deadline for applications
description
Introduction
Natural Resources Wales wishes to appoint an artist (or artists) to develop and implement an art project for the Wales Coast Path, at the half-way point of the path at New Quay in Ceredigion, as part of the Year of the Sea 2018. We are keen to appoint an artist who will research the locality and engage with residents and businesses in the area as a natural part of their design process. We are aiming to appoint early April and to complete the project by the end of 2018.
Background
The Wales Coast Path offers unique opportunities to experience varied and often spectacular coastal landscapes - through wide tidal estuaries, beautiful sandy bays, isolated coves, and tiny villages. Following the path allows walkers to experience the wildlife, history and cultural heritage of Wales.
New Quay lies on the Ceredigion section of the Wales Coast Path, which is a 60 mile long section (also at the half-way point). New Quay is a popular seaside resort and can get extremely busy in the summer. As well as sandy beaches, there is a small harbour here built in 1834. Today one of the key attractions are the bottlenose dolphins in Cardigan Bay, which people can take boat trips to see. New Quay Honey Farm is nearby and is the largest bee farm in Wales. As well as tourism, fishing and fish processing are still key employment opportunities in the area.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. It was established in 2013 largely taking over the functions of the Countryside Council for Wales, Forestry Commission Wales and the Environment Agency in Wales, as well as certain Welsh Government functions.
NRW exists to “ensure that the environment and natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, sustainably enhances and sustainably used, now and in the future.”
In addition to having a key role in the delivery of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources as specified by the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, NRW is one of the public bodies duty-bound by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to work to improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. The WFG Act puts in place seven well-being goals:
A prosperous Wales
A resilient Wales
A healthier Wales
A more equal Wales
A Wales of cohesive communities
A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh Language
A globally responsible Wales
The Site
There are 3 potential sites for this project. However, there is a preference amongst the steering group for the 3rd site below:
1. Adjacent to the Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre is a small modern single story building near the car park in New Quay. It overlooks the sea and has an area of hard-standing around it. This location can be seen from the coastal path, south of New Quay, as you are coming downhill into New Quay. The backdrop of the sea makes it a pleasant location, but being so near the VC building may compromise the artwork.
2. Seating area overlooking the beach and harbour wall. This small seating area is on a level hard-standing with low railings in front. It is near the public toilets which are just behind. There is some visual clutter to this area, such as a sign, but these items could be moved in the best interests of the project. The viewpoint from here is one of the best in the town.
3. Seating area overlooking the beach and harbour wall. This larger seating area is further up and adjacent to site 2. It is a grassy sloped area with several benches and bins. Again, the arrangement of the benches and bins can be changed to accommodate the artwork and the artist would be able to suggest a new layout for this space. This area is particularly popular with families and a place where people sit to enjoy their ice cream! The viewpoint from here is one of the best in the town.
It is worth noting that there are no play features or any type of interactive features for children in this part of the town.
All three sites are Council owned land. There do not seem to be any major utilities under sites 2 or 3, but we will be collating site plans and information for all potential sites.
The Commission
The Year of the Sea 2018 is an opportunity to celebrate many aspects of the Welsh coastline – its geography, flora and fauna, history and culture for example. The aim of the funding is to support tourism in Wales and through this project we hope to highlight and promote the Wales Coast Path as a rich resource and experience. But it is also an opportunity for local residents and businesses to be a part of an art project on their doorstep and to inspire them to use the coast path in a variety of ways. Through meaningful engagement with the local community we wish to commission an art project that will make a positive contribution to the image and profile of both the Wales Coast Path and New Quay. Any text used in the artwork will need to be bi-lingual. The artwork should:
interpret the Coast path to highlight its importance to residents and visitors
help link the Coast path with the town
be a visitor attraction and create new photo opportunities
The artist will need to consider site preparation as part of the design and implementation process. The artist will need to present to the Steering group their proposal for any site preparation that involves moving existing items to alternative locations. Some of this work may be carried out by the Council at no cost to the project budget, but the artist should assume that all site preparation will be covered by their own budget.
The research and engagement phase of this project is critical to ensure that New Quay residents get involved with and behind the project. We would like the appointed artist to develop a programme of engagement activities, which could be kick-started with a public presentation 'meet the artist' event. The artist will be expected to spend a number of days in New Quay to develop and facilitate engagement activities and we will allocate a portion of the budget for this aspect of the project. The project manager will support the artist to make contact with relevant groups and individuals. Workshops and activities will need to be offered bi-lingually. The project manager will be able to advise the artist/s regarding local artists/facilitators they could engage to help them with this, therefore this needs to be borne in mind when allocating the budget.
The outcomes from the engagement phase will need to be communicated to the Steering group before the artist proceeds with developing detailed design proposals. Design proposals will also need to be made public before a planning application is made, to ensure that the project has public support. The artist will be expected to prepare a number of design drawings in different formats for different purposes/audiences, e.g. to show the design to the public, the image will need to be a photo-montage or artist's impression of the work in situ, for the planning application detailed technical and scaled design drawings will be required.
The commission therefore consists of two main areas of consideration:
1. Engagement and consultation with the public to raise awareness of the project and research ways to make the Wales Coast Path more visible/relevant/understood.
2. A permanent installation of artwork/s that will be of high quality, enhancing the landscaping and architectural quality of the town. The artwork/s will be made of robust materials able to withstand the marine environment and have a lifespan of at least 20 years.
We hope that the subject of the Wales Coast Path is both broad and varied enough to attract many artists from a wide range of practices to apply. The selected artist will be able to interpret the theme in their own way, which suits their practice.
Further considerations
The artist will need to have product and public liability insurance in place for £5 million.
The artist will need to prepare an installation method statement and health and safety assessment to be agreed with the client before installing the work (or arrange for any sub-contractor to provide the same.)
Maintenance requirements should be minimal and the artist will need to prepare a maintenance schedule to be given to the client.
Person specification
We are looking for either one or two artists for this project. If applying jointly please be clear in your application what role each of you will take in the project. We will not appoint two separate artists to undertake different parts of the project, therefore if you do not meet all of the person specification, please consider making a joint application. (You do not need to include a Welsh speaking artist/facilitator in your application, but highlight that you will be seeking someone to work with at the engagement stage). Essential experience includes:
Experience of designing and creating permanent public art features with a similar budget.
Experience of designing and creating permanent public art features for an outdoor setting (and preferably experience or awareness of the issues around installing artwork at a seaside location.)
Experience of engaging with a local community to develop ideas for a project.
Experience of facilitating innovative activities for engaging with a variety of groups, including families, adults, elderly, as well as special interest groups such as civic or heritage societies, conservation groups.
Timescale
The project must be completed within the calendar year. We envisage the research, engagement and design stage to be completed by the end of June. A planning application will be submitted and processed in July/August which would then allow the artist to begin making the work in September.
Contracts
The selected artist will be contracted to 'Natural Resources Wales'. The artist will be contracted to deliver the first phase of work: research, engagement and design, and paid the fee in two instalments. Once the design has had planning approval the artist will continue to the next stage in the contract to implement the work, and paid in three instalments.
How to apply
Register your interest on https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales
Expressions of interest must be sent to procurement.ns@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk.
To apply for the project please include:
Up to 10 images of your previous work as a PowerPoint or pdf document (please do NOT include separate jpgs) with an image list,
A brief CV
A letter outlining your interest in this project and confirmation of your availability on the interview date (you may include any publications you believe may be relevant to this project).
Contact details of 2 referees.
Procedure
This brief has been widely advertised locally and nationally and is available to view on sell2wales (Notice ID FEB240412, Document ID 78174). https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB240412
Please follow the instructions on sell2wales for how to submit your expression of interest.
All applications will be reviewed to create a short-list of 3/4 artists
The candidates that will be invited to interview will be notified on the 23rd of March 2018
Interviews will be held in New Quay on the 11th of April 2018
The Selection Panel will consist of representatives from Natural Resources Wales, Ceredigion Council, New Quay Town Council, and Celfwaith. Please let us know if you have any accessibility issues and we will ensure the interview venue is appropriate.
Selection criteria for short-listing:
Creativity 50%
The artist shows creativity in their past projects, and demonstrate that they can interpret a theme and environment.
Relevance 25%
Appropriateness of past portfolio of work to the current project and site.
Community Engagement 25%
Examples of community engagement activities during project development, which provide NRW with confidence that the artist can engage successfully with the community for this project.
Availability to complete the project within the proposed timeline Yes/No
Selection criteria at interview:
Ideas presented for engagement activities 40%
The ideas presented by the artist fulfils the brief, and provides the Selection Panel with confidence that the engagement will involve all relevant groups and individuals in the community, will raise awareness of the Wales Coast Path, and will be effective for developing design ideas.
Methodology presented for delivering the project 30%
The methodology presented fits within the brief, and provides the Selection Panel with confidence that the artist will deliver the project successfully.
Initial response to the site and theme 30%
The artist presents initial ideas that are relevant to the site and theme.
Questions will be marked using the following scoring system:
100 Excellent
80 Good
50 Adequate
20 Poor
0 Unacceptable
The score awarded will be multiplied by the weighting and divided by 100 to calculate the weighted score for each question.
Points will then be calculated using a standard differential scoring system where the highest total weighted quality score will be given 100 points and the points for the other scores is determined by dividing the score by the highest score and multiplying by 100.
Contact mererid@celfwaith.co.uk if you have any queries.
