PUBLIC ART COMMISSION FOR KIRKSTALL, LEEDS The Tetley and Leeds City Council ARTIST BRIEF May 2016 The Tetley Hunslet Road, Leeds LS10 1JQ, UK www.thetetley.org Registered Charity No: 1148716 Company No: 7123227
2 CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Project Background 3 The Kirkstall Area Context 4 The Commission 5 Budget and Timescales 6 Site Location and Images 7 How to Apply and Next Steps 8 Contact Details
3 1 INTRODUCTION The Tetley is working in partnership with Leeds City Council to commission a new public artwork in the community of Kirkstall. It will be sited on an area of landscaping in front of the Kirkstall Leisure Centre at the crossroads between Abbey Lane, Kirkstall Lane, Bridge Road and Kirkstall Road. We wish to appoint a contemporary artist or artists as the principal lead on the commission. 2 PROJECT BACKRGOUND Currently this part of Kirkstall is dominated by significant traffic management infrastructure including road signals, signage and pedestrian crossings. This combined with nearby derelict and empty shop units provides a poor welcome to Kirkstall for residents and visitors alike and is particularly unattractive from a pedestrian perspective. Leeds City Council has made available funding through its Town & District Centre Round 2 scheme to carry out improvement works to Town & District Centres across Leeds. The art work will form part of this wider investment scheme in Kirkstall. The Tetley worked with two Kirkstall primary schools, Kirkstall St Stephen and Beecroft, to create lamppost banner designs reflecting local themes and these have been on display since 2015. Kirkstall schoolchildren working on lamppost banner designs in 2015
4 3 THE KIRKSTALL AREA CONTEXT Kirkstall has an interesting and varied history. It is most noted for its Abbey, founded in 1152 and operating until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. The Abbey s ruins were later painted by artists including J.M.W Turner. The remains of the Abbey and its grounds were donated to Leeds Council in 1889. It was opened to the public in 1895 and has been a popular attraction ever since, situated in a large area of parkland. The Abbey is Grade 1 Listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is also a popular site for events and the former abbey gatehouse is now the Abbey House Museum covering the social history of Leeds. Kirkstall was an important industrial area, home to industries including printing, textiles and brewing as well as a large power station. The historic former brewery building has now been converted into student accommodation. The most notable industry was the Kirkstall Forge. This large industrial site can trace its lineage back to a millrace founded by monks at the Abbey in the 12 th century. Iron production began on the site in the 16 th century and it was one of the longest continuously used industrial sites in British history. In the 20 th century the site was well-known for the production of large axles for commercial vehicles and production of these continued until 2003 when the factory was closed. The forge site is now undergoing a comprehensive redevelopment which will see the construction of a new railway station and a large number of homes, offices and other amenities. However, some of the oldest forge buildings dating back to the 16 th century will be preserved. Campaigner for the rights of industrial workers, Richard Oastler, is buried at St Stephen s Churchyard in the area. Kirkstall is intersected by the River Aire, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the railway, and these transport links have formed a key part of the history and geography of the area, as does its large amount of greenspace. Kirkstall is home to Hollybush, an environmental volunteering centre established for 30 years, and there are several community gardening initiatives in the area. There is an active creative community in Kirkstall and it is home to several artists and musicians studios. The Kirkstall Art Trail was first established in 2015. 4 THE COMMISSION Taking advantage of the high visibility of the banked site and of existing mature tree planting, the landscaping project will develop a distinctive feature between the frontage of the Kirkstall Leisure Centre and the adjacent traffic junction. This new art commission will form a key part of this. The scale of the artwork should be considered in terms of its impact on both pedestrians and road users. The significant history of the area should be also considered by those submitting, though direct representation of this is not required.
5 Thought should be given in applications to the possibilities of involving local communities in the development and creation of the piece and time and budget within submissions should allow for this. The commission forms an integral part of the wider local improvement scheme and the landscaping around the Leisure Centre and will need to dovetail with this, rather than existing in isolation. For further visual detail on this, please see the zip file available on The Tetley website adjacent to the commission brief. The landscaping scheme contains a plinth which measures 1500mm x 1875mm, however there is some flexibility as to the exact location of the art work within the landscaping and it doesn t have to fit exactly within the parameters of the plinth. Proposals must also take into account the fact that a low-maintenance solution to the brief is required and this should be reflected in your application. Proposals are invited from artists working individually or collaboratively, possibly with other professionals working within relevant disciplines. Artists at any stage of their career may apply, however we will look for convincing evidence as part of the assessment process of the ability to deliver on the commission, possibly through having previously undertaken work of a similar scale or nature. The commission is also seen as part of a wider discussion across Leeds about art in the public realm. At present, Leeds has a draft public art strategy, which is available to download from The Tetley website adjacent to the commission brief. We are keen that this project contributes to the ongoing development of this strategy. Applicants should also consider current thinking about the role of art in the public realm and good practice in relation to this. The parameters of the artwork have been left open to allow for a variety of creative responses to the brief although a permanent project outcome is required. 5 BUDGET AND TIMESCALES The total amount available for the commission is 44,000 which includes all fees and expenses, site visits, production and installation of the artwork, any remedial landscaping work and costs for any related events. Leeds City Council will lead on securing all necessary permissions and liaise with other local authority departments including planning and highways. Any changes to the final design required by the planning department must be undertaken within this total budget ceiling. The Tetley will contract with the successful applicants for delivery of the commissions. Applicants must provide a breakdown of their outline project budget within their proposal. Ownership of the artworks will pass to Leeds City Council on completion of installation, although copyright will of course rest with the artist/s. The deadline for submitting proposals is 10am on 22 nd July 2016. The desired date for installation of the commission is late Spring 2017 and applicants must provide an outline production and installation schedule within their proposal which
6 demonstrates that this is achievable. 6 SITE LOCATION AND IMAGES Kirkstall Leisure Centre, the crossroads between Abbey Lane, Kirkstall Lane, Bridge Road and Kirkstall Road, Leeds, LS5 3BE, UK
Please also see the Zip file on the The Tetley website adjacent to the commission brief which contains other images of the Kirkstall area and further supporting information to aid in the development of your submission. 7
8 7 HOW TO APPLY AND NEXT STEPS To apply commission, please complete all stages of the application as detailed on CuratorSpace, a link to which is located on The Tetley website adjacent to this brief. All the required information in the application should be submitted no later than 10am on 22 nd July 2016. Your application should include; information on your background as an artist/s and details of relevant past projects, details on your proposal for the Kirkstall project including a textual outline, visual representations of potential outcomes, an outline of timescale, budget and likely installation requirements and details on how you intend to engage the community in the project. Further information on exactly what is required can be found on each stage of the CuratorSpace application. A shortlist of proposals will be drawn up by the programme team at The Tetley. The shortlist will then be considered by a panel including representatives from The Tetley, Leeds City Council and Kirkstall community representatives. The selected designs will be confirmed subject to planning approval. If modification in design or materials used at the design stage is required to secure the planning consent, such changes must be done within the total amount of the commission. The applicant/s shortlisted will be contacted by August 2016 and invited to an initial meeting in Leeds in August/September 2016, costs for which will be covered. Unsuccessful applicants will also be informed at this time. We are unable to offer feedback to applicants who do not make it to the shortlisting stage. The decision of the selection panel is final. 8 CONTACT DETAILS If you have any queries about the project, please contact Kenn Taylor, Head of Participation at The Tetley, through the email form on CuratorSpace.