dot-art is working with Open Eye Gallery and First Take to deliver a new artwork in Liverpool’s Baltic Corridor public realm as part of the international Urban GreenUP programme.
We are looking for an artist to design and produce a series of seven multiple artworks which will form part of a community focused, multimedia, interactive trail and help raise awareness and understanding of the Urban GreenUP initiative and the wider Climate Change agenda.
Background
Horizon 2020 URBAN GreenUP (www.urbangreenup.eu) is a €14,724,694 Nature Based Solution project under the 2020 EU SMART AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES programme. (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020). The programme commenced in June 2017 and will run for 5 years. The project is led by 3 front runner cities which include Liverpool in the UK, Valladolid in northern Spain and Izmir in Turkey.
In Liverpool the partner organisations involved in URBAN GreenUP are the City Council, Mersey Forest and the University of Liverpool. Collectively the Liverpool partners have received approximately £3.4m to deliver the programme of work.
The URBAN GreenUP programme is targeted at research into the potential of green infrastructure solutions to tackle the predicted future impacts of climate change. As such the plan is to use a range of natural planting and water solutions to tackle city issues such as localised surface water flooding, poor air and water quality, summer heat effects and the lack of biodiversity.
The work in Liverpool is taking place in 3 areas: Business Improvement District (BID)/ City Centre, Jericho Lane / Otterspool and the Baltic Corridor, which this project is part of. Liverpool City Council will lead on working with local communities and stakeholders to introduce green infrastructure to a green corridor that links Bold Street to the waterfront. The physical changes will include vertical green walls; raingardens, trees, pollinator spaces and verges and resting areas together with opportunities for community engagement and community art.
Apart from urban green transformation, the project is expected to achieve important results in other fields too. URBAN GreenUP will improve life quality in urban areas, raise awareness on the importance of environment preservation among citizens, generate new market opportunities for European companies at international level, and foster the creation of transnational networks and synergies. Last but not the least, it will highlight the importance of the local communities’ active participation when addressing climate problems through cocreation activities also directly involving the citizens, who are at the core of their cities’ green regeneration.
Commission Opportunity
We are working with Liverpool City Council to deliver an artwork commission for the Baltic Corridor public realm through a process of community engagement as an integral element of the scheme. The aim of the commission is to help raise awareness and understanding of the Urban GreenUP initiative and the wider Climate Change agenda.
A series of community engagement workshops will be run in the area by Open Eye Gallery, which will produce nature based artwork as well as engage the groups meaningfully in the development and sustainability of the green interventions. First Take will produce a series of seven short films featuring these participants and other community members, highlighting the impact of the Urban GreenUP project, the importance of the climate change agenda and how we as individuals can make a difference.
We are now looking to commission a visual artist to develop a series of seven artwork interventions / multiples which will be placed along the Baltic Corridor at key public locations. At each location, a QR code will also be included, through which the public will be able to view the short films created with the community. The commission will create a public art trail to highlight the significance and value of the Urban GreenUp projects in the Baltic Corridor and engage all who live, work or visit the area.
• The subject and form of the artwork multiple is open, however it should link to the green theme and / or the location of the Urban GreenUp schemes.
• It will need to be robust enough to be sited in an outdoor location for a minimum of 2 years, and be simple to attach to a variety of surfaces (brick, concrete, wood etc).
• There will need to be a suitable place for a QR code to be located on or adjacent to the artwork; this will allow visitors to scan with their phone to access a range of additional information including data from the green interventions in the area, history of the locations and artwork created by the local community.
• Budget: There is an artist’s fee of £7,500 (ex VAT). There is an all-inclusive budget of £5250 (ex VAT) for the artwork. The QR code ‘plaque’ will be funded under a separate budget.
Timetable
Friday 17th April – Artist Call Closes
Thursday 30th April – Interviews held in Liverpool
May – Development of Design
June & July – Production of Artworks
August – Installation
September (date TBC) – Launch