Unboxed: Creativity in the UK
unboxed creativity uk previously known festival uk national celebration united kingdom first announced conservative government following brexit referendum festival event took place march november location across uk reported cost £ million organiser announced audience million described festival major investment area across uk often underserved cultural investment concept first proposed festival great britain northern ireland referred jacob reesmogg later minister brexit opportunity festival brexit—a nickname became widely used—but later rebranded unboxed creativity uk mention brexit avoided unlike festival britain focused main site london festival comprises ten project shaped across science technology engineering art mathematics spread across multiple venue four country uk accessible person free charge tv radio online unboxed series art science technology project programme first unveiled prime minister theresa may following brexit referendum subsequently approved boris johnson may stated project would celebrate nation diversity talent conjure spirit great exhibition festival britain unlike festival britain despite event exhibition across country focused main site london unboxed comprised ten project shaped across science technology engineering art mathematics spread across multiple venue four country uk accessible person free charge tv radio online early announced martin green previously organised opening closing ceremony london olympics hull uk city culture selected head initiative dame vikki heywood appointed chair project may visitbritain said major event including festival set significant tourism draw wake covid pandemic june department digital culture medium sport announced detail tourism recovery plan return tourism level prepandemic level highlighting festival major part plan along major national event queen platinum jubilee commonwealth game festival event programme began march concluded november cost festival reported £ million prime minister theresa may festival provisionally named festival great britain northern ireland described nationwide festival celebration creativity innovation united kingdom jacob reesmogg referred festival brexit although official name nickname quickly took hold popular description event widely used press nickname politicised festival cited major reason failure unboxed attract hopedfor number visitor brexit branding rejected festival organiser initiative temporarily branded festival uk october announced festival rebranded unboxed creativity uk september open call project application issued applicant invited apply £m research development programme call thirty team shortlisted awarded £ develop idea final ten largescale project selected commissioned applicant expected platform emerging talent underrepresented voice include expert across core steam subject lead bidder also required hold experience ability deliver ‘complex largescale projects’ november thirty shortlisted project selected submission involving almost organisation jamie oliver historian david olusoga theatre producer sonia friedman involved thirty shortlisted team take part festival team involving creatives british film institute british library eden project imperial war museum tate gallery along tech firm siemens ibm organisation including european space agency british antarctic survey canal river trust also cited participant festival thirty shortlisted team pitched proposal panel february largescale project winning project announced march winning project receiving funding required represent art well two steam sector announced shortlisted project selected would continue receive festival support shortlisted project would turned publicly accessible resource creative common licence project selected include educational focus u expected poetry anthology outdoor installation incorporating work young people around country working artist caernarfon derry hull luton paisley dandelion growing cube distributed secondary school scotland project include galwad multimedia event hosted national theatre wale welsh english discussing future country see monster art installation westonsupermare converting decommissioned north sea offshore rig public viewing platform storytrails use technology pokémon go developer niantic tell story town city across uk detail project given unboxed website critical review many detail published stuart mcgurk house magazine ten major project u paisley derry caernarfon luton hull tower london dandelion various location across scotland dreamachine various location across uk galwad sky art television youtube internet green space dark sky various location across uk place space northern ireland cambridge liverpool polinations birmingham see monster westonsupermare storytrails various location across great britain tour de moon various location across england beginning september suggested parliament house magazine visitor attended far million target however unboxed responded number counted eight physical location programme proposed original political branding festival brexit may behind failure attract visitor figure total attendance eventually revised upwards total million physical attendee across venue life project million digital visitor estimated million viewer single countryfile episode featuring festival minute segment million participating activity october national audit office nao asked examine delivery value money unboxed festival digital culture medium sport committee nao report late cost benefit associated unboxed management programme including accountability decision making process planning work undertaken including forecasting visitor number nao report found data far available million audience whole close target set early lower modelled business case department digital culture medium sport festival entity subject much critical comment ten individual project received less critical appraisal time opened review cambridge “with “our place space” unboxed festival come good” “polinations” described “a celebration colour beauty natural diversity” “dreamachine” received fivestar review standard heading “the wildest trip take without breaking law” green space dark sky scotland reported participant guardian “galwad” reviewed wale art review theatre wale unfavourably £ million public fund planned spent event cost project drawing criticism suggestion allocated fund might put alternative use mp jamie stone launched petition campaign festival cancellation festival described frieze magazine tom morton spectacular emptiness boris johnson’s ‘festival brexit expect progressive internationalist art world participate celebration brexit fire volley culture war art group migrant culture wrote open letter festival calling nationalistic branding exercise letter signed uk artist date number commentator public figure praised initiative kenny farquharson time argued unboxed has…transformed something face seems worthwhile may yet something great gaby hinsliff guardian argued hunch nation we’re going rubbishing festival right day open surprise grudgingly quite enjoying one unboxed project dreamachine indeed praised reviewer guardian one good thing come brexit worth every penny brexitsupporting politician including craig mackinlay marcus fysh expressed dismay removal mention brexit festival month event set take place march report digital culture medium sport committee criticised event vague shapeshifting saying lacked clear direction irresponsible use public money report added event confusing obscure recipe failure naomi smith chief executive best britain group said festival perfect metaphor brexit turned – hugely expensive deeply unpopular one really getting wanted stuart mcgurk wrote detailed critical review festival individual project house magazine pointed festival indeed mention brexit indeed project protesting association brexit tory government money rather festival british creativity described festival creativity almost devoid place january stage newspaper published two letter subject festival dame vikki heywood festival chair wrote “beyond debate rhetoric value unboxed must judged much richer term number alone blueprint innovative model crosssector commissioning skill enhanced creative business transformed new partnership live curriculumbased learning activity delivered across education systems” raymond gubbay producer impresario wrote “a total irresponsible waste” great exhibition british empire exhibition festival britain millennium dome summer olympics official website