BxNU Institute

The BxNU Institute supports experimental artistic and curatorial research and practice. It is a collaboration between Northumbria University and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

The BxNU Institute is a centre for international artistic and curatorial research and practice instigated by Northumbria University and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. We develop exhibitions, public projects, discussions and events that are ambitious and interdisciplinary in nature, focusing on critical themes of priority at both institutions.Projects, experiments, performances, discussions, collaborations are developed at BxNU by Northumbria cross-Faculty staff, students, BALTIC staff and invited artists, members of the local cultural community and international guests.

BxNU is principally affiliated with the art and culture practice-based research community of Northumbria University:
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Fine Art Foundation Year
‍Fine Art BA (Hons)
Creative and Cultural Industries Management MA
Conservation of Fine Art (Works of Art on Paper) MA
Conservation of Fine Art (Easel Paintings) MA
MA Digital and Immersive Arts
Arts MRes
‍‍ArtsPhD
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‍Since December 2017 the Director of the BxNU Institute has been BALTIC Professor Andrea Phillips. Previous to this Christine Borland held the post of BALTIC Professor. Both professors have worked collaboratively with staff and students to develop shared interests and practices. Whilst Christine’s artistic focus as BALTIC Professor was to investigate the social,historical and aesthetic limits of scientific knowledge and the human body,Andrea’s focus is to develop new theories and practices of collective curatorial and pedagogic institutional organisation, setting up the Experimental Studio 2018-2022.  

BxNU Ethos

The BxNU Institute advances practice-based research in the arts and collaborations between artists, curators and students and professionals from different disciplines. Its aim is to make Northumbria University and the BALTIC’s research and practice public. The partnership exemplifies the ways in which universities and public arts institutions can work together to produce exciting and ground-breaking projects.

The BxNU Institute takes the term ‘experimentation’ as the locus of transdisciplinary public work. Experiments take many forms – conversational debates and inquiries, artistic tests and trials, scientific proposals, architectural and design blueprints, performative rehearsals and social gatherings. The aim is to develop pragmatic and conceptual thinking and action in the public sphere and amongst different constituencies. Anyone can propose an experiment and BxNU will try and make it possible.