Chamber orchestra Ruthless Jabiru has been selected from 400 applicants as a core act of the fifth annual international performance art and noise festival, Tempting Failure.
In response to the festival’s 2016 provocation In-Utero, Ruthless Jabiru will join forces with the Art Not Oil Coalition in a major performance event calling for London’s cultural organisations to turn their backs on fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel companies have a long tradition of sponsoring the arts in order to promote their dirty brands and hide their climate misdeeds. By providing a trickle of cash to museums and galleries, oil, gas and coal companies aim to present themselves as responsible - even necessary - members of society.
Last week a damning report further exposed the exploitative political agenda of BP’s arts sponsorship, to which Chris Garrard from Art Not Oil responds: “the thought of BP using publicly-funded museums to curry favour with oppressive regimes and extract oil that we can’t afford to burn should appal anyone who cares about the cultural sector.”
Conducted by its founding Artistic Director Kelly Lovelady, Ruthless Jabiru will perform a noise-inspired programme of music for string orchestra by Julia Wolfe, Gloria Coates, Cat Hope, Osvaldo Golijov and Michael Cryne exploring an aural narrative around the suffocation of the arts by fuel dependency.
Described as one of the most significant artist-led projects in the UK, Tempting Failure is committed to risk and innovation in performance through the championing of work which interrogates risk and transgressive practice. The festival showcases an ambitious and challenging programme of artwork usually sidelined by promoters for being logistically difficult, prone to censorship or too extreme.
Ruthless Jabiru is a large-scale New music ensemble dedicated to humanitarian stories. Programmes are devised around existing and commissioned repertoire by today’s composers with a view to promoting sustainability and ethical dialogue. The ensemble is held under the official patronage of composer Brett Dean and in partnership with Sound and Music, the national agency for New music and sound art.
“A clear statement of intent... The orchestra has a clear musical identity and its future looks very bright indeed.” – Seen and Heard International
“A brilliant company.” – Australian Stage
Ruthless Jabiru will perform 'Fuel' at Hackney Showroom on 25 July as part of Tempting Failure 2016: http://www.temptingfailure.com/events/2016/7/25/tf2016-day-5-evening
Ruthless Jabiru