Image: Wonderlab, National Science and Media Museum. Photo by Lee Mawdsley.

Applications now open for a creative commission and participation in workshops

We are looking for creative practitioners or teams in Bradford to work with us to explore how the value of creativity and culture can be expressed in a way that encourages future participation and investment.

This work is part of a research project exploring how to design a case study for Bradford that will improve the way creative and cultural engagement is understood, to better recognise what creative and cultural activity is actually valued, by whom and how.

The project ultimately aims to improve the way we report to public policy-makers so that their decisions are informed by the lived experience of participants as well as large statistical studies.

We have two opportunities available as part of the project:

1. A creative commission
2. An invitation to take part in two half-day workshops

Applicants are welcome to apply for both opportunities, although the successful practitioner or team can only be selected for one opportunity due to the overlap between these pieces of work. The closing date for both opportunities is Monday 13 September.

The creative commission

We are seeking a creative practitioner or team – professional or otherwise – who is either resident in Bradford district or working in the district, to create an artistic response to the following question:

How can the value and meaning of creative practice and its impact on the people who experience it, be captured in an authentic way and reported powerfully?

The work can be in any medium and/or can be an experience or performance, but attention should be paid to how it can be shared either physically or online.

How we will work with you

We will ask you to respond to the creative brief in your own way, and we are interested to learn through the way in which you choose to approach the question we have posed.

The commissioned creative practitioner will share the piece they have created, firstly at a half-day morning workshop on 23 Nov 2021 where the work will be a stimulus for discussion to help us to plan a larger playful interdisciplinary workshop, or ‘sandpit’ event, for partners. We will be joined in the initial workshop by two other practitioners from Bradford who have expressed an interest in being part of the discussion and planning of the wider event.

The commissioned practitioner will also be invited to show their work at a subsequent event on 7 Dec 2021. Depending on the outcome of the previous planning workshop, it may again be used as a stimulus for discussion and shaping the Bradford case study.

Fee

There is a total fee of £850 for the commissioned piece, participation in one half day workshop and participation in one half day ‘sandpit’ event. This includes all fees, materials, transportation, travel costs, exhibiting and all other expenses.

Timescales

• 13 September – deadline for receipt of applications
• 24 September – creative practitioner commissioned
• 15 October – progress review
• 9 November – work completed and received
• 23 November – participation in planning workshop
• 7 December – participation in sandpit event

How to apply

Please outline who you are, provide details of your creative activity and how you will approach the brief. The application can be in written, video or audio form.

To apply, please complete this application form by Monday 13 September.

Invitation to participate in two half-day workshops

We are also seeking expressions of interest from creative practitioners to take part in two half-day workshops to help us to shape the case study of Bradford.

You will be:

• a cultural practitioner – professional or otherwise – working in any creative discipline
• resident or work in the Bradford District
• someone who has an interest in exploring with us how to get a better understanding of what creative and cultural activity is actually valued, by whom and how.

The project will involve:

• participation in a half day morning workshop on 23rd November 2021 in which we will explore and plan a half-day playful interdisciplinary workshop or ‘sandpit’ event to be attended by a wide range of Bradford partners
• participation in the sandpit event, which will take place on 7 December 2021 9.30am to 1pm

Fee

£175 for each of the two commitments (£350 in total), inclusive of all expenses. We are aiming to recruit two creative practitioners who can commit to both events.

How to apply

To apply in writing, please complete this application form by midnight on Monday 13 September.

To apply using video or audio, please complete the contact details section in this form and enter a link to a video or audio recording which answers questions 7 and 8 of this form into the text field for question 7. The video or audio should be no longer than 3 minutes. If it is larger than 10MB please complete the contact details and send either a link to an embedded version, a compressed file or send via wetransfer to S.Hayton@leeds.ac.uk.

If you have any queries about either of the application processes or problems making a submission, please contact Sue Hayton on S.Hayton@leeds.ac.uk

More about the project

The Centre for Cultural Value is leading a national research project to create a step-change in the collection, collation, management and evaluation of cultural-sector data.

Our approach is to involve people who are actively involved in creative making: we have already successfully involved creative practitioners in our project, their participation and ideas and feedback forming a large part of how we subsequently carried out research with creative and cultural organisations in the city.

We are working in collaboration with the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, The Audience Agency, MyCake and a consortium of academic researchers to develop data standards and protocols to inform a cultural policy framework. This project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Partners in Bradford are University of Bradford, Born in Bradford, The Leap, Bradford 2025, Bradford Producing Hub, the Science and Media Museum and City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.