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| Live Art Development Agency | |
|---|---|
| Name | Live Art Development Agency |
| Formation | 1999 |
| Type | Arts charity |
| Headquarters | London |
| Region served | United Kingdom; international |
| Leader title | Directors |
Live Art Development Agency is a UK-based arts organisation established in 1999 to support experimental performance, interdisciplinary practice, and artists working at the edges of theatre, visual art, dance, and performance. Founded by practitioners active in the 1990s alternative performance scene, the organisation developed resources, commissioning, research and advocacy to address marginalisation and precarity in live practice. It operated across London, national networks and international festivals and institutions.
The organisation emerged from networks around Performing Arts Development Fund, Arts Council England, Alternative Theatre initiatives and venues such as The Roundhouse, Sadler's Wells, and Tate Modern where hybrid performance increasingly appeared. Early activity intersected with festivals like Edinburgh Festival Fringe and institutions including British Council and Serpentine Galleries. Founders and early staff had affiliations with collectives and projects that included Forced Entertainment, Checkpoint Charlie, Rimini Protokoll-adjacent practitioners, and independent choreographers linked to Royal Ballet alumni. Over successive decades the organisation responded to policy shifts from administrations in Westminster and funding changes at Arts Council England and collaborated with museums such as Victoria and Albert Museum and academic partners including Goldsmiths, University of London and University of the Arts London.
The organisation’s remit combined advocacy, professional development, publication and commissioning to support artists working across boundaries associated with performance art, dance, theatre, visual art and site-specific work. Core activities included research-led publishing, training for makers and producers, and curatorial support for emergent and under-represented artists. Programmes were framed in dialogue with policy actors like National Lottery funders and international partners such as Danish Arts Foundation and European Cultural Foundation. It maintained platforms for discourse alongside practical interventions addressing artists’ welfare and career sustainability in a sector influenced by institutions like Barbican Centre and Royal Court Theatre.
Signature outputs included commissioning strands, research publications and archival initiatives. Projects were presented in venues ranging from Institute of Contemporary Arts to Tobacco Dock, and festivals such as Performa and Vienna Festival. Publication projects documented practice and theory, aligning with university research in institutions like Goldsmiths and University of Birmingham. Long-term projects connected to artist development pipelines alongside residencies at spaces including Hackney Wick and Southbank Centre. The organisation also delivered training and capacity-building for producers who work with artists associated with Mixed Footwork, Forced Entertainment, DV8 Physical Theatre alumni and international practitioners from networks tied to La Biennale di Venezia and Documenta.
Collaborative work included partnerships with key cultural bodies, funders and presentation platforms. Collaborators ranged from national organisations such as Arts Council England and British Council to museums like Tate Modern, Serpentine Galleries, and Museum of London. International partnerships connected to festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Transmediale, Festival d'Avignon and city arts agencies like Barcelona Institute of Culture. Academic partnerships included London College of Communication and research centres at University of Oxford and University College London. The organisation also engaged with representative bodies including Equity (trade union) and policy forums convened by Creative England.
Funding sources combined public grants, project funding and philanthropic support. Major public funders over time included Arts Council England, local authority arts programmes in Greater London and international cultural diplomacy agencies such as British Council. Governance structures reflected charity law and reporting obligations under regulators like the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Boards often included figures from presenting organisations like Southbank Centre and curators with links to museums such as Tate Britain and Victoria and Albert Museum. Financial pressures mirrored wider sectoral debates about funding models discussed in forums convened by Nesta and research by universities including Goldsmiths.
The organisation was recognised for professionalising support for non-mainstream performance and for foregrounding access, disability and identity-led practices associated with artists from networks around Shape Arts and DaDaFest. Critical reception in journals and reviews referenced institutions such as The Guardian, The Stage, Frieze and academic outlets at King's College London and Goldsmiths. Impact assessments were cited in policy debates on arts funding and cultural value at events hosted by House of Commons committees and conferences convened by British Council. Artist testimonies and institutional partnerships testified to influence on commissioning practices across venues including Sadler's Wells and Barbican Centre.
The organisation supported and presented artists whose practices intersected with performance histories and contemporary art. Associated names and collaborators included practitioners linked to Forced Entertainment, Cindy Sherman-adjacent photographers, contemporary choreographers with ties to Akram Khan Company, performance-makers who appeared at La Biennale di Venezia and artists showcased at Tate Modern and Serpentine Galleries. Other notable collaborators included curators from Institute of Contemporary Arts, researchers from Goldsmiths, University of London, and companies that toured to festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Festival d'Avignon.
Category:Arts organisations based in London