival has commissioned an additional three new works. Choreographer Hofesh Shechter will present the world premiere of his first full length work Political Mother, Rimini ProtoKoll will stage Best Before, and dreamthinkspeak will present a promenade installation inspired by Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.