Glossop Creates wishes to appoint an artist / creative practitioner to undertake a creative research residency with a focus on local sustainable approaches to furniture making, design, use and recycling. We are interested in embedding this approach into large civic projects and public spaces and how an artist might consider approaches to interior design whilst also considering potential audiences, use of storytelling and using inspiration from Glossopdale.
Deadline for applications: 10th February 2023
About Glossop Creates
Glossop Creates is a campaign that aims to support, strengthen and sustain the creative industry sector in Glossopdale and promotes the creative talent in the area. We believe that an empowered local creative community contributes to improving the workings of the place and supports creating an enhanced visitor offer.
The Glossop Creates campaign encourages Glossop’s creative community to come together, develop ideas and lead the change it wants to see. We are committed to creating opportunities that support local creative and independent businesses to address shared challenges through collaboration and partnership work with local organisations and the local authority.
Glossop is a beautiful High Peak market town that benefits from being situated close to Manchester – a city well known globally for its creative successes – as well as its stunning rural backdrop of the Pennines and the Peak District. Glossop itself has a vibrant, independent offer and a growing community of creatives. Our Pairings residencies demonstrate what is possible when artists and creatives consider local issues and collaborate with local organisations to affect change, and generate ideas on a local level - that can potentially be incorporated in places far and wide.
Glossop Creates has been awarded a grant from Arts Council England to fund our programme of commissions, engagement, support, and mentoring for our town’s creative community. The programme consists of multiple strands of activity, including:
- A series of creative network meetings.
- A brand new website and refreshed brand for Glossop Creates.
- Four PAIRINGS residencies.
- A mentoring and skill sharing programme.
- Continuing to promote and celebrate all of the creative activity takes place in our town.
About the Pairings Residencies
The Glossop Creates commissioning programme takes an action-research approach, inviting artists to develop ideas and creative methodologies whilst creating high quality, locally relevant work that increases local engagement with culture and the local environment. As part of the second phase of the Pairings programme, we will commission 3 local artists / creative practitioners to research and develop their theme and create responses to the research, in partnership with the host partner.
Our research questions / curiosities / lines of inquiry for the Pairings Residencies include:
- How communities can use creativity to better connect with Glossop; it’s heritage, environment, residents, industries etc.
- How art can play a role in connecting people to place
- How we encourage curiosity in place and dialogue amongst people and groups
- How art and creativity can support the creation of healthy places, ensuring residents and visitors feel happy and healthy
- How art and creativity can support inclusivity in decision making processes
- How we can design a sustainable, local circular economy
Each Pairings resident will be encouraged to participate in our Living Room concept:
Introducing The Living Room
The Living Room is Glossop’s space to create a living history of our town. It’s a place to pause, reflect and share your local stories – from treasured memories of the past, to ideas and hopes for the future. The Living Room is an online archive, and soon to be physical space, where residents and visitors can explore and discover Glossop from a local point of view.
The Living Room’s ‘Guest’ section is a space for artists to collaborate with local communities and come up with exciting creative responses to The Living Room. This is where we would like the Pairings resident to share their research, findings, thoughts and responses.
Explore the Living Room here: https://www.alocallivingroom.com/location/glossop
The Brief: Pairing with Glossopdale Furniture Project
We are inviting a local artist to creatively explore local, sustainable and circular economy* approaches to production, decoration and design through research and engagement activities.
The Pairings residency will consider local sustainable approaches; the commission is in partnership with Glossopdale Furniture Project, a registered charity based in Glossop. GFP helps people who have been referred from social services, housing charities, women’s refuges and many other local organisations who support individuals and families in need. During 2019-2020 the Project supported over 150 households by providing free Emergency Packs of furniture and everyday essentials to those who have been homeless and given a new tenancy where the property has none of the necessary items. Depending on need, a basic pack can consist of a bed, sofa, chest of drawers, wardrobe, fridge, bedding, crockery, microwave, kettle and toaster to help set up their new home. GFP also has two shops where people can buy upcycled and recycled furniture for their homes and businesses. They have an in-house workshop and painting studio, which the successful artist in residence will have access to.
https://www.glossopdalefurniture.co.uk/
Through a series of focussed activities, experimentations and workshops in collaboration with Glossopdale Furniture Project, we hope the artist / creative practitioner will encourage conversation around sustainable practices, environmentally friendly materials and local circular systems. We develop emotional connections to the furniture we use, many of which come with stories and memories to unlock and share. We are interested in how this emotional connection and sharing these stories can encourage reuse and upcycling and discourage a throwaway mentality. You will use our Living room platform to document the stories you come across and the ideas you have.
*Definition of Circular Economy available here.
You will be supported by the Glossop Creates team:
Claire Tymon
Steven Dexter
Charlie Collins
Residency deliverables:
Specific deliverables will be agreed with the Glossop Creates team and Glossopdale Furniture Project following a successful application for the residency.
This is an open brief, please include details on the outcomes you would like to create during the residency.
To apply for the residency please submit a PDF or Word document proposal in response to the brief. This should include:
- Research methodologies- How do you identify, select and analyse your research for the residency? How does it support your overall aim?
- Engagement activities and workshops - Who will be involved in your residencies activities? What will the activities look like? Where will the activities be based? When will they happen? How will these be delivered? Which communities, other organisations or individuals will you work with/speak to?
- Connection to Living Room concept - This project must feed into and complement the Living Room concept for Glossop, outlined above.
- Documentation - Outline how you will document and share your process. Will this be online, using social media, as a blog on the Glossop Creates website? Through artworks, prints, or other creative methods. Shared though local press or radio?
- Deliverables - What is the creative outcome of your research? How will you present the work created during your residency activity?
Timescales
Application deadline- Friday 10th February 2023
Pairings resident announced- Wednesday 15th February 2023
Pairings residency begins- Monday 20th February 2023
Research and development should be completed by the end of March 2023
Final deliverables should be completed by end of April 2023
Budget
Artist fee – £2000
Artist Materials / expenses - To be discussed with Glossopdale Furniture Project
Partner Contacts
Glossop Creates - hello@glossopcreates.com
Glossopdale Furniture Project - leigh@glossopdalefurniture.co.uk
Applications should be emailed to: hello@glossopcreates.com
Please include your name, relevant contact details and any social media/portfolio links/examples of your work.
