Aug 02, 2019
Wellcome Collection and Revoluton Arts are seeking to co-commission an artist or artists, to produce and present a new artwork or body of work made in collaboration with communities in Bury Park, Luton on the theme of Touch.
Budget: £44,500 (+ £2,000 for travel and accommodation if required)
Deadline for tenders: 11.59pm on Sunday 1 September
The development and presentation of the Touch Commission will run alongside a social science research study and programme series co-commissioned by Wellcome Collection and BBC Radio 4 to run from autumn 2019 to autumn 2020. This will be the third in a series of surveys carried out in partnership between Wellcome Collection and BBC Radio 4, the first two being on the topics of Rest and Loneliness respectively.
The aim of this commission is to:
This brief is deliberately very open, as we are interested in starting a conversation with an artist or collective to explore the possibilities presented by the partnership, the theme and in particular, the communities of Bury Park as participants and co-creators of this work.
We are therefore particularly interested in hearing from artist(s) who have a track record of meaningful collaboration with a diversity of communities to realise high quality outcomes.
Bury Park Road in Luton is in the Eastern region of England.
The postcode is within the Biscot ward/electoral division, which is in the constituency of Luton South.
The wider Bury Park area is the home of Luton Town Football Club and includes Luton Central Mosque, Church of God in Christ Headquarters and Bury Park Community Centre.
The ‘high street’ constitutes a small length of Dunstable Road and is comprised of businesses such as cafes, restaurants (of various cultures including South Asian, Chinese, Sri Lankan and Afghan), wedding hall, jewellers, boutiques, loose fabric shops, beauty salons, fruit & veg stalls, perfume stalls, bookshops, shoe shops, and many others.
Over recent years, Bury Park has come to represent the ‘challenges’ of a multicultural society largely through the perpetuation of certain stereotypes and sensationalist media headlines that combined has fed into the tropes and negative narratives around the discourse of multiculturalism and immigration.
However, the story that is little heard is about how Bury Park is a welcoming, thriving and dynamic area with a creative voice that is vibrant. As you walk into any of the venues, shops, cafes or fashion boutiques there is a rich cultural heritage on display – intricate embroidered designs on clothes, the aromas of herbs and spices, jewellery, through to the beautiful calligraphy patterns on the walls.
This is the home of talented individuals, enterprise and creativity.
We are interested and excited by the possibilities offered in this rich local context combined with creative responses to the commissioning theme – Touch.
The selected artist will be required to:
Insurance: The artist should have public liability insurance to the value of £5 million
Revoluton is based in Marsh Farm, Leagrave (nearest train station Leagrave) and is a short car/bus ride to Bury Park with on-site facilities for hot desking, meeting and an ideas room.
Parking is available.
Few making spaces are available in Bury Park, and therefore we are interested in artist(s) who are flexible in approach and who are excited by the potential of animating a range of traditional and non-traditional spaces.
A short survey outlining potential making and presenting spaces in Bury Park is available on request.
The commission runs from September 2019 – September 2020. See full timetable in brief (download below).
The budget for this project is £44,500 to include artist fees, materials, equipment, production and technical and the final exhibition/showcase costs.
A further £2,000 is available for travel and accommodation if required.
Budgets should be inclusive of VAT and include a contingency.
Please submit tenders to info@revolutonarts.com by 11.59pm on Sunday 1 September 2019.
Shortlist for interview will be assessed against the information described in the brief (download below).
Artist Brief Touch Commission
Applicants can make enquiries regarding the commission to: jenny@revolutonarts.com
Further Information available on request: