The National Trust is seeking expressions of interest for a new commission for Nostell, West Yorkshire, which will result in a temporary site‐specific art work for late 2016. The work will form part of ‘Scattered Stories, Forgotten Places': a programme of displays, activities and interventions that shares stories about collecting, loss and dispersal, and explores ways we can share our empty rooms and unused spaces with our visitors.

Nostell is an 18th century Georgian mansion, with interiors designed and created by some of the best craftsman of the age. It houses one family’s personal collection of paintings, ceramics, and books and other artefacts. The collection includes two large and beautifully made Victorian Museum cases which sit, empty, in the middle of a dark room - but they have a story to tell. They were made to proudly display a collection of 3000 year old vases, collected by two orphaned brothers, and considered to rival that in the British museum.  Now dispersed, only the empty cases, a handful of vases and their story remain.  We currently share the story with visitors through interpretation alongside a small group of surviving objects. 
We would like this story to be a starting point for a creative response, to be displayed within or around the cases, bringing them and the room to life for our visitors.

COMMISSION BRIEF

The residency will offer artists the opportunity to:

• Engage with and respond to the National Trust Collections at Nostell
• Reach a large, curious and responsive audience.
• Research, develop and display a new artwork.
• Demonstrate or share their artistic approach and methods with visitors, staff and volunteers.
• Lead engaging sessions with groups of visitors, related to Nostell’s stories and collections.

COMMISSION AIMS

Explore our Spirit of Place

Our ‘spirit of place’ explores those specific qualities that make Nostell special, and which we seek to conserve, reference, continue and share. It is inspired by a quote from our archives: ‘Work’d by hand’, which sums up both Nostell’s skilfully crafted spaces, but also its social history of a country estate as a place of work. For a fuller description please contact us.  

This commission aims to explore this by:

• Helping our audience understand creative design, development, processes and mediums.
• Exploring links and connections between contemporary craft practise to those of 300 and 3000 years ago.
• Making visible the connection between the maker and the made.

Explore the stories around collections and collectors

We recognise that traditional country house collections can appear difficult and distant to our visitors. We want to tell the personal stories behind collections:  the people who collected them and why. This commission aims to:

• Respond specifically to the story of the lost vase collection and its remaining archival evidence.
• Deepen our visitors understanding of personal stories(Nostell's and their own) connected to objects.
• Explore ideas of friendhsip, loss and remembrance through objects

Provide opportunities for participation/activities

The commission will provide opportunities for our visitors learn or participate. The delivery details of these will be discussed and agreed with the selected artist, in order to remain sympathetic to their working practices and to our visitor requirements.

MATERIALS AND LOCATION

Materials: The commissioned work can be of any medium or material, and may be functional or non-functional, interdisciplinary or multi-media.

Location:  Our ‘museum room’ was created from a plainly decorated 18th century ground floor servant room. It is located in a prime spot on our visitor route, and is fully accessible, with free circulation. However it is a naturally dark space and has limited scope for additional lighting due to the Grade 1 nature of the property.  The room also houses a traditional display of minerals and antiquarian curiosities, but the commission does not necessarily need to relate to other objects in the room, but to contribute to improving its overall presentation.  

Case and Room sizes

This commission must be for the cases but need not be confined to them.

Both cases measure: H138 W230 D60cm. Case door access is restrictive and measures: H135 W46cm

Room measures approx.: H277 W690 D 690cm.  Room door access measures H210 W99

Constraints

The cases have not been modernised or adapted in any way, they have no power, lighting   or environmental control. They have three adjustable green-glass shelves. Weight restrictions may need to be considered.  It should be noted that electric power points are limited due to the historic nature of the room

DESCRIPTION OF THE ARTISTS ROLE

Research and Learning: The artist will undertake research to gain a good grounding in the core story of Nostell, and a deeper understanding of the relevant parts of the collection, to inform their work. National Trust curatorial staff will be available for knowledge sharing and assistance.

Understanding our people: the artist will gain an understanding and be responsive to our key audiences.  The artist will involve staff and volunteers, helping them to understand creative processes.

Conservation: The artist will be sensitive to, and able to work within, our conservation guidelines, and provide methodologies if requested to do so.

Production, installation and take down.  The work must be produced and completed in line with our project schedule, timetabled below. Installation and take down will be the responsibility of the artist with support from the National Trust team. The artist to confirm all requirements for installation at least 2 weeks prior to installation date and maintenance plan if necessary.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For the full story of the vases, get details of our conservation guidelines, or more about the overall project, please click on the link below for supporting documents.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B49VEJjSLkxgX1BpU3MwR1l2dTA

Please contact the curator to arrange a site visit.