Residency Opportunity – Independents Biennial x Metal

Independents Biennial x Metal
Residency Opportunity

Download this brief here
Download the brief in large text format here

Independents Biennial (@IndyBiennial) is a festival of contemporary art from Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton & Halton. Running simultaneously with the Liverpool Biennial since its initiation in 1999, the Independents Biennial is currently organised by Art in Liverpool and aims to celebrate the region’s creative life and cast a fresh perspective on how people in Merseyside see, make and use art. The 2018 festival tackled issues close to the hearts of artists who live and work in the region and invited international artists to the city to share their take on the spaces we inhabit.

To extend this good work the festival for 2020 will build an artist engagement and development programme which focusses on redefining the artist networks of Liverpool as open, accessible and proactive sources of new work and opportunities. Art in Liverpool have partnered with Metal – a creative hub located at Edge Hill train station for artists and people from the surrounding neighbourhoods – to provide direct opportunities for artists to develop work for the festival. Metal support artists from all artistic disciplines, mainly through residencies which provide time and space for artists to explore new ideas, make new connections, collaborate and experiment. Find out more at www.metalculture.com

The Opportunity

4 x artistic residencies based at Edge Hill Station for up to 6 months.

You will be based in the buildings at Edge Hill Station with use of studio space and access to a hot desk within our main office. The space sizes available vary, and each studio has heat/water/electricity/light and internet access. They are shared open plan spaces with 24hr access. There is the opportunity to also use other spaces within the Edge Hill buildings.

Artists can work in any art form, but the studio is set up well for visual artists and artists working in film or audio. Metal have a focus on participatory art and socially engaged practice, as well as supporting artists from diverse backgrounds, with unique personal perspectives to offer. We are interested in proposals that, have inclusivity and collaboration as part of the process and ideas that seek to create pathways and reduce barriers for people to engage in the arts.

We want to hear from artists at all stages of their career, from recent graduates to established and mid-career artists. It can be for existing projects that can be extended, improved or new ideas or experiments created from scratch.

There is no materials budget, or designated space for the final product, but Art in Liverpool and Metal will support successful artists in seeking funding and venues for their work.

There will be an option to present the work at a public Future Station event, either during the Liverpool Independent Biennial or beforehand to gather support for ideas. This is a public meeting for people to hear directly from artists about their ideas, and to share some food and discussion.

Selected artists will receive mentoring support from Metal and Art in Liverpool staff, your main contacts will be Patrick Kirk-Smith, Director Art in Liverpool C.I.C, and Jenny Porter, Senior Project Manager. There will also be the opportunity to meet and participate in a mentoring session with select artists from the Liverpool Biennial public programme, for more details and an artist list visit: www.biennial.com

Who Is Eligible

  • Anyone can apply but to complete the application you must have evidence of at least one project/exhibition that has been visible to the public.
  • You do not need any formal qualifications.
  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must be living or working in Merseyside (Liverpool central or the Liverpool City Region boroughs: Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral).

How to Apply

  1. We are seeking up to 500 words of what you would like to do, how you would use the space, and the sort of space you would potentially need to present the resulting work.
  2. An Artistic Statement: 300 words about yourself which highlights some recent work that is relevant to your idea and demonstrates your ability to complete your project. This can be written in the first person. There is the option to also upload your CV.
  3. We also would like to see up to 10 images/examples of your previous work. If the examples you would like to send exist online you can upload a word/pdf document with up to 10 links instead. If appropriate please explain what is in the images in the Artistic Statement section.

You can apply using an online (https://form.jotform.com/200133877814354) application form.

There is the option to allow someone to apply for you on your behalf.

You can also send in a video or audio recording instead of completing the form.

Please send files over 5mb with Wetransfer (https://wetransfer.com/)

Email it to: edgehill@metalculture.com with the subject ‘Independents Biennial Residency Opportunity’ Please also email your supporting information (Up to 10 images/examples of previous work).

If you do not have internet access or have any queries with the application methods, please contact Jenny Porter at Metal either by email: jenny@metalculture.com or calling 0151 7072277.

Deadline for applications: Midday, Monday 17 February
Notification if shortlisted: Monday 24th February