Crunch (art and music festival)

Crunch is an annual Art and Music festival^[1] that takes place in November in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. It is held by the Institute of Art and Ideas, a non-profit organization which hosts a number of cultural events throughout the year.^[2] Crunch brings together the world’s leading artists, curators and critics to debate the questions that lie at the core of contemporary art. The 3-day festival features talk sessions and debates, live music, performance acts, creative workshops, art exhibitions and late night parties.

Crunch 2011 ‘Awake in the Universe’

The festival has doubled in size and features controversial art historian Julian Stallabrass, artist Susan Hiller and postmodern painter and psychoanalyst Bracha Ettinger debating how art and creativity make us alive; Serpentine Director Hans Ulrich-Obrist on the rise of the curators and outspoken artist Jake Chapman in conversation with Paradise Row founder Nick Hackworth.

With exhibitions from galleries such as The View, the UK's contemporary art scene combines with a debate series featuring significant cultural figures such as former Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Adrian Noble, novelist Mark Haddon and art historian Griselda Pollock.

Other highlights include a trio of Cabaret acts, comedy from the BBC's John-Luke Roberts and music performances from British Sea Power, Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo and Mara Carlyle.

Crunch 2010 ‘What’s the point of art?’

The 2010 festival highlighted that the art world is in a state of flux and that an emerging generation of artists and curators are pushing for a new arts agenda. It was described by Harper's Bazaar as “The art and soul of the party.”^[3]

Amongst those that took part in debates were Bianca Jagger, co-director of the Serpentine Gallery Julia Peyton-Jones, art critic Matthew Collings, The Evening Standard's art correspondant Godfrey Barker, The BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz and musician Brian Eno.

The newly installed globe field hosted the Great British Art Debate, the Crunch Art Fair ^[4] and the ‘Globe On Fire’ installation. Inside the globe, The Museum of Everything^[5] brought its Exhibition #2 to Hay.

Crunch 2009 ‘Art in an Ephemeral Age’

Crunch 2009 explored the issues at the heart of contemporary art, with topics such as performance, environmental art and installation taking centre stage. Guest speakers included former head of The Ruskin School Michael Archer, Radio 4 presenter Godfrey Barker, sculptor Richard Wentworth, graffiti artist Felix Braun, and curators from The Saatchi Gallery, The ICA and Hayward Gallery.

Visual art performers The Paper Cinema^[6] demonstrated a blend of illustration and film with The Lost World and The Night Flyer, and musician Richard ‘Kid’ Strange performed classics from his thirty-year career.

Crunch 2008 ‘Art in a New Era’

The first annual art festival hosted by the IAI focused on the implications of the credit crunch upon the art market and the wider art community. The festival brought together some of the foremost artists and art professionals working in the UK including Gavin Turk, Anthony Hayden Guest and Ben Lewis.

It was the first official UK forum to address the effects of the global economic recession upon artists and the art market. Ben Lewis' keynote speech provided a preview of the content of his subsequent documentary on Channel 4.

1. ^ http://artfestivalathay.org/
2. ^ http://www.artandideas.org/
3. ^ http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/going-out/art-festival-hay-2010?click=main_sr
4. ^ http://www.artfestivalathay.org/crunch-art-fair/
5. ^ http://www.musevery.com/exhibition1/exhibition2.html
6. ^ http://thepapercinema.com/