Seedbed 2025 Artist Callout
Exploring heritage, environment, inclusion and public space in natural landscapes
and celebrating Greenham Common
We're supporting up to 10 artists to develop creative projects focused on natural landscapes, exploring themes of heritage, environment, inclusion and public space.
Seedbed 2025 coincides with and celebrates the 25th anniversary of Greenham Common’s return to public ownership. At least three projects will be commissioned further as part of this celebration.
Seedbed 2025, 101’s artist support programme, will have a specific focus on supporting ideas and approaches that can be developed for natural landscapes – in particular the Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Greenham Common that surrounds 101.
The 2025 Seedbed programme will support initial R&D on up to 10 projects to a value of £2500 each. The intention is that at least three of these projects will be further supported with a small commissioning award to create a final public presentation in Summer 2025 as part of a programme of celebrating the 25th anniversary of Greenham Common’s return to public ownership after almost 60 years of military occupation.
After playing a significant and controversial role in Cold War history in the 1980’s as a base for American nuclear weapons and as the site of a long-running women’s peace camp, the thousand acres of Greenham and Crookham Commons are now a peaceful place of natural beauty and popular local leisure amenity that has been actively managed by local Wildlife Trust BBOWT to conserve its special landscape, flora and fauna.
Following on from our work to develop non-arts partnerships through last year’s Seedbed programme we want to further explore how outdoor arts and artists work with themes such as heritage, environment, and inclusion. We are looking for artists that are keen to work with partners in these and other areas using the Greenham Common context as an initial focus, laboratory and test bed for how arts in public space can connect diverse audiences with place and with nature. Seedbed will support the development or adaption of project ideas to respond to the unique ecological, social and political context of Greenham Common.
Through the wider programme of performance, installation and participation we will work closely with heritage and environment organisations including Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT); the Museum of English Rural Life and Greenham Women Everywhere and can help to broker partnerships with these organisations as relevant.
What does a Seedbed residency offer?
- £2.5k award to cover time, expenses, materials and specialist support
- A minimum two-day period of residency time at 101
- Technical support
- Producing advice
- Facilitated access to sites, communities, participants and specialist knowledge
Seedbed 2025 Applications
Seedbed will offer 10 awards of £2500 to undertake research and development of an artistic project idea, including expenses, travel and accommodation.
We will be seeking applications from artists with at least three years of professional practice that either:
- Seek to develop a new piece of work in relation to the context of Greenham Common or wider compatible themes/landscapes
- Adapt an existing piece of work for the context of Greenham Common, drawing on its heritage or landscape
We anticipate that project ideas might be installation, performance or participation based or a combination of these forms and will be suitable for development for the outdoor environment of Greenham Common.
Artists will participate in meetings with the Seedbed team and project partners and be available to take part in a two-day residential orientation at 101 on 8 - 9 February 2025.
The R&D period and funding can be used to:
- Research themes for inclusion in the work
- Develop specific ideas for installation or performance elements
- Bring partners or creative teams together to develop the ideas behind the work
- Spend time in the landscape of Greenham Common
In kind support which can be accessed includes:
- Free use of rehearsal space, accommodation, and support at 101 where schedules permit
- Access to partners’ expertise and collections where appropriate
At the end of the R and D period we would expect to see:
- An evolved project idea with a clear understanding of costs and production requirements
- A project report including documentation that can be used to illustrate the process undertaken and the shape that a final project would take
- A clear understanding of the siting requirements of a finished piece and the nature and size of the audience and its engagement with the work
Watch the Online Information Session
How to Apply
Please apply by completing the Expression of Interest document and an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form and emailing them to hello@101outdoorarts.com. See the supporting document Seedbed 2025 FAQs & Appendix for more information.
We are keen to attract applications from individuals who are under-represented in the arts.
We are also happy to accept a video (max 5 mins) that answers these questions.
We anticipate that due to the large number of applications we will not be able to respond to everyone that applies.
Please email your application documents to hello@101outdoorarts.com.
Deadline: 16 Dec 2024
Timescale
Closing Date 16 December
Successful projects to be notified by 20 December
Residential two days for all successful projects 8-9 February 2025
All projects report back by 14 April
Any future commissioning decisions made by 101 and BBOWT by 30 April 2025
Image credits:
- WOMEN AND POWER by 2019 Seedbed Artists Brave New Worlds (location: Greenham Common)
- Bel Horizon by Le G. Bistaki, captured by Alex Harvey-Brown (location: Greenham Common)
- WOMEN AND POWER by 2019 Seedbed Artists Brave New Worlds (location: Greenham Common)
- WOMEN AND POWER by 2019 Seedbed Artists Brave New Worlds (location: Greenham Common)
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