CreArt Liverpool opens new Call: Chinese New Year Mural project
Liverpool City Council - Culture Liverpool Call for Artist(s)
CREART Chinese New Year Mural project
Document Date 9 November 2020
Call out for an artist(s) from the CreArt Cities Network to work with Liverpool digital/graphic designer/street artist to design and create/install a site specific mural within the Chinatown area of Liverpool at Great George Square.
We are seeking two artists:
- A CreArt artist (born or resident in any city of the Network) to design the concept and graphics for the artwork in collaboration with a Liverpool based artist.
- A Liverpool artist to work onsite with the community with the technical skills to ensure implementation of the design on the site.
Artists may submit individually, to be paired during the selection process, or as a pre-arranged pairing. Teams or collectives may also apply.
The purpose of the project is to:
- Offer CreArt city artists the opportunity to work collaboratively with a Liverpool based artist to develop an artistic project in the urban environment
- Promote and encourage creativity and create a piece of artwork that will both improve the environment for residents and neighbours but also attract visitors to the space increasing footfall in the area.
- Install a celebratory artwork that celebrates Chinese New Year 2021.
- Use Art to engage the local community in the process
- Enable a transnational collaboration using remote communication, developing knowledge of digital working in this area of work.
- Build the profile of the artists and the CREART network both locally and internationally.
Theme: Reunion
The Chinese New Year celebrations are the most important festival in the Chinese calendar. It is traditionally a time for reunion, when families come together to celebrate. The Spring Festival as it is also known signifies new beginnings, fresh life, the warming of the sun and the transition from winter to spring. Each year is represented by an animal from The Great Race, a traditional story of the 12 animals who make up the Chinese zodiac. The animals have their own characteristics and personalities which are believed to be reflected in people born in the corresponding years. 2021 is the Year of the Ox, believed to bring good fortune.
The theme of Reunion, togetherness and new beginnings is an appropriate theme after the impact of COVID-19 in 2020.
The piece needs to sensitively consider Chinese superstitions and beliefs in terms of imagery and colours used and any text should be both in Cantonese and English.
We would welcome any links made to Chinatowns and Chinese Communities in other CREART cities.
Design will be initiated by a CREART artist, in collaboration with the Liverpool artist and Chinese community. The Liverpool digital artist will ensure its production and installation to LCC specifications. There is flexibility in this arrangement, however timely delivery is crucial to the project and responsibilities must remain clear throughout.
The Site
The wall is adjacent to the location for the annual Chinese New Year celebrations at the bottom of Nelson Street on which is situated the Chinese Arch, the largest arch outside of mainland China. The wall is of concrete construction approx. 50m x 1.5-2.0m.
The Chinese New Year Festival, usually which includes a daylong event of cultural activity, including a Chinese Dragon parade, Lucky Man, Tai Chi, Traditional Dance, Music, Martial Arts, Storytelling and Digital performances. The event is highly popular and well attended, however due to the pandemic it will not take place in the same way in 2021.
This can be viewed on Google Maps here:
2. BENEFICIARIES AND PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
- Visual artists, graphic and digital designers, and street artists may participate, provided that all applicants are born or residing in a CREART network city.
- The artistic discipline in which the projects must be developed will be mural in either paint or vinyl.
- There must be no commercial element within the mural (eg: logo/name of company etc) nor reference to any other building/company/property that would class the work as an Advertisement and thereby infringe planning law.
- LCC will own the final artwork and be responsible for its maintenance and a maintenance specification/schedule is required.
- We would anticipate documentation/recording of work being installed to be shown over CNY period online or a livestream of it being installed – additional budget may be available for this.
- The work should be environmentally friendly and have a low carbon impact.
- The artwork will be expected to have a minimum life of twelve months, after which it will be reviewed and a further period may be agreed.
- Decommissioning/removal and making good costs should also be indicated in the application.
Proposals will include consideration of all of the above.
3. APPLICATIONS
Registrations will be made before December 1st through the online form in the calls section of the web
https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/
Interested artists must attach a portfolio (only PDF document) with the following documentation and description of the proposal:
- Scanned photocopy of ID
- CV
- Proposal Concept and development of the project (maximum 5 pages of A4), detailing technique, materials, necessary equipment and execution method
- The project requirements listed above (1-9) and:
- Timeline for delivery
- A fully costed budget including design, transfer costs (i.e. from CREART city to Liverpool), materials, any licensing, insurance and contingency costs. Full cost recovery is acceptable (for example including studio running costs.)
- Proposed design and installation method
- Details of how materials are durable for at least 12 months from installation and resistant to weathering and vandalism.
Artists must supply a CV and summary portfolio of similar previous work.
The final successful design must be copyright clear and royalty free usage of the imagery by Liverpool City Council for promotional purposes included in the cost.
Total budget is £15k to include all of above (note this includes both artists).
If you have any problem to upload the file or complete the online application please send documentation by mail to creart@fmcva.org and
sean.durney@liverpool.gov.uk. Note large files over 5mb should be send by We Transfer www.wetransfer.com
4. SELECTION
Artists will be selected via application to Liverpool City Council in partnership with the Liverpool Chinese Business Association.
Once the registration period has closed, the LCC Judging Panel will evaluate the proposals submitted based on the following criteria:
- creative and innovative proposal
- technical feasibility of the project for its production
- execution and sustainability
- integration of the artistic project in the space and community participation.
The jury’s decision is final, no appeals will be entered into.
5. RESOLUTION AND EXECUTION OF ARTISTIC INTERVENTION
The decision will be made public by December 5 on the CreArt website, and all participants will be notified by email.
One month will be available for the elaboration and production of the final project in the location selected by the organization. The selected artists and / or groups will complete the projects between 1st – 11th February 2021 once the final proposal has been approved and with all the necessary permits for their execution.
LCC reserve the right to amend the final details and location of this commission and to reschedule should circumstances materially change during the contract period. However, contracted artists. However we will endeavour to ensure that contracted artists will not be disadvantaged by any changes requested by LCC.
Participation in this call implies the acceptance of these conditions, and the artist selected should include then in their CV and in all future communications (press, digital media), that they have been selected to participate in the CreArt Street Art programme as part of the CreArt. Network of Cities for Artistic Creation, project co-funded by the European Union.
6. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Culture Liverpool – Liverpool City Council www.cultureliverpool.co.uk
Culture Liverpool was established after the resounding success of 2008, in which the City of Liverpool delivered the most successful European Capital of Culture year to date.
Since then our aim has been to continually build upon this success through championing culture across the Liverpool City Region through all of our services and sub-brands, all of which are listed here.
As Liverpool City Council’s cultural service, we have continued to build on our world class reputation, using culture as the driving force for the regeneration of the whole city.
The City’s determination to build its brand on an international stage is constantly gathering pace and we invite you to join us on this journey and fulfil the huge potential of Liverpool – “The World in One City”.
CreArt Network
CreArt (Network of Cities for Artistic Creation) is a European Network comprised of cities and public and private cultural institutions. Launched 5 years ago within the framework of the Eu Culture Programme (2007-2013) its aim was to respond to certain needs shared by European cultural institutions: to maximise the economic, social and cultural contribution that the visual arts can make by better supporting artists, managers, the industry and the general public by allowing them to create, exhibit and enjoy works of art, as well as to access training through seminars, artist residences, workshops and research programmes. It is primarily concerned with the Visual Arts.
The website can be found at https://creart2-eu.org/
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