The award winning Scottish author Ali Smith is penning a new chapter in her career - by directing the largest arts festival in England.
Smith, who has recently won the Costa Novel award to add to her list of literary achievements, is to be the guest director of the Brighton Festival this year.
The three week festival on the south coast of England runs from May 2 to 24 and will explore "many of Ali Smith's ideas, interests and passions."
The programme covers music, theatre, dance, visual art, film, literature and debate.
It will also include the critically acclaimed Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler, the play made by Scottish theatre company Vanishing Point and the National Theatre of Scotland.
The show will be staged at the Theatre Royal from 13 - 17 May 2015 and will be Vanishing Point's third appearance in the Brighton Festival.
Matthew Lenton, artistic director of Vanishing Point, said: "We are delighted to be returning to the Brighton Festival. Ivor Cutler was a unique character in our cultural life.
"As a company we had long wanted to create a show that would appeal to life-long fans and introduce Cutler to a whole new generation.
"We are now looking forward to sharing Cutler's beautiful cosmos with audiences at this year's Brighton Festival."
Laurie Sansom, artistic director of the NTS, said: "Vanishing Point has transformed Cutler's world into a hugely entertaining piece of music -theatre which proved a great hit with Scottish audiences last year.
"I am delighted that Brighton Festival audiences will now get the chance to experience this beautifully realised, evocative show whilst gaining an insight into the legacy of a true Scottish maverick."
Another Scottish artist, Nathan Coley, is involved in the festival, and will unveil a new commission, Portraits of Dissension.
Ms Smith said: "It's tremendously exciting to have been asked to help programme the 2015 Brighton Festival.
"I'm delighted and honoured - what a gift, to be asked to do this, imagine - the biggest international multi-arts spectacular in England."
The seventh guest director of Brighton Festival, Ali Smith follows on from visual artist Anish Kapoor (2009), musician Brian Eno (2010), Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (2011), actress and human rights campaigner Vanessa Redgrave (2012), poet, author and former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen (2013) and choreographer, composer and performer Hofesh Shechter (2014) in helping curate the three-week programme of cultural events.
Andrew Comben, chief executive of Brighton Festival says: "Ali Smith, as Guest Director this year, has been a wonderful inspiration to us all in programming the festival.
"In her writing, Ali is renowned for pushing form and working with her has taught us to think differently about how we programme and the work that we bring."
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