"Creative Energy" Commission
Brigit’s Garden, Roscahill in association with Galway Arts Centre
'Creative Energy' is a once-off commission for a visual artist to make a new permanent artwork that will use solar panels as a power source. The artwork will engage the public interactively and make explicit the symbiotic relationship between solar energy and the artwork.
The artwork will be part of a wider project named ‘Exploring Nature’s Power’ which involves installing renewable energy devices at Brigit’s Garden in Roscahill, Co. Galway. The devices will have associated interpretation and interactive elements to engage both adults and children and enable learning about renewable energy, especially energy derived from the sun.
The commission budget is €4,000 and will cover the artist’s fee, project development, materials and installation.
The artwork could be either a stand-alone feature or integrate with an existing feature in Brigit’s Garden e.g. the fountain, lochán or calendar sundial.
The successful artwork will be selected from an open call for submissions and will:
· Be original and site-specific, and fit in with the natural environment and themes of Brigit’s Garden
· Incorporate solar photovoltaic cells as a power source
· Have an interactive element, so that visitors can affect an aspect of the work and see the result. (For example, a visitor could pull a cover over some of the solar panels and see that the power is reduced)
· Be robust and safe. The artist will arrange for a suitably insured engineer to sign off on the completed work
· Be low maintenance, so that it can easily be maintained by staff at Brigit’s Garden
Submission Process & Information:
Artists are invited to send a proposal for an artwork, their CV and examples of recent work.
The proposal should include:
o Proposed site of artwork
o The concept & research behind the artwork
o The interactive element of the artwork
o Proposed maintenance of artwork
o Budget breakdown of artwork, including artist’s fee, fabrication/development, installation and maintenance.
Timeframe
The successful applicant will be informed in the first week in September 2014 and work will commence immediately. The deadline for completion is end of October 2014.
Evaluation Panel & Criteria
The Evaluation panel will consist of Jenny Beale, Director, Brigit’s Garden;
Maeve Mulrennan, Head of Visual Art, Galway Arts Centre,
Dr Annette Harte, Department of Engineering and Informatics in NUI Galway,
and an independent adjudicator with knowledge of renewable energy.
The proposals will be evaluated on artistic ambition, suitability to the context, feasibility, and health and safety.
Insurance & Tax
The selected artist will have to provide a tax clearance certificate and evidence of public liability insurance.
Queries and submissions should be emailed to Maeve Mulrennan on exploringnaturespower@gmail.com
The closing date for submissions is Friday 22nd August 2014.
A site visit, where Jenny Beale, Director of Brigit’s Garden will give a tour of the site and answer queries will take place from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 5th or Wednesday 6th August 2014.
Please email exploringnaturespower@gmail.com to register for the site visit and information pack.
For further information on Brigit’s Garden see www.brigitsgarden.ie
The project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The artist’s competition is also co-funded by Galway County Council Arts Office. Brigit’s Garden is also partnering with the Department of Engineering & Informatics & the Ryan Institute in NUI Galway to promote science, technology, engineering and maths in primary and post-primary education.
