Superact is a not for profit arts organization based in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. Formed in 2006, Superact runs a number of community orientated projects focused on art, music and innovation. Superact is responsible for the running of the nationwide project the

Bandstand Marathon The Bandstand Marathon is a cultural event that began in 2008 and sees a range of free live music concerts take place simultaneously at bandstands and other outdoor venues across the United Kingdom. In 2012 the Bandstand Marathon became an offic ...

, which was the main closing event of the

London 2012 Festival The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the United Kingdom that accompanied the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olym ...

. Superact is also involved in the running of a number of arts-based projects in the U.K and across Europe, including the NetBox project, PEETA and the IC Music Project. Superact also developed the Supporting Employability and Personal Effectiveness (SEPE) qualification in partnership with the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

; the qualification is accredited by

Edexcel Edexcel (also known since 2013 as Pearson Edexcel) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational education and examination body formed in 1996 and wholly owned by Pearson plc since 2005. It is the only privately owned examination board ...

and is designed to help those who may find accessing traditional routes to employability challenging to build confidence and gain a meaningful qualification.

Projects

Bandstand Marathon

The

is a cultural event that began in 2008 and sees a range of free live music concerts take place simultaneously at

bandstands A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornam ...

and other outdoor venues across the U.K. In 2012 the Bandstand Marathon became an official part of the

Cultural Olympiad An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not until ...

and it was announced in September of that year that it would be the official finale event of the

. The 2012 Bandstand Marathon was officially endorsed by

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

, who allowed participating bands to perform their song "

Viva La Vida "Viva la Vida" (, ; ) is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008). The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian refe ...

" simultaneously across the country to tie in with their performance of the song at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic games.

IC Music

The IC Music Project sees musicians from England,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

participate in a cultural exchange that provides them with opportunities to work and perform across Europe. Superact is responsible for providing the musicians with training that will enable them to deliver training and perform in potentially challenging environments, such as nursing homes and hospitals.

PEETA

The Personal Effectiveness and Employability Through the Arts (PEETA) project saw partners from across Europe work with prisoners from institutions in seven countries. The project had artists go into prisons and coach inmates on a variety of art forms, with the goal being to help them turn their lives around by developing their confidence, communication and teamwork skills. This project drew upon the SEPE qualification which was developed by Superact in conjunction with the

NetBox

NetBox is a community-focused initiative that aims to enrich communities and help make them more self-sufficient. By researching the needs and skills of individuals in towns across Europe (including

Wiveliscombe Wiveliscombe (, ) is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The town has a population of 2,893. The Square, fronted by several listed structures, held the former ...

), this project will explore how communities can be made more resilient by drawing upon the resources and knowledge of their inhabitants.{{cite web , url=http://www.wiveliscombe.com/netbox/ , title=The Netbox Project: Making Links for Local Learning , date=16 August 2012 , work=Wiveliscombe Area Website, publisher=Wiveliscombe Parish Council, accessdate=5 October 2012

References

External links

Superact Website

IC Music Homepage
Organisations based in Taunton Arts organisations based in England