PRESS RELEASE
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a digital platform for young people aged 14-24 years to discover, debate and create
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art that explores humanitarian ideals across borders, religion and race
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supported by six artist commissions over two and a half years
1215.today is a unique digital platform that will see young people from around the world collaborate with leading contemporary artists to explore the significance of Magna Carta through art. A University of Lincoln initiative, funded by an Arts Council England Exceptional
Award, it will launch at Lincoln Castle on 14th June 2015, the eve of the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the ‘Great Charter’.
An internationally accessible online platform, designed and created by CultureShock Media,
1215.today will be managed in partnership with the young people who use it. Artists’ films, animation, music, written and spoken word will all be featured, alongside work submitted by young people and learning resources from partners including the British Library, YouGov and the Royal Commonwealth Society. It will be supported by six artist commissions over the two-year life of the project.
1215.today will launch in a special event at Lincoln Castle on Sunday 14th June 2015, with digital and live art performances in Lincoln Castle's Victorian prison that will bring to life the digital platform, with a call to arms to the young project champions. Questions posed will relate to the meaning and relevance of power, rights, freedom and responsibilities in the digital age.
Magna Carta is recognised as the foundation of constitutional democracy and the source of many of the civil liberties enjoyed in free countries today, from trial by jury to fair taxation.
Lincoln is home to one of four surviving copies of the great charter and one of only two copies of its sister document The Charter of the Forest.
1215.today
will culminate in Lincoln on 6 November 2017, 800 years on from the sealing of
The Charter of the Forest, when a specially commissioned artwork will communicate the needs of this new generation in a new charter to institutions of power all over the world. In the months in between, live events in Lincoln, around the UK and worldwide will provide

participatory opportunities and the chance to link with other events inspired by the universal theme of liberty.
Professor Mary Stuart, Vice Chancellor at the University of Lincoln and Chair of the Lincoln
Cultural & Arts Partnership, said: “Magna Carta is not just a story about medieval barons and kings - it is about a vision to stand against injustice to shape a better, fairer society.
That is an ideal that resonates with many people around the world today.
“Art has a profound role to play in enabling us to understand and articulate how we feel about complex issues in constructive and thought-provoking ways. 1215.today
is a unique opportunity for young people to connect across borders, working with contemporary artists across many genres to give their own interpretation of Magna Carta’s modern day releva nce and produce a body of work which will inspire new generations.”
Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: “Exceptional Awards are an opportunity for the Arts Council to invest in really outstanding ideas or opportunities of national significance which don’t come along every day. We’re committed to making sure children and young people are able to access and enjoy great art and culture and this new digital platform will be an exciting place for cultural and artistic exchange for young people in Lincoln and beyond. Ambitious in its reach, we are sure this project will inspire creativity and debate linked to the celebrations taking place this year for the 800th anniversary of the
Magna Carta.”
1215.today is a University of Lincoln initiative funded from the National Lottery through an
Exceptional Award from Arts Council England. It has support from the British Library,
Cultureshock Media, Frequency Festival, City of Lincoln Council, Lincolnshire County
Council, Lincoln Cultural & Arts Partnership, Lincoln BIG, Lincolnshire One Venues, Royal
Commonwealth Society, Southbank Centre, Royal College of Art, Visit Lincoln and YouGov.
Project Co-directors are Sukhy Johal of Johal Strategic Services and Ann Jones of
ArtProjects and Solutions.
ENDS
For further media information please contact:
Chris Baker / 020 3697 4252 / 07872 176270 / chris.baker@fourcolmangetty.com
Rosie Beaumont-Thomas / 020 3697 4330 / rosie.beaumont-thomas@fourcolmangetty.com
James Douglas / 020 3697 4267 / james.douglas@fourcolmangetty.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the University of Lincoln, UK:
The University of Lincoln was named among the UK's top 10 modern universities in the Times and Sunday
Times Good University Guide 2015 and in the top 40 English universities by the Complete University Guide
2016. We have some of the most satisfied students in the UK, rating in the top 20% nationally in a number of subject areas of the National Student Survey 2014. We are recognised for our pioneering approach to working

with employers, winning a Lord Stafford Award and a Times Higher Education Award. Graduate prospects are strong with nine out of ten of Lincoln’s most recent graduates in work or further study six months after finishing their course. In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, more than half of our submitted research was judged to be internati onally excellent or world leading, with Lincoln ranked in the UK’s top 10 for quality of research outputs in two major subject areas.
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk