East Street Arts is looking to commission an artist on behalf of Mick Ward and Gill Crawshaw to develop a new piece of work/installation in response to this brief; to create a unique environment for one of the bedrooms in the new, city centre Art Hostel.

The room is on the second floor and is one of several smaller rooms that sits alongside two larger dormitories. The room was originally the manager’s office and, unlike the other rooms, has some original details e,g. a wooden floor, picture rail and a fireplace.

The room is a small double room on the first floor, approximately 3000mm x 3700mm. It has a rectangular window on the exterior wall with a radiator underneath the window. There is a fireplace on the right hand wall. It will be one of only two rooms in the Art Hostel that will function as a private, double room.

The commission will focus on the history of the immediate area. Along the riverfront, off Pitfall Street, near The Calls, is an old, stone building that used to be the Leeds Riverside Mission where Mick’s mother got married and lived. The Leeds Mission supported boatmen and their families, destitute and vagrant people, through the provision of education, clean space, laundries etc. This commission should focus on the good work of the Mission. This area, with the Leeds Bridge, is rich within the history of Leeds, but we are also very interested in this, more personal history.

Using the location, narratives, archive material, maps and traces of history, we are looking for proposals that aim to conduct further research and draw together a response to develop a unique environment for the Art Hostel.

http://www.leodis.net/searchResults.aspx?LOCID=9999&DECADE=0&YEAR=&KEYWORDS=Riverside%20Mission%20Institute&KEYWORDS2=&KEYWORDS3=&ANDOR2=&ANDOR3=&RECSPAGE=5&VIEW=1&CURRPAGE=1

The fee is £800, which includes materials, your time and the execution of the finished work. We are open to discussing timescales, but the Art Hostel is due to open in November and work will have to fit around guests. We would also be interested in an aspect of the installation being interactive for guests, but this is not essential and will not affect decisions. Please contact us if you need further information and/or you would like to visit the Art Hostel.

Deadline: Tuesday 3rd November 2015

Submit: A proposal outlining your idea, why you want to do this, and how it fits with your current work, a CV and up to three images. 

Additional information 

East Street Arts is a pioneering, national arts organisation with international reach. Established in 1993 in Leeds, it supports artists, collectives and emerging arts organisations. This is facilitated through a diverse programme of public activities, working with and in communities, professional support and learning sessions, studio and facility developments and a Temporary Space Programme.

East Street Arts has cultivated strong relationships with artists and arts organisations across the EU. These allow for a cultural exchange and showcase the diverse talent of members to an international audience.

Leeds is home to a growing and vibrant visual arts scene and East Street Arts is a
key player, leading on aspects of infrastructure development, support for artists and relationship building with specific communities.

Nationally, East Street Arts is at the forefront of new developments. Working with artists, stakeholders and audiences in cities including Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Wrexham, Hull, Birmingham, Stevenage, Watford and others. This includes temporary and permanent space and facilities, public programmes, infrastructure support and a growing network linking artists across the country.

The long-term aim of East Street Arts is to offer the support artists and collectives need to become established, sustainable and flourish in order to have an impact on city development, artists’ practice and audiences.

Art Hostel

The Art Hostel is a new venture for East Street Arts and is a project supported by Bauman Lyons Architects. Its aim is to offer a different experience of staying and sleeping in Leeds. It will harness the creative talents, and pure imagination, of artistic practitioners, and welcome audiences from in and out of Leeds to engage in a new cultural experience.

Each bedroom will be uniquely designed, contemporary and comfortable, while a project space hosts a programme of artists events and installations, linking back out into the creative underbelly of the city. The Hostel will be staffed by artists trained in the hospitality sector and residents will be encouraged to contribute to the future of the hostel. This is a unique offer, providing an innovative way to stay and visit or to let us host guests within Leeds.