Proposition is commissioning a major temporary public artwork to encourage viewers to think about the potential for humans to have a positive impact on our planet’s ecology.
The artwork will be displayed on Proposition Camden’s Northwest façade, facing the Roundhouse. Envisaged as a digital print on fabric, the artwork will be 15m wide by 9m high.
The commission, ‘Biodiversity Fingerprint’, will include an Augmented Reality (AR) layer which will be embedded in the artwork, to add depth and meaning to the piece. Based on the commissioned artist’s level of experience with AR, this element may be provided by the artist(s) with support from AR specialists, or by Proposition’s AR specialists, in consultation with the commissioned artist(s). Prior experience of working with AR is not a requirement to apply for this commission.
Concept
If humanity is now the dominant influence on the ecology of our planet then aiming for Net Zero and low impact is not sufficient as it will merely slow the pace of degradation; this degradation is entirely avoidable, as human beings can have a dramatically positive impact on biodiversity and ecological resilience in the process of producing everything we need to thrive.
Drawing on an immense wealth of positive examples from different parts of the world and throughout history – such as the Loess Plateau in China, self-sustaining Oases across the Middle East, Homegardens in South East Asia, or the Great Plains in North America – and combining them with recent scientific discoveries, we must learn to reimagine ways in which we can transform our civilisation’s damaging impact on biodiversity and progress to an age of ecological abundance.
This is the central idea that we want the commissioned artist(s) to explore in
this commission.
In response to the prevalent concept of ‘Carbon Footprint’, we conceive a progressive approach that focuses on the immense potential for human beings to have a positive impact on biodiversity. Biodiversity Fingerprint is the concept we are putting forward to provoke consideration and imagination of how our actions can increase biodiversity. What Biodiversity Fingerprint does a person, company or country have? Our relationship with other living things is an integral part of our identity, much like a fingerprint. See our full open call and appendix document for more details.
Artist fee: £7,000
The production budget will be managed by Proposition Studios. A budget of up to £10,000 is allocated to the production and installation of the artwork.
How to apply
It is expected that the commissioned artist(s) will work in a freelance capacity and have 7 weeks to complete their commission. They will need to provide their own equipment and will be allocated a studio to work at Proposition Camden should they wish to have a base here.
A travel and hospitality allowance will be provided in the event the commissioned artist(s) is/are not based in London.
Criteria
● Open to applicants internationally
● Aged 18 years +
● Applicants must demonstrate an interest in the environment and
ecology
● Experience of delivering artistic projects
● There is no requirement of a formal art education to apply
● Applications may be submitted by individuals, groups or collective of artists
In line with the Artists Union England’s ‘Good Practice Charter’, applications are encouraged from artists from diverse and/or marginalised communities. As such, we encourage applications from practitioners across a range of ages, career stages, ethnicities, heritages, abilities, sexualities, genders and socio-economic backgrounds.
Applicants should submit the following information by email at [email protected]:
● Contact details
● Digital images of up to 4 works relevant to the context described for this commission
● Description of their practice and relevant experience (200 words or 2 mins video)
● A short text outlining the applicant’s interests in the brief and appendix and their thoughts on how they might respond (300 words or 3 mins video)
● Links to Instagram/website/online portfolio (if available)
● Diversity monitoring information
There is no fee to submit an application. Artists are invited to include any
access requirements in their submission.
For illustrative purposes, and not intended as a way to contain the scope of the commission, we suggest the following questions as prompts for the artist(s) wishing to apply for this commission:
● How can we redesign our human managed systems in a way that helps our planet’s biodiversity flourish?
● Can we imagine ways to create ecological abundance through our actions?
● How do our food, clothing, the built environment, resource use and waste connect us to other living things and how can these support biodiversity?
● What might human beings’ positive impact on biodiversity look and feel like?
Any questions should be sent in an email to [email protected], with your name + ‘Biodiversity Fingerprint Commission’ in the subject line. We look forward to your application!