26th November 2007
LONDON'S FAMOUS CHINATOWN CALLS FOR EAST ASIAN ARTISTS AS PUBLIC ART COMMISSION OPPORTUNITIES ANNOUNCED
As part of the Chinatown Arts Festival 2008: Five Circles, London based arts organisation Chinatown Arts Space (CAS), and Chinatown's principal landowner, Shaftesbury PLC, are working in creative partnership to commission two major new pieces of exciting public art for London's Chinatown.
These are two significant opportunities for East Asian* artists to win a prestigious commission and see their work showcased in the heart of a major capital city. Artists are encouraged to create ideas for contemporary works that address both the heritage and history of London's Chinatown, and that celebrate the current diversity and dynamism of the area.
HORSE & DOLPHIN YARD : MURAL COMMISSION
WHO: East Asian* artists born or resident in the UK are invited to submit proposals
VALUE: £6,000
WHAT: Create a vibrant contemporary artwork suitable for external display for 2 years. The size of the finished artwork will be 5m high by 8m wide, and is to be mounted on the side of a building at the far end of Horse & Dolphin Yard, Chinatown, London, an area that currently houses a Chinese market.
WARDOUR STREET : SCULPTURE COMMISSION
WHO: All East Asian* artists living worldwide are invited to submit proposals
VALUE: £20,000
WHAT: Create a permanent eye-catching three-dimensional artwork in any medium that is suitable to withstand the elements. The work will be sited above ground level on the side of a building, where Wardour Street meets Shaftesbury Avenue and should therefore be no larger than 1.5m wide by 4m high and 1m deep, and weigh no more 600kg.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: 3 MARCH 2008
Full entry details of the requirements for submission of proposals, and the specifics of each site, can be downloaded from www.chinatownartsspace.com. For more information, please contact Parker Harris on T. +44 (0)1372 462190 or E. cas@parkerharris.co.uk
*East Asia includes: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and their diasporas.
Five Circles: Public Art Commission Project is sponsored by Shaftesbury PLC.
Shaftesbury PLC and Chinatown Arts Space have received an investment from Arts & Business to develop their creative partnership for the Mural Commission. The A&B Investment Programme is funded by Arts Council England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Scottish Executive.
Chinatown Arts Festival 2008: Five Circles is supported by Westminster City Council and funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and is part of CHINA NOW.
CHINA NOW is the UK's largest ever festival of Chinese culture, with over 800 events happening nationwide during the first half of 2008.
Chinatown Arts Festival 2008: Five Circles Five Circles festival is a series of five groundbreaking contemporary exchange events in rap music, film and music, contemporary dance, visual public arts and education. The festival itself will take place throughout 2008 drawing its inspiration from the Beijing Olympics and complementing other events, including the CHINA NOW festival, the GLA's China in London season and the British Council's China-UK: Connections through Culture initiative.
