Olivia PowellThe biennial international festival will fill the streets, screens and public spaces across the city of Lincoln with exhibitions, talks, workshops and live performances from 17-24 October.
‘Disruption = Cultural Reinvention’ is the theme for 2019, and showcases a programme that aims to tackle some of society’s greatest debates.
Audiences are invited to view the festival and city ‘in a different light’ at Frequency: Digital After Duskon Friday 25 October. Exhibitions and installations will open later and events will take place until 9pm. Features will include Halo lighting up the castle grounds, a light parade, a pop-up cinema, as well as art, performances, and VR experiences and a silent disco in the streets.
Also new for 2019, is THE MEET UP, which will take place on 23 October. This inaugural event plans to explore the ways in which we move diversity forward in a technological age, through bringing together voices from across the creative industries and education sector alongside key influencers and policy makers to champion Women in Tech. It will include a keynote speech by one of Forbes’ top 50 Women in Tech: Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE.
Frequency Festival is presented by creative producers Threshold Studios, with the support of Arts Council England, University of Lincoln and a select range of partners and businesses from the city. All organisers share the aim of growing the event into one of the world’s leading digital festivals and position Lincoln as a digital focal point in the UK.
Threshold’s director of programmes Samantha Lindley, said: “For 2019 we’re entering a new and exciting phase for Frequency Festival. With the same ingredients as previous years but with a new shorter, sharper rhythm over four fantastic days. The programme is playful yet poignant as everyone is welcomed to the city of Lincoln to explore and debate current issues and conversations with hope, optimism and a celebration of all things digital.
“Digital touches everyone in every walk of life in some way, and we want to embed that spirit of openness and equality into the festival experience. ”
Neil Corner, managing director, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery, said: “We are delighted to partner with Frequency Festival 2019 and support this fantastic event in the city. We want to help encourage tomorrow’s engineers and hope the activities in The Fabratory will spark interest and inquisitiveness in engineering. We are also pleased to be part of THE MEET UP2019. Events such as this, are a great opportunity to share some of our own experiences and act as ambassadors for a diverse and inclusive workplace.”
The international ambition of Frequency Festival and the festival’s producers Threshold Studios is to be an ‘agent of change’. Harnessing the power of culture and creativity to have a social impact, championing hope and positive societies and places to reach democratically and positively impact people economically’.
Threshold’s director of partnerships Uzma Johal MBE said: “Since the Festival began eight years ago, our relationship with the digital realm has changed significantly. With technology advancing at such a rapid pace, innovative ideas continue to emerge, disrupting the status quo. Whether its radical changes to our local high street, the impact of mobile phones and our online persona on our personal relationships or how we form a view on the world around us, digital has become intrinsic to everything we do.”
For more information, visit: www.frequency.org.uk.