A four-day showcase entirely dedicated to emerging talents working in audio, moving image, and interactive media is opening this Thursday at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). The programme, including live performances, screenings, and workshops presents newly commissioned works by London’s next generation of artists. 

Realised as part of New Creatives – a talent development scheme run by the BBC and Arts Council England – ICA’s exhibition Current Transmissions promotes artists from backgrounds underrepresented in the arts.

The showcased works invite visitors to reflect upon themes such as gender and cultural identity. Among the commissions on display is DEM TIMES, a radio comedy-drama about a British-born troublemaker forced to relocate to Ghana after being expelled from high school, and Switchboard in the 70s, featuring interviews, original music, and archive material retracing the history of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ helpline.

“The work you will see and hear over the coming months gives an insight into subjects that matter most to our younger audiences – all explored in a unique way by a new and diverse generation of voices waiting to be heard,” said Lamia Dabboussy, executive editor at BBC Arts.

All featured works were commissioned by the ICA during two open calls and developed by the artists with mentoring and production support provided by the ICA alongside New Creatives production partners Chisenhale Gallery, Dazed Media, NTS, SPACE, the Visible Institute at Kingston School of Art, and Werkflow.

Applications are now open for the third call, running until February 26, followed by a final call in June this year.

Current Transmissions opens on February 20 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts