FACT is the headquarters of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, a new media arts centre, gallery and cinema opened in Liverpool on 22 February 2003. Designed by award-winning architects Austin-Smith: Lord, the building was the cityÕs first purpose built cultural project for over 60 years. FACT was, and remains, a vibrant flagship in the £100 million redevelopment of the Ropewalks district of Liverpool and played a key role in the cityÕs successful 2008 Capital of Culture bid.

FACT is the UK’s leading organisation for commissioning, exhibiting, promoting and supporting artists’ work and innovation in the fields of film, video, and new media.

FACT’s mission is to inspire and promote the artistic significance of film, video and new media. Twenty years on, FACT is still the UK’s primary exponent of innovative digital media, continuing to pioneer new forms of artistic and social interaction with emerging creativity.

FACT believes in the ability of individuals and communities to express themselves creatively, and work with international artists to develop exhibitions, increase knowledge about new technologies and to create new commissions with people living and working in Liverpool.

FACT Programme is the artistic core of the organisation, commissioning and exhibiting projects by artists in film, video and new and emerging media forms and working with a wide variety of partner organisations.

FACT Programme delivers four seasonal exhibitions a year in the FACT gallery spaces, which are linked by a common theme. In 2009 the theme was UNsustainable, in response to Liverpool City CouncilÕs Year of the Environment. In 2010 Innovation and Wellbeing were chosen to be examined under the theme of Progress. Exhibitions often have a life after FACT, touring nationally and internationally.

FACT presents approximately four exhibitions per year, plus one festival (Abandon Normal Devices) every other September.

Most outstanding projects in recent years:

In 2009, FACT launched the Northwest’s first cross-regional festival of digital culture with Cornerhouse (Manchester) and folly (Lancaster). The Abandon Normal Devices (AND) festival demonstrates FACTÕs commitment both to advocacy of the art-form and to developing digital media and film-making talent in the region. In September 2009, FACT exhibited Primitive, a joint commission from Cannes Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul. In 2010, FACT and Tate Liverpool collaborated on a retrospective of the work of pioneering video artist Nam June Paik.

FACT has a strong and prolific public programme that includes feature films, artist cinema, live music events, public talks and discussions, film courses and media workshops, international symposia, performances, film screenings, site-specific commissions, and local community projects.

FACT’s diverse public programme includes experimental and avant-garde cinema, artist cinema commissions and presentations, artist residencies and production support, music and film events, symposiums with a range of speakers from across the world of film, media, and popular culture (for example, 2011 FACT will be producing the international media art histories, re:wire conference), film festivals showcasing local film talent, along with development opportunities, performance lectures, and educational screenings. Many of our events are free to the public, or subsdised at a special rate for the public.

FACT organizes approximately 50 public  activities each year.

FACT’s Engagement Team works with education, young people, families and communities. Since 1992, FACT’s Engagement Team (formerly Education & Collaborations) has been delivering a range of programmes aimed at addressing issues such as community cohesion, social exclusion, technological exclusion, citizenship and civic participation.

With programmes dedicated to schools and colleges, communities, young people, families, interest groups, health, housing and regeneration, the Engagement Team use creativity and innovate projects to foster sustainable communities and to improve quality of living.

FACT’s Engagement programme endeavours to: ensure the widest possible participation and engagement in FACTÕs core offer and building; continue to build world renowned and locally respected models of engagement; produce and present new works of artistic significance and social benefit; engage FACTÕs audience and stakeholders as producers empowering individuals and communities to engage; commission leading thinkers, artists and provocateurs to work with communities of interest; develop ethical commercial opportunities to sustain programmes and levels of engagement.

Freehand is FACT’s young people’s programme, where young people are the programmers, curators and project coordinators.

FACT’s Schools and Learning programme aims to place creative technology at the heart of learning through workshops, screenings and collaborative projects. Over 60 schools and colleges across Merseyside participate in the programme each year. Over the years, FACT has launched partnerships with the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University to set up a series of collaborative PhD student-ships researching around higher education institutions, arts organisations and funders. FACT’s exhibitions are increasingly incorporating research elements aimed at furthering the organisation’s programme to extend beyond the arts.

FACT presents the following programs each year:

Schools and Learning programme: 120 events/screenings/workshops.

Community/outreach programme: 150 events/screenings/workshops

Young people’s programme: 50 events/screenings/workshops

FACT publishes 1 catalogue or reader per exhibition (4 per year).

Gallery 1, 192 m2s; Gallery 2, 115 m2; The Media Lounge (small gallery/engagement space), 35 m2; The Box (flexible screening space with removable sofa style seating), seats 50, 80 standing; Screen 1, cinema screen, seats 264; Screen 2, cinema screen, seats 144; Screen 3, cinema screen, seats 104; Media Lab, training suite, Apple Mac computers, macromedia software, audio workstations; The Board Room, seats 14.