Brief to artist
64 Campbell Road Project
1. Introduction
Look Ahead Housing and Care wishes to commission an artist, or artist’s collaboration to realise new work through the unique context of engaging with the environment and the residents in their building at 64 Campbell Road. This project forms part of the continuing programme of artist involvement in Look Ahead’s new and refurbished building schemes.
2. Background
2.1 Look Ahead Housing and Care
Look Ahead Housing and Care supports vulnerable adults and young people, by providing housing and other support services that help them to lead independent lives. Look Ahead service users include people experiencing mental illness, long term illness such as AIDS and HIV and young people and adults who are learning disabled.
Look Ahead’s corporate aims are:
- To reduce the number of rough sleepers on the streets
- Use innovative solutions to increase options for tenants and residents
- Encourage service user involvement
- Recognise, value and develop strategies to support diversity
- Develop quality services through continuous improvement
- Build strategic partnerships, alliances and collaboration.
For the last decade Look Ahead has carried out innovative arts projects as part of the support it offers to vulnerable people.
The aims of the Look Ahead Arts Programme are to:
- Encourage service user involvement
- Enable service users to become more integrated into local communities
- Help improve the home environments of service users
- Interface with Look Ahead’s other services such as training, employment, development and maintenance.
In 1999 Look Ahead appointed a professional Arts Manager and in 2000 Look Ahead’s Board adopted an arts strategy, which actively informs Look Ahead’s Arts Programme. A broad and innovative programme has been followed, which has won praise from various quarters - the arts programme at Look Ahead’s Aldgate Hostel is cited as an example of good practice in the 1999 DCMS PAT 10 report on using the arts to combat social exclusion.
Look Ahead has commissioned a number of public art projects in recent years, contributing to the quality of the buildings in which their service users live and receive support. Two projects are cited as exemplary activity in Creative Neighbourhoods – the role of the arts in sustainable communities, a publication funded by Arts Council England and the Housing Corporation. Participatory projects with service users have also been delivered in collaboration with arts partners such as the Whitechapel Gallery, Museum of London, Tate Modern, Serpentine Gallery, Photographers’ Gallery and local authority arts teams.
See www.lookahead.org.uk for further information on Look Ahead Housing and Care.
2.2 64 Campbell Road
This new building opened for business on December 12 2005 and currently houses up to 20 young people (aged 16 –23) who have medium to high support needs. Residents live in self contained studios and can stay for up to two years. They receive an individual programme of support, to enable them to live independently.
The building has one large communal space with seating, and an integral kitchen area. Narrow hallways lead to and from a central stairway which provides the main access to three storeys and a basement, the staircase has a high stairwell. Glass panels with wooden frames delineate between accommodation areas and access to the building. The main entrance is bordered by one of these glass panels, and slightly broader than the main hall ways. There is a thin path that runs around the building from back to front, but no other outside space.
The building benefits from being new, with clean décor, new carpets and furnishings, however it has no real heart and would benefit from activities that provide psychological and physical warmth.
3. The brief
The artist/artists are required to create new work/s for 64 Campbell Road, which comes from direct engagement with the residents, over a sustained period of time. There is no proscribed methodology or approach, however we would hope that the residents would gain in confidence, skills and knowledge and this activity could be seen as an integral part of their individual programme leading ultimately to independent living. As described above, the building has a rather clinical atmosphere, and any physical outcome that improves this situation in either the communal area, hallways or affecting the glass panels would have a significant impact. However, both the activity-based and physical elements of the commission have equal importance.
In the first instance, we should like the artist/s to make an introductory presentation about themselves and their work to the residents and staff. We would then expect the artist/s to spend periods of time on site at Campbell Road, meeting people informally and through discussion create activities which ultimately will inform the final work. Essentially this hostel is home to 20 young people, some of whom are very vulnerable, and we are therefore very keen for this project to foster a creative, light hearted approach to engaging the residents and improving the environment in what ever way the artist/s feel is appropriate.
The artist/s will need to work closely with staff on site to agree attendance times, how these are managed and how they are advertised. Issues of health and safety and personal/professional insurances will also need to be addressed through discussion with the staff and the Arts Manager at Look Ahead.
Look Ahead are keen to champion new ways of embedding sustainable arts activity within the organisation, providing a unique opportunity for artists’ practice, and residents’ experience. This project will provide a model of working with established artists whose practice creates new work through directly engaging in social situations. With this in mind, the Arts Manager will directly co-ordinate this project, and work closely with the artists and the Campbell Road project in order to monitor activity and be responsive to the project.
We are open as to the media and exact site for the final work, and there are a number of possibilities. The artist may wish to create a permanent work for the space, or they may like to investigate a process or event based work, which could be documented as a permanent legacy. The final specification of the work will be subject to a health and safety assessment by Look Ahead maintenance personnel and any ongoing maintenance requirements will need to be discussed and agreed.
4. Process
The commission will proceed in stages with approvals at the end of each stage before continuing to the next. Approvals will be given from the Management Group (see below).
4.1. Research Proposal
After initial briefing and discussion meetings, the artist/s should present the methodology to be used in the research/engagement activities. We are not looking for an agreed outcome at this point.
4.2 Research Outcomes/Concept Proposal
Once the research methodology has been agreed, the artist/s will continue to undertake this activity over an agreed period of up to three months. The outcome of the research period will be shown in a detailed presentation to the project steering group, and include a concept proposal for the final outcome. The research presentation should include visuals e.g. photo montage, sketches, and a written method statement to include rationale and conceptual basis, also materials, specialist support and any basic technical requirements where appropriate.
Once the concept proposal has been approved, the artist/s should move on to detailing the proposal.
4.3. Detailed Design Proposal
This should incorporate all practical, technical and cost details of the commission. The presentation of the detailed proposal should include detailed plans and elevations, sample materials where appropriate, details of any technical requirements, timetable, cost breakdown and outline maintenance requirements.
4.4. Fabrication and Installation
Depending upon the nature of the work, the artist will have different levels of involvement at this stage, i.e. whether they are fabricating the work themselves or ordering it from others.
We understand that the nature of this project is such that the final outcome could be event or process-based, the above stages are intended as a guide only.
5. Budget
The artist’s fee for this work is £8,000. This includes all travel and subsistence expenses. This sum does not include VAT.
The total budget for the capital cost of the work is £38,000. This does not include VAT.
Fee payment will be made in instalments linked to stages in the commission process:
On signing contract - £1000
On agreeing research methodology - £1000
On agreeing detailed design proposal- £3000
On approval of detailed design - £ 2000
On installation - £1000
If the artist is fabricating the work themselves, then stage payments for the capital cost will be agreed against particular milestones in the fabrication process.
6. Management, Contacts and Approvals
The project will be managed by Look Ahead’s Arts Programme Manager Tessa Fitzjohn. Public Arts Consultant Hazel Colquhoun will advise the Arts Manager in the initial appointment.
The main contacts for the artist will be Look Ahead’s Arts Manager Tessa Fitzjohn and Rabena Faried, the Manager at Campbell Road.
As noted above, a Management Group will oversee approval of the proposal. The group will consist of:
- Tessa Fitzjohn Arts Manager, Look Ahead Housing and Care
- Jemima Montagu Visual Arts Officer (Public Realm), ACE London
- Yasmin Zahir Curator, Bury St Edmunds Gallery
- Louise O’Reilly Public Art Co-ordinator
- Resident Campbell Road tbc
- Rabena Faried Manager Campbell Road
- Hazel Colquhoun Public Art Consultant
7. Timescale
The project should be completed by February 2007:
April 2006 Agreement of appointment and exchange of contracts
June 2006 Presentation of research methodology
September 2006 Presentation of Concept proposal/Research outcomes
November 2006 Presentation of detailed design proposal
Nov 06 – Feb 07 Fabrication/construction/installation
March 2007 Completion target
8. Contracts
The artist will be contracted to Look Ahead Housing and Care on a commissioned design contract in the first instance. Depending upon the nature of the artist’s involvement in the fabrication/construction period, a further contract will be issued.
