TestBeds is an innovative professional development programme to enhance local artists' capacity to live, work and thrive locally.

Professor Helen Bailey who leads the initiative for the University commented: “As well providing local artists with the tools to establish thriving creative businesses, TestBeds has already attracted, internationally-renowned artists to Luton.

“We hope the programme will spearhead innovative, cross-disciplinary research into the employment of arts and culture and act as a catalyst for change nationally and internationally.”

The University was awarded £375,000 by Arts Council England as part of their £1.5m investment to enhance the arts and cultural infrastructure of Luton.

Prof Helen Bailey said: “After an impressive round of applications and interviews we are delighted to announce the TestBeds cohort for 2017.

“Each artist was chosen for the quality of their existing artistic work, their vision for their career in the arts, and their potential as future placemakers, global citizens and catalysts for change.”

The 2017 TestBeds cohort is as follows:

Artist Accelerator– a 12-month incubator programme for early-career, Luton-based creative practitioners of any discipline. Inspired by the tech industry start-up model, the programme will accelerate careers and push artists to develop their practice into thriving enterprises.

• Agnieszka Rebosz - a dancer, performer, choreographer and visual artist. Her current research is focused on exploring connections between dance movement practice and visual arts
• Gayle Storey - a fine artist whose paintings and prints evoke a sense of beauty. Her work has been featured in international publications and journals
• Four Faced Films – a newly founded film production company based in Luton focusing on telling local and diverse stories
• Julia Cheng – a dancer, choreographer and the Creative Director of House of Absolute, who specialises in a wide range of disciplines including physical theatre, contemporary and street dance styles
• Nicola Moody – a textile artist who combines traditional textile methods with nature, movement and landscape
• Sophie Gresswell – a fine artist whose work focuses on producing paintings exploring distortion, identity and misrepresentation
• Stephen Whiting – a visual artist, musician, writer and editor who produces Luton’s satirical magazine Clod as part of his many artistic ventures.

Catalyst Co-Lab – a 12-month research and development programme for mid-career artists of any discipline, focusing on collaborative practices and partnership working.

• Rachel Cherry – a visual artist and photographer, creating site-specific, participatory installations focusing on the body and movement
• Sung-Im Her – a dancer and choreographer who has worked as a performer with Jan Fabre, Les Ballets C de la B, Alias, Needcompany, and Abattoir Fermé and creates collaborative works between Belgium, Germany, the UK and Korea
• Philip Stanier – a theatre maker, live art practitioner and the Artistic Director of the Strange Names Collective, Philip was selected for the National Review of Live Art and has published writings about contemporary performance
• Yasmin Sidhwa – a youth theatre director and Artistic Director of Mandala Theatre Company, Yasmin has toured nationally and internationally with the Royal National Theatre Company and worked in repertory, television and radio as an actor and director.

Prof Bailey said: “With such a variety of experiences, artistic practices, talents and creative goals our TestBeds 2017 cohort is set to be an exciting and dynamic group.

“I am looking forward to seeing how our artists progress and the effect they will have on the growth of creative industries in Luton.”

As well as offering 12 artists and arts organisations places on the year-long development programmes, TestBeds will offer a broad range of skill-development opportunities to the public  through an open-access, needs-driven Enterprise Zone.