Bristol Biennial 2016: In Other Worlds

Open Call for Artists

Deadline: 3 July 2015, midnight.

“You live in the image you have of the world. Everyone of us lives in a different world, with differentspace and different time.”
–Alejandro Jodorowsky

“What we call places are stable locations with unstable converging forces, that cannot be determined either by fences on the ground or by boundaries in the imagination – or by the perimeter of the map. Something is always coming from elsewhere, whether it is wind, water, immigrants, trade goods or ideas.”
–Rebecca Solnit

Bristol Biennial is looking for ideas that are extraordinary, surprising, playful, thought-provoking, subversive, celebratory and transformative.The organizers  invite artists to engage deeply with Bristol as a city of many worlds and many people, a city of discord as well as agreement, a city with a complex past, present and future.

WHO ARE WE?

Bristol Biennial has been described as “impressive, radical and artist-led”. Emerging in 2012, the festival responded to the need for opportunities for early-career artists to present their work professionally across the city. Led by four practicing artists, Bristol Biennial values hopefulness, nurtures talent and promotes accessibility within the visual arts ecology. We aim to reconnect artists and audiences, foster international and local partnerships and operate an unorthodox festival model in a precarious climate.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Bristol Biennial is looking for proposals from emerging visual artists of all and any discipline: sculpture, performance, moving image, technology, events, installations, writing, talks, collaborative and participatory work, to name just a few. The organizers are interested in big and small ideas, research, ambitionand collaboration. They invite applications from artists based in the UK and internationally.

WHERE WILL THE ART GO?

Bristol Biennial is inviting proposals for artwork to be sited across the City of Bristol in South-West England, with an emphasis on unusual venues and disused locations.The organizers are interested in art that is immersed in local communities, neighbourhoods and spaces. They expect all applicants to have an inside knowledge of Bristol, but please describe the proposed context and space for your work. After application, the organizers will work with artists to identify and negotiate an appropriate location for their work.

How to apply

Download and read the full brief

Apply online using CuratorSpace.

Image: Photo of Mauna Kea Observatory by Christopher Chan. Courtesy Bristol Biennial.