Over the past five years, our work has been shaped by conversations with the community which has highlighted the topic of food security, green space, and the option to grow food locally as reoccurring themes. These go hand in hand with conversations about physical and mental health, isolation, and access to good quality food.
In 2023, we decided in partnership with our communities, that we wanted to test a different way of doing things and The People’s Pantry represents an experimentation of this. The two sites are visually and logistically different. One is a purpose built, artist led community pantry space with an adjoining garden currently in development. The other, a small store cupboard in a community laundry and library space. We have sourced donations through our partnerships with local allotments and supermarkets and have a handful of dedicated volunteers who have shaped the project to where it is now.
We would like to commission an artist that will help us refine our process. We want to build a creative model that takes into consideration all the unique assets we have locally and reflects it back out to the wider community as a clear project that is easy to understand and get involved in. We are interested in exchange rather than money, for example time or food memories, sharing local recipes, wisdom and stories, as opposed to something physical.
In areas where food banks are a common part of daily life and many neighbourhoods are food desserts, we want to have a different conversation. What do people need to reclaim healthy food culture for their households?
Working closely with our Neighbourhood Producer, Digital Communications Coordinator, and volunteers, you will explore the exchange model and how we communicate that. It’s an exciting prospect… How can we act as catalyst for change in the creative conversation around the food economy?
How to Apply
To apply please submit a proposal that outlines:
Why you are interested in the commission
A background to your practice and why you feel it is relevant
Examples of your past work/projects that you think demonstrate how your practice fits this brief
A breakdown of the budget into how many days you would spend on the project
CV
Please send your proposal as one document, ideally a PDF, no more than 1,500 words with accompanying drawings/cads.
Brief released 06/10/2023
Deadline 12pm 20/10/2023
Contact name: Catherine Peters, catherine.peters@leftcoast.org.uk