Now in its sixth edition, acclaimed Scottish curator and choreographer Colette Sadler will bring Present Futures Festival, a bi-annual international and multi-disciplinary arts festival, to three of Dundee’s most prominent arts, culture, and learning hubs this September 10-11 for a two day special ‘satellite’ edition of the festival.
Story – Supporting Paragraph: Hosted across Dundee Rep Theatre, Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), and Dundee & Angus College, Present Futures will bring together an inspiring programme of performance, film, visual arts, sound, and discussion in exploration of the complex entanglement and interdependencies of human and “other than” human – an artistic response as we enter collectively into precarious and unknown futures in the wake of worldwide ecological transition and crisis.
On hosting the festival at Dundee Rep Theatre, Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre Joan Clevillé said: “We are delighted to host Present Futures at Dundee Rep, bringing Colette Sadler’s visionary curation to our home city. Our relationship with Colette goes back to the creation of RITUALIA in 2013 for Scottish Dance Theatre, and it is a privilege to continue this collaboration a decade later. The festival sparks vital conversations between dance, visual and sonic arts, science and technology, while connecting internationally acclaimed artists with local and emerging voices. At Scottish Dance Theatre, we are committed to supporting boundary-pushing work, and Present Futures offers Dundee audiences a rare opportunity to experience groundbreaking contemporary performance.”
Curated by Colette Sadler and produced by Glasgow-based FERAL Arts, Present Futures 2025 will include contributions from artists including SHHE (DÝRA), Bishop May Down (Conversations with Eve), Farrah Fawcett (To Be Kept By The Earth), Laura Moorhouse (Talk / Conversation), Ian Kaler (EMBODIED STORYTELLING), Samir Kennedy and Suk-Jun Kim (FUTURES OF LISTENING), and Colette Sadler (The Violet Hour) in the form of performances, workshops, panel discussions, and a special double bill event.
On bringing Present Futures Festival to Dundee, Sadler commented: “We are very happy to bring Present Futures Festival to Dundee for the first time as a special satellite edition. This edition presents a diverse programme of works that transgress the boundaries of any one artistic medium. Through performance, film and discussion, the festival brings the audience into a dialogue with artists, as together we consider a changing world view and sensibility seen through the lens of their artistic work and practices.”
This year, Present Futures also supported the fulfilment of two Associateship Bursaries – an opportunity that was available for emergent artists and choreographers based in Dundee and Angus to develop a performance idea, intervention, or choreographic sketch that resonates with the festival’s annual themes. Selected from applications was GRIPPD ART CO supported by Scottish Dance Theatre /Dundee & Angus College, and Laura Moorhouse supported by Generator Projects.
(Pictured: 'Conversations with Eve' by Bishop May Down. Image Credit – Brian Hartley)