Call for Proposals for Site Specific Exhibition at Shalford Mill

Call for Proposals for Site Specific Exhibition at Shalford Mill

Contemporary artists are sought for a unique art space. The project

promotes innovative, original, and site-specific installations.

Where

A temporary exhibition curated in the public area of the National Trust

property Shalford Mill near Guildford, Surrey. The main installation will be in

the ‘Gang’s Room’, but related work could be situated anywhere within the

public access area of the property.

When

Wednesday 19th September – Sunday 30th September 2012

Proposals requested for:

1. Sound Installation- some archive material is available in the form of

radio interviews.

or

2. Visual artwork based on:

• The life and personalities involved in the Ferguson’s Gang

• Urbanisation- historic and/or contemporary references to

urbanisation.

Proposals to include:

• A written description and examples of how the artist intends the work to

be (Max 500 words).

• A brief statement to clarify the how concept of the proposed artwork

links with one of the above themes (Max 500 words).

• A resume of relevant work to include detail of your practice.

• Max of 5 examples of previous work to be submitted in digital format.

These can be photographs/images for visual artists or soundbites,

showreels etc… for sound artists.

Deadline

Deadline for initial declarations of interest: Wednesday 15th March, 2012

Please e-mail submissions to:

Polly Bagnall

pollybagnall@yahoo.co.uk

Megan Clark-Bagnall me@workwithmegan.co.uk

N.B. E-mail attachments must not exceed 10MB.

Note:

Proposed projects must work within the ambience of a disused 18th century

corn mill.

Visits to the site and submission enquiries.

Contact: Polly Bagnall pollybagnall@yahoo.co.uk

Who can submit

Contemporary artists working in a range of disciplines: film; sound; visual art,

performance and installation looking to explore and create a new site-specific

project. There is no funding available as yet. Should funding become available

the priority will be to firstly to resource the artists’ projects and secondly the

publicity for the exhibition.

Serveral partners are on board offering their services, including the National

Trust.

The exhibition will be promoted by the National Trust locally and nationally

and artists work will be professionally recorded.

Taming the Tentacles

Art Exhibition at Shalford Mill, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8BS

A contemporary look at the work of the Ferguson’s Gang.

Includes an art installation of the room used by the ‘Gang’ and interractive

workshops.

Wednesday 19th September – Sunday 30th September 2012

Aims:

1. To engage a wider audience to the National Trust.

2. To draw upon the history of the mill and make this relevant to the

modern visitor.

3. To bring a new audience to contemporary art. Some workshops or

interractive work will be held during the period of the exhibition.

More:

The Ferguson’s Gang were predominantly a group of women: Bill Stickers;

Red Biddy; Bludy Bishop; Sister Agatha; Erb the Smasher; Kate O’Brien;

Silent O’ Moyle; See Me Run; Gerry Boham and Black Maria, whose lives are

still relatively unknown. Their mission was to limit the spread of unregulated

urbanisation in England during the 1920’s and 30’s. Inspired by Clough

William-Ellis’s book “England and the Octopus”, which warned that ugly

urban sprawl was ruining the country, the Gang bought land and properties

in England including the then derelict Shalford Mill and entrusted these to the

National Trust in 1932.

Urbanisation is a particularly pertinent theme in Britain today with the

introduction of the proposed National Planning Policy Framework, but also on

a global scale with the development of mega-cities worldwide.

Based on archive material and reminiscences of the present occupants of

the mill selected contemporary artists have been invited to respond to the

work of this gang of eccentric and radical women.The exhibition includes an

installation inside the room in which the Gang used to meet. Original archive

material (photographs; journals; letters; recordings) is available for research

and possible use in the exhibition.