SU4IP welcomes artists and their creations to feature in the Noir publication. All works in any medium related to this theme will be considered.

Noir is the third iteration of a submission-style publication produced by SU4IP. Welcoming all submissions responding to or related to feelings or experiences of darkness, melancholy, night, mystery, black, sinister, etc. 

Feelings of darkness are an inevitability in day-to-day life and an essential component of the human condition. Despite its negative connotations, an absence of light is an anchor point of our sensibility, refining our ability to detect the positivity or negativity of a thought, situation, or experience.

Without it, our perception of what is good and what is bad would be skewed, disabling our better judgement and amplifying strife when difficulties emerge.

Humans are diurnal creatures that thrive during the daytime, utilising nights in between to recharge, and process memories. We engage with physical and emotional darkness in times of sadness, isolation, or fear, allowing us to investigate adversity and hypothesise new ways of overcoming it.

Art continues to act as a medium for this to take place, and I warmly invite you to respond to/present work challenging this definition of noir, and driving innovation as to what it could mean.

Acrylic on canvas depicting a broody skyline engulfs the natural landscape. A digital collage illustrates a morally corrupt interface where diodes flicker between crackling wires and virtual hellscapes. A frail humanoid sculpture concaves over the last remnants of plant life in a not-so-distant scenario where our planet is plunged into darkness and devoid of light. A tactile handmade textile embroidered with a broad range of dark-tone fibres embodying a bleak emotional state, also capable of warmth retention in the coldest of nights.

These are just a few examples of how noir could be associated with your work or practice. All mediums and formats are welcome, subject to the viability of being printed in a book. SU4IP invites you to push the boundaries of what noir could mean, and how it can be portrayed in art practice.

noir /nwaʀ/
adjective

(FONCÉ) de la couleur la plus foncée
black
une jupe noire
a black skirt
Elle avait des yeux d’un noir jais.
 
(SOMBRE) sombre, sans lumière
dark
Il fait noir.
It’s dark.
Nous sommes arrivés par une nuit noire.
 
(MORAL) triste
gloomy
avoir des idées noires
to have gloomy thoughts
Il était d’humeur noire après la catastrophe.

(Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/french-english/noir)

Featured artists will receive:

-   A copy of the publication packaged and sent to their address (using biodegradable packaging).

-   A double-page spread containing images of their work, a Q&A, and information about their practice.

About the publication:

-   Designed and curated by myself. (Please see: https://su4ip.cargo.site/publications for examples of my previous work!)

-   Bound and digitally printed on heavy, opaque, and high-quality paper for the best visibility and legibility. (Cover: 200 gsm, roughly half the thickness of a credit card. Inside Pages: 170 gsm.)

-   210mm x 210mm (210mm is around the same length as the short edge on A4 paper.)

-   Will be featured on su4ip.cargo.site under publications, as well as @su4ip.commercial/@lyndonwatkinson Instagram

-   A small run sold on the SU4IP Etsy Store

Costs:

Free to submit! Successful applicants must pay a fee of £20 to cover the printing, packaging, and postage of a copy of the publication to be sent to them.