Showcasing work at international events can be transformative for artists and organisations. With a new franchise of the tech, film and music showcase South by Southwest (SXSW) coming to London for its first European edition, it’s a good time to reflect on how the original Austin, Texas event has embraced UK creativity and how – with targeted support from funders – it influences the international perception of UK culture.
I run British Underground, an Arts Council England NPO celebrating our 25th year supporting and connecting independent artists, producers and creative communities at showcases around the world. Our activity runs throughout the year – from the Folk Alliance International conference in Montreal to WOMEX in Tampere, Finland -presenting showcases, panels and industry networking programmes.
Each showcase is funded by a mix of the UK and Ireland arts councils and the British Council – depending on the focus. At SXSW, alongside music we produce the Future Art and Culture programme showcasing immersive and XR work at the crossroads of art and technology – valuable on an individual, organisational and international level.
Missing a trick
My journey began in 2001 when I first visited SXSW. The conference was founded in 1987, “To bring the outside world to Austin”, a freewheeling progressive city with a storied music history including rock icon Janis Joplin and country outlaw Willie Nelson.
The townsfolk of Austin were concerned about the lack of national recognition for its vibrant music scene and set up a festival with 700 registrants turning up on the opening day. In 1994, the SXSW film festival was added to cater for the growing independent film community alongside the interactive festival exploring innovation, technology and future-thinking.
Music was the driving force when I arrived with an A&R (artists and repertoire) focus on new bands from the USA. Although there was a scattering of UK acts, it seemed we were missing a trick by not having a more organised UK presence.
Arriving home, a coalition of organisations – including music industry trade bodies AIM and BPI, the UK government and British Underground – mounted the first official UK music showcase in 2002 featuring rock band Elbow and garage duo Oxide and Neutrino.
Alongside, we hosted an industry networking event supported by eye-catching promotional artwork. The packed-out showcase helped the artists secure US bookings and representation and won praise from the New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine.
UK artists finding their mojo
Since that early success, UK music showcasing has been embraced by SXSW and industry and media from all over the world have lined up outside cramped, hot venues to experience and work with UK artists. More recently, new UK scenes and marginalised genres – often overlooked by the mainstream – have found their mojo at SXSW giving them global visibility as well as credibility and energy back home.
Having gained extensive experience, British Underground was approached by about developing activity around culture, innovation and technology in their fast-growing and influential interactive festival. They felt the UK was under-represented and that I might be able to address that. My background included a few years as a computer programmer, and I have kept a weather eye on tech and innovation since.
Continues…
Cosmos: Through the Lens by Atlantic Productions, created in partnership with University of Sussex
I approached Arts Council England in 2017 and together we hosted a research mission to explore opportunities in the SXSW interactive festival. With the feedback from that trip, we developed the Future Art and Culture programme focusing on raising the profile of the growing UK immersive and XR community at SXSW, developing skills and building connections in export markets.
Creating a fit-for-purpose support structure for participants was critically important with so much competition for funding and when it’s prohibitively expensive and complicated to showcase work independently.
Building a highly creative soft powerhouse
Our first year saw us showcase the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Virtual Beethoven’s Fifth plus a panel including the RSC and Punchdrunk exploring technology and theatre. Since then, we’ve taken more than 26 XR exhibition projects, hosted 30 discussion panels highlighting UK sector expertise and supported 225 delegates.
Since 2022, the British Council has invested and we’ve acted as convenor for other UK partners – including the BFI, the Creative Economy Programme and the Department of Business & Trade – with a significant part of our networking taking place in the government sponsored UK House at SXSW. It’s been an increasingly valuable part of building the UK’s brand as a highly creative soft powerhouse.
In 2024, our UK projects won four SXSW XR audience and critics’ awards and participants are securing international funding and partnerships – including a $2.4m investment in one UK organisation, directly attributable to taking part in SXSW.
Showcasing the arts internationally requires a complex, creative and subtle technique, something British Underground has been working on since our foundation. The UK, as a recognised global tastemaker, has the edge but we need to elevate it and take nothing for granted, if artists and creative organisations – and our economy – are to benefit.
Grassroots communities must be included in international narrative
Even though UK creativity is celebrated around the world, it’s important to signpost the depth and diverse pool of individuals and organisations producing work that is groundbreaking, thought-provoking and helping us make sense of the world. Our creative advantage is fragile, and our grassroots communities must be included and nurtured in our international narrative.
Addressing this, we at British Underground have been developing a new model of professional development for artists and producers with our Connect programme. Supported by Arts Council England, this initiative encourages new voices to access and explore international showcases and conferences at no financial risk and with additional targeted skills development.
This month, as part of the 2025 Future Art and Culture programme, we are hosting six panels sharing UK expertise on AI, XR, dance, wellness, disability and access alongside two XR exhibitions and a night of music and tech, produced by live event changemakers Ristband. Each participant will go on their own journey through SXSW finding new collaborators, networks and investors.
As SXSW London approaches, international showcasing opportunities continue to be vitally important and well worth the investment to enable new and emerging talent to flourish globally.
