Creative Times

NOISE, the UK’s first ‘virtual’ talent festival for artists aged 25 and under, returns in October 2008.

Launched in the UK in 2006 and funded by the Arts Council, the NOISE Festival showcases young talent across a range of disciplines, including visual art, graphic design, photography, fashion and music.

The best work is then judged and short-listed by a panel of industry heavyweights, with the aim of giving the next generation the exposure and boost they need to break into the creative industries.

This year’s ‘NOISE Curators’ include Mercury Prize-winning artist Badly Drawn Boy for Music, acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid for Architecture, eco-chic designer Noki for Fashion, Habitat’s Tom Dixon for Product Design, former head of exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Art Norman Rosenthal for Fine Art, and Attik Design’s James Sommerville for Graphics, New Media and Advertising.

The very best work on offer will be showcased at www.noisefestival.com throughout October.

And in year two of the Festival, the NOISE website will work as a professional network – think two parts Facebook social networking and one part Linkdin professional profiling, with a dash of MySpace’s musician-friendly approach thrown in for good measure – where artists can get in touch, viewing people’s profiles and portfolios. So, by joining the NOISE network, a graphic designer can link up with a band to produce cover art for a demo, while a fashion designer can attract a hungry young photographer to create eye-catching pictures for a portfolio.

The NOISE Dream Jobs project is another way talented young people can break into the creative industries, offering the best of NOISE hands-on experience and the chance to work with a company at the top of its game. Previous dream jobs have included placements at MTV Brazil, Wayne Hemingway’s Hemingway Design and MacKinnon & Saunders, model makers for Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. Placements for NOISE Festival 2008 include Zaha Hadid Architects, James Sommerville’s Attik Design and ‘mentorships’ at the BBC.

Check out the website for the very best of NOISE 2008. And while you’re at it, why not register yourself for a chance to show off your work and link up with like-minded people? Just go to the NOISE website, create a profile and upload your work. It’s that simple.

So what are you waiting for? Go to www.noisefestival.com – and make some NOISE!