LIGHT-UP EYE VILLAGE – ARTIST COMMISSION

Peterborough Presents is seeking an artist / collective / organisation to deliver a light-based project in Eye, Peterborough in early 2022.

For many Peterborians of the recent past, Christmas started when George and Christine Drake’s family on Thorney Road, Eye switched on their wonderful house and garden lights drawing in families from all over the area and raising many thousands of pounds for local charities.

They first set up their impressive display in 1986 and looked to add an additional festive centre-piece every year before calling it a day in the early 2000s. Locals claim that visitors still visit the house every year in the hope that the display might have made a return!

 

This cultural memory that many people from Eye share, alongside many other people from Peterborough would be the inspiration for this new Light Up project. Creating a new sense of pride, weaving in creative talent from the community, also giving people in and out of the village a project that will support wellbeing at one of the darkest times of the year.

We are keen to receive proposals that have a creative digital focus, are hands-on or a blend of both approaches. However, the community must be actively involved in the creation of content and also the final production. We would like to see the workshops culminate in an event that brings the community together.

 

Peterborough Presents works in specific areas of Peterborough, working with a local community over a 2 – 3 year period to develop new creative programmes. This is our first commission in Eye and our first commission in a rural area. We have spent time in the area identifying individuals and groups and understanding what is currently going on. However, this project presents the opportunity for us to find out more about the stories and ambitions of the local residents.

 

Our aim is that the commission will:

• Engage new audiences in the arts
• Support people to come together during the darker months of the year to create social opportunities
• Inspire local residents
• Celebrate what the village has to offer
• Speak of the village and its residents
• Be of high quality – in terms of engagement and final product
• Help local residents and those from the surrounding area to see the village afresh

MORE DETAILS ABOUT PETERBOROUGH PRESENTS, ABOUT EYE AND OUR WELLBEING INTETIONS FOR THIS BRIEF CAN BE FOUND LATER IN THIS DOCUMENT

 

Artistic Brief: What we are asking you to do

• Deliver a project that has the local residents of Eye and community engagement at its heart
• Work with our Community Producer and the community commissioning panel to further develop your proposal
• Create and deliver a creative workshop programme which allows community groups and residents to shape and develop the content of a final light-based event.
  Our Community Producer will work with the artist to help schedule the any workshops.
• Work closely with our Community Producer to identify the location, in Eye, for the final event. As we have not dictated the nature of the final event, the location of the final event has not been confirmed. We will work with the artist and the community commissioning panel to confirm this based on the successful proposal.
• Work alongside the Peterborough Presents team, to produce and deliver the final event, identifying different ways that the community can get involved in its delivery.
• Work with local partners as and when appropriate in order to support the successful delivery of this project
• Adopt and support our values, as outlined above.
• Ensure that the project is delivered in line with our safeguarding and health and safety policies.

 

As Peterborough Presents is a Creative People and Places programme, there will be a requirement for artists to spend a minimum of 5 days in the Eye area to engage with the area and its communities while making the work. This could be in the form of workshops, walking tours, cups of tea and a chat, or another form of engagement activity where you get to know the area and its residents. These discussions might help determine how and where the art work is presented.

Should this not be possible due to covid-19 restrictions, a digital alternative will be put in place by the Peterborough Presents team.

The lead artist needs to be self-motivated and self-sufficient but will be supported by our Community Producer working in Eye.

 

Budget and fees

A total of £5,350 will be awarded to the commissioned artist / organisation. This covers

• £5,100 – Artists fees, (includes planning, workshop delivery, event delivery)
• £250 – Artists expenses

 

• An additional budget of £3,450 is also available to support for materials, production and the final event (venue hire, sound / lighting equipment hire, technical support, street licenses, health and safety equipment) etc.
• We anticipate that artists will spend approx. 20 days working on the project.
• These fees are inclusive of travel, accommodation and any costs associated with designing the work.
• Artists must have their own Public Liability Insurance and be registered as self-employed or be a registered company.
• Artist must also be available to take part in reflective and evaluative discussions about their work, during and at the end of the project.

 

Timeline

4^th January 2022 – Closing Date for Applications

January 2022 – Artists shortlisted, interviewed and selected

February 2022 – commission / residency starts, work created

March 2022 – final work presented / produced

April 2022: Final evaluation

 

COVID-19 Statement

In line with government guidance and current restrictions in place, the some of this work may take place remotely. However, we anticipate a lot of the work taking place in person, in Eye. We will work with the artist and any groups to ensure that covid-safe procedures are in place. The Peterborough Presents team will continue to monitor the situation through the coming months.

Should circumstances change, we are committed to supporting all artists we work with during these difficult times.

 

Selection Criteria: Who we are looking for

The Lead Artist needs to have at least 5 years’ experience of working with communities as part of their practice.

The residency is open to artists working in digital and non-digital ways of working. The lead artist / organisation may bring in other artists of different disciplines to support the development of their work. This must be checked with the Peterborough Presents team before taking place. As with the lead artist, we would expect any other artists / creative to have strong experience of working with communities, be self-employed and registered as self-employed.

 

Please note that the intended outputs for this project is a light-based event that should take place in public in Eye.

Performance artists are welcome to apply, as long as the proposal includes the work being displayed visually at the end of the project in a way that creates a public event.

We are looking for an artist, collective or company that is passionate engaging local people and getting them to tell their stories / express their opinions. Therefore, we are looking for those with a track record in producing work for a variety of audiences from all walks of life. We particularly welcome applications from those who have a personal connection to the area.

Peterborough Presents is committed to championing diversity in all its forms, particularly those who are underrepresented in the arts. We welcome the unique contributions that artists from all walks of life can bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and personal beliefs and opinions.

 

 

 

Application process

Applications will be assessed by a panel of community representatives, working with the Peterborough Presents team. Our decision-making panel, while champions of Eye and its local arts and cultural offer, have no formal training in the arts. We advise all applicants therefore to refrain from using jargon and terminology which isn’t easily understood by a non-specialist audience in their application.

Proposals will be assessed using the following criteria:

1. The quality, originality and ambition of the creative idea at the heart of the application and its relevance to the commissioning context
2. The capacity and the approach to deliver the project on time and within budget
3. Previous track record and/or potential
4. Ability to engage with the community who will support the development and promotion of the programme

Please note that shortlisted artists may be invited to an informal interview over Zoom with the community panel.

 

How to Apply

Please submit a CV, 3-4 examples of your work, and answer the following questions.

Applications should be sent to: keely.mills@neneparktrust.org.uk

The deadline for applications is Monday 4^th January 2022 at 5pm

 

1. Tell us about your recent professional experience. (500 words max)
2. Tell us about a time where you’ve worked directly with communities to inform the event / outcome. (300 words max)
3. Tell us about any initial ideas you’ve had and how you will approach this commission. (500 words max)
4. Why do you want to work in Eye? (500 words max)

Please send us a CV and some 3 – 4 examples of your work

 

ABOUT EYE

History:

According to A Dictionary of British Place Names, Eye derives from the Old English ēg, meaning a place at “the island or well-watered land, or dry ground in marsh”. In the 10th century, this particular ‘Eye’ was spelt “Ege”.

Eye is first noted in Laud Manuscript in 966AD although archaeological digs around the village have shown that people have been in the area long before that with roundhouses found to the north and south of the village. Until 1541 and the dissolution under Henry VIII, the land around Eye was owned by the Peterborough Abbey (Peterborough Cathedral).

 

• To the east of the village is Car Dyke built by the Romans in the second century AD.
• Eyebury was a monastic manor built by the monks of Peterborough Cathedral in the 12th century.
• There has been a church here since at least 1543. The current church was built in 1846/47.
• The former fire station dating from 1828 still stands next to the Church. It was restored by the Parish Council in 2011.
• Brickyards once stood to the north of the village with a ropeway that connected them to the Dogsthorpe Pit.
• The War Memorial was erected after the First World War in memory of those that died during the conflict. A small service is held there every year on Remembrance Sunday.
• In 1947 a breach in the River Welland at Crowland caused flooding right up to the north edge of the village.
• The A47 bypass opened in October 1991.

(The information above is from the Eye Parish Council website: http://www.eyeparish.org.uk/)

 

Eye Now:

Eye is one of the largest outlining villages to Peterborough. It has a population of around 4,500.

 

Eye has a designated conservation area for its High Street, meaning the preservation of its building and character and this was put in place in 2002. It has several houses, buildings which are Grade 1 and Grade 2 listed.  It has three community centres, two SSSI sites within it, which are Eye nature reserve and Star Pit nature reserve. The village is 5-6 miles from Peterborough.

 

Possible groups and partners:

Eye Parish Council, Eye Women’s Institute, Eye Primary School, Eye Youth Club, St Matthew’s Church, Eye Brownies and Guides, Bright Lights Theatre, sheltered housing within the village, Eye Amateur Players, Manor Farm Community Association and CPSL Mind.

Key Themes:

• Supporting people’s wellbeing, through activities that are accessible and promote good mental health through taking an active part in our project, or just experiencing our events.
• Working in a rural setting is new for Peterborough Presents and we want to include what makes Eye rural into our projects.
• Nature is also a key theme for projects in Eye, with the Nature reserves and other green spaces.
• Celebrating the rich heritage and stories from the village both myth and real.

About Peterborough Presents

Peterborough Presents is a Creative People and Places programme. We work with communities and artists to create great art across the city. By great, we mean art that is fun, diverse, unlocks stories, gives voice to and, most importantly, is relevant to local residents. Our work is created through collaboration with the communities in which we work. We try to place listening, learning, transparency and respect at the heart of what we do.

 

Our community-led commissioning model places our audiences at the heart of the decision-making process. We focus on areas of the city where arts engagement is particularly low and working with our community panels, we commission new work specific to that area. Our approach enables our communities to actively guide the programme whilst providing regular opportunities for artists to create new work in Peterborough. As such, we are seeking artists who have this approach at the heart of what they do.

 

Peterborough Presents is hosted by Nene Park Trust (NPT). As such artists will be paid through their financial systems. We are supported by a consortium of partners including Metal, Peterborough City Council, NPT, Eastern Angles Theatre Company, PCVS and Creative Lives.

 

OUR VALUES:

 

• We continue to be relevant and welcoming
• We are responsive, exciting and experimental
• We reflect and openly share our learning
• Our programmes are built on trust and respect for our participants, partners and artists
• We take the time to listen and respond to the communities we work with
• We recognise and celebrate the existing skills and knowledge held within the communities we work with

 

Supporting active and healthy communities

This commission is part of a wider commitment Peterborough Presents has on supporting the wellbeing of local residents. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on health and wellbeing, employment, economic activity, education and the cultural sector in Peterborough. Nationally levels of isolation and loneliness have risen and, whereas once associated with older people, it is affecting people of all ages and backgrounds – particularly young people and those reliant on community and health services. For people already dealing with mild mental health problems or isolation, the challenges of the winter months can also make things feel worse. This is also a project for the whole community. However, we will work with community organisations, the local social-prescribing link officer and our partners CPSL Mind, to identify and reach those most in need of connecting locally.