The City of Melbourne invites early mid-career artists to imagine and develop new encounters within the City of Melbourne through our inaugural Public Art Melbourne Biennial Lab, led by Chief Curator Natalie King.
The 2016 Biennial Lab, titled What Happens Now?, is an opportunity for artists to explore bold, creative ideas in an aesthetically and intellectually rigorous situation while testing the reception of their work in an extraordinarily diverse Melbourne context.
Ten artists including collaborative practitioners will be selected to work intensively in a laboratory environment that champions research, thinking and experimentation. The lab will be co-convened by international affiliate Claire Doherty, Director, Situations UK, and David Cross, One Day Sculpture/ Iteration: Again/ Head of Art and Performance Deakin University. Artists for the inaugural Melbourne Biennial Lab will be selected by a national and internationally renowned curatorium led by the Chief Curator.
Artists will be invited to develop a proposal that responds to the nationally significant Queen Victoria Market (QVM) precinct and which will be further developed in their application and during a two week onsite intensive in June 2016.
The lab process will realise up to 10 temporary public commissions or interventions, which will be launched at QVM in October as part of the 2016 Melbourne Festival.
Works commissioned might be an event that visits QVM or a more durable installation that could remain onsite for up to one year.
Participants will:
- attend and contribute to the collective spirit of an onsite Melbourne Biennial Lab residency at Queen Victoria Market: Friday 3 June – Friday 17 June
- be available for evening sessions / events during the first (residency) stage of the lab: Saturday 4 June – Saturday 11 June
- participate in artist’s talks and forums as part of the lab
- be given travel, accommodation and funding support
- if selected for the second (commissioning) stage, present a new work as part of the 2016 Melbourne Festival at Queen Victoria Market in October.
A series of public programs will run alongside both lab stages, inviting the wider Melbourne community to share in the social, public and communal experiences and conversations sparked by the suite of commissions.
This open call closes 11pm, Friday 29 April 2016.
