Many Voices, One Nation

Open Call for Artist/Photographer proposals

Introduction

This open call invites artists and photographers who meet the eligibility requirements below to submit proposals for new work to be included in Many Voices, One Nation, a touring exhibition, curated by David Drake, Director of Ffotogallery Wales, and Alice Randone, curator at the National Assembly for Wales.

It is commissioned by the National Assembly for Wales and will form part of the programme of events and activities throughout 2019 to mark the first 20 years of devolution in Wales.

The programme aims to:

• Engage, entertain and inform a variety of audiences;
• Reflect contemporary Welsh life, culture and excellence;
• Help people understand Wales' position in the world;
• Showcase the Senedd as the home of Welsh public life;
• Help people understand the impact of politics on their lives, and understand and value democracy.

Many Voices, One Nation

The exhibition should use photography and lens-based media to explore the hopes and aspirations for the future of Wales.

It should aim to capture the richness and diversity of the geography, culture and society of Wales, and, wherever possible, encourage public participation.

The exhibition will be on tour at various locations across Wales in 2019/20, and will be launched at the Senedd, the centre for democracy and devolution in Wales, in September 2019.

The National Assembly for Wales is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people, makes laws for Wales, agrees Welsh taxes and holds the Welsh Government to account. It is made up of 60 elected Assembly Members, who represent a specific area of Wales as a member of a particular political party or as an independent member. Assembly Members meet every week in the Senedd when the Assembly is in session, to discuss issues of importance to Wales and its people; they pose questions to Welsh Ministers, carry out debates and examine Welsh laws.

Ffotogallery is the national development agency for photography and lens-based media in Wales, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018.

The overall curatorial strategy is to ensure the exhibition content:

• Is of high quality, contemporary and relevant to the themes of the exhibition;

• Reflects the richness and diversity of Wales and its communities by representing people of different ages and backgrounds from different parts of Wales;
• Engages, entertains and informs a variety of audiences reflecting contemporary Welsh life, culture and excellence;
• Is thought provoking and stimulates a dialogue focusing on the hopes and aspirations for Wales over the next 20 years;
• Does not compromise the Assembly's political neutrality and impartiality.

Focus of the Open Call

Eligibility

Up to six photographers/lens-based artists will be commissioned.

Responding to the exhibition themes, the commissioned artists/photographers will create new work around the themes of hopes and aspirations for the future of Wales.

We welcome proposals from artists from Wales, and/or living in Wales who work in photography, video and lens-based media, digital imaging, installation and mixed media. The proposal can be for entirely new work, or a development of work in progress. We also welcome proposals from artists who work with archival and 'found' photography in the production of new work.

Commissions will be awarded in late March and the new work needs to be produced in the period between April 2019 – July 2019. The curators will provide support and advice throughout the production period and around the selection, edit and production of the exhibition.

How much is each commission worth?

Each commissioned artist/photographer will receive a £3,000 artist fee (to include all production costs, taxes and artist's fees), payable in two installments.

Additional print, production and installation costs relating to the exhibition will be met by Ffotogallery.

How to apply for a commission

Artists and photographers are invited to submit proposals electronically to Liz Hewson, Production Coordinator, Ffotogallery, by 12.00 on Monday 18 March.

The submission address is [email protected]

Proposals should be in the form of:

1) Statement of the nature of the work to be produced and its relevance to the exhibition themes, timescale and process, your experience and why you are eligible (maximum 500 words)

2) Examples of previous work (web links, jpegs, pdf)

3) Brief artist/photographer CV (six pages maximum, including full contact details and those for two professional contacts who can provide references)

Image: New Age Travellers, Fenyw © Megan Winstone, 2017
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