Shangri-la Artist Submission - Billboards for the TRUTH STAGE.

ABOUT US:

SHANGRI-LA is Glastonbury Festivals most iconic late night area. 

Found tucked away in the farthest corner from the main stages, it has both inspired and challenged its vast and devoted audiences for the past decade. 

Through provocative art installations, underground music programming, spectacular set design and groundbreaking live art and performance, Shangri-La continues to push the boundaries of what a festival looks and feels like. These elements are woven together to create a fully immersive experience unlike any other.

Shangri-La strives to illuminate progressive culture with great urgency - in the field and beyond. By holding a mirror up to the masses, creating conversations, encouraging activism and engagement, and stimulating all of the senses, we aim to expand minds and open hearts, motivating people in politics and play. The audience enters a spectator, and leaves a participator.

This radical area has a deep history in outsider art and underground culture. By inviting new collaborators each year to contribute to our evolving narrative, it remains an incredible creative playground where this anarchic spirit continues to manifest in original and new ways, inspiring the next generation of cultural revolutionaries and amplifying the collective conscience.  

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THE BRIEF:

We have an ongoing loose narrative at Shangri-La. We are currently in a new series focusing on the three R’s: Reuse, Recycle, Resist.. and waste of any kind. It is reminiscent of a giant recycling plant - semi-industrial, with large towers of waste dominating the landscape. 

The TRUTH STAGE is Shangri-La's main stage, hosting a wide variety of music from across the globe, experienced by up to 5000 people at any one time. 

Its towering 10m high walls are clad with large-scale billboard style artworks, created in varied mediums by 50 artists, makers and thinkers - making it the largest outdoor art exhibition in the UK. 

We live in a world in which we are bombarded by lies and fake news - the Truth is very hard to find. In this Arena of TRUTH - we collectively reject all negativity, fear and hate and provide a shared experience built from respect, humanity and love. Art has a deep and profound impact on people - especially when they are in an altered state (as they can well be at a festival..) so by subverting the propaganda tactics of the mainstream media and big brands, we can create a progressive and uplifting environment that can hopefully inspire, make people laugh and bring people together.

We are looking for work and ideas that explore what TRUTH is and means in 2019. A response to the current political, economic, cultural, social, and enviromental issues and influences we face globally. 

We are also asking contributors/collaborators to consider what it is to be human in 2019, and to create work that encourages human connection. In a world where we are more connected to the rest of the world than ever before digitally - are we losing our humanity by lack of physical connection and real-time live shared experiences?

We want work in as many varied artforms as possible that sit within a frame hung from scaffolding. See images of 2017 attached, and inspiration can be found HERE.

We would like you to think how we can take the standard billboard format further, perhaps through video mapping or 3D elements. We have a huge audience at night time so lightboxes/projected billboards are also welcome.

Specific projects/posters/etc - There is generally a great deal of space for paste ups/posters etc if your work is smaller in scale or you have a specific project in mind.

Dimensions: Our Billboards for the Truth stage have a generic dimension of 16' x 8' (4.88m x 2.44m) Or 8' x 8' (2.44 x 2.44m) We can then up/downscale the image depending on the curation of the space as a whole. However if you normally work in dimensions outside of these sizes then please submit with an explanation and we will look into how we can make this work.

The set is made entirely from recycled materials. Please be mindful of this factor in your submission - we won't accept any applications that add to the waste system. We especially encourage work that can be re-used after the festival.

Tickets are thin on the ground but for crew who are working on-site, of course a ticket will be provided. Other tickets can be provided for crew depending on the scale of the project but plus ones aren't generally given as we need the tickets, but always worth asking.

We look forward to hearing from you. Please get in touch if you have more questions for us.