Artist Open Call: Festival Commission

The National Festival of Making and This Is Nelson have formed a partnership to create a new commission for an architectural / design studios or artist / arts collectives. The outcome of the commission will be a temporary structure that can be used and transported between two festivals:

• Festival of Culture, Nelson (29th June)
• National Festival of Making, Blackburn (6-7th July)

We are looking for a bespoke structure that will be informed by our local communities across our towns, that will reflect our sense of place and geography and draw together what unites our towns when presented in the two different locations. Suitable applicants will be able to demonstrate experience of delivering socially engaged design processes that could work effectively in collaboration with the communities of Pendle and Blackburn.

We're interested in a structure or temporary space that will invite audiences to have an experience that feels unique or out of the ordinary within the context of a 'festival'. We are open to the space being celebratory, forming a site for the festival audience to gather together. Alternatively, the space could be reflective, a site for thoughtful exchange amongst festival audiences who may not regularly interact. We are also interested in proposals for the creation of an entry point to our festival sites, for example an archway, a garden, a pavilion, or a gathering space for young people. Regardless of the feel and function of the structure, it is crucial that the outcome reflects a shared ethos of both festivals: to create opportunities for celebratory demonstrations of local cultures through the combination of art and community.