The Fine Art of Performance: Living Legacies of UK Art School
- Date
- Wednesday 20 Feb 2019
- Venue
Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Brighton
- Address
Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts
University of Sussex
Gardner Centre Road
Brighton, BN1 9RA- Price
- Free, but bookings required
https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/2717/the-fine-art-of-performance-living-legacies-of-uk-art-school/
The Fine Art of Performance: Living Legacies of UK Art School is a symposium which builds on Afterlives, a 2017 LADA collaboration with Dominic Johnson of Queen Mary University of London and artist Dave Stephens.
At a time of debate about the value of a creative arts education in contemporary Britain, this special one-day event addresses the overlooked importance of regional art school education in the history of UK experimental performance and alternative arts. Focusing on the emergence of performance art in colleges and city scenes in Leeds, Reading and Brighton in the 1970s and 1980s, the day includes live performances by artists who came of age in this period, alongside panel discussions and first-hand accounts with artists and scholars reflecting upon creative practices made possible at a time of full state-funding of fine art education, contrasting this with the changed economic circumstances of the neoliberal academy.
Contributors include: Anne Bean, Sutapa Biswas, Neil Butler, Gavin Butt, Richard Cupidi, Dennis De Groot, Angie Dight, Dominic Johnson, Lois Keidan (LADA Director), Geraldine Pilgrim, Dave Reeves, and Dave Stephens.
Supported by University of Sussex

Banner image credit:
Hesitate & Demonstrate, Michael Bennett
We are looking for a better quality image for this page or to replace it if it's missing.
Latest events
Thinking Images: A Short Course in Video Essay Making
15 Jan 2026 - 14 Mar 2026
Five-week course with film scholar and video essayist Dr. Darren Elliott-Smith, exploring the innovative practice of Video Essay creation as a cutting-edge development in film criticism.
Read moreWalking Each Other Home: Online workshops with Stacy Makishi and Lois Weaver
11 Jan 2026 - 25 Jan 2026
As part of her year-long participatory project Walking Each Other Home, Stacy Makishi will lead three online workshops with collaborator Lois Weaver, exploring where and how we gather.
Read moreLive Art Bookshop x Queer and Feminist Zine Spirits Across Borders
13 Dec 2025
Join us for a performance lecture, a screening of Unbound Zine and Q&A with the director.
Read moreLive Art Mixer: Zine Workshop with Artizine & Mini Zine Fair
13 Dec 2025
Join us for a two-hour zine workshop, and shop printed matter from three Sino-diasporic publishing platforms.
Read moreLive Art Bookshop (Revisited): Katherine Araniello’s The Dinner Party Revisited
05 Dec 2025
Join us for an evening of readings, screenings and a performance offering from Tamm Reynolds, reflecting on Katherine’s legacy.
Read moreLive Art Bookshop (Revisited): Tara Fatehi’s Mishandled Archive
07 Nov 2025
Join us to mark the 5 year anniversary of Tara Fatehi’s Mishandled Archive.
Read moreLive Art Bookshop: Fat Body Work Book Launch
29 Oct 2025
Join us for the launch of Charlotte Cooper’s new book Fat Body Work with a reading, book signing, the world premiere of Nuidey, and a rare screening of SWAGGA.
Read moreDo It Together Information Sessions
17 Oct 2025 - 21 Oct 2025
Free online sessions for artists and practitioners applying to the nation-wide Do It Together peer-to-peer professional development programme.
Read more