The Biodiversity Fingerprint Commission

Reimagine the human as part of ecology 

Deadline to apply: 27 March 2024

Key Information

• Applications opens: 4th March 2024
• Applications close: 27 March 2024 at 12 noon
• Artwork development period: 9 April to 24 May 2024
• Deadline for artwork submission: 28 May 2024
• Public opening: End of June 2024

Artist Fee: £7,000 

Production budget: The production budget will be managed by Proposition Studios. A budget of up to £10,000 is allocated to the production and installation of the artwork. 

Outline

Proposition is commissioning a major temporary public artwork to encourage viewers to think about the potential for humans to have a positive impact on our planet’s ecology.

The artwork will be displayed on Proposition Camden’s Northwest façade, facing the Roundhouse. Envisaged as a digital print on fabric, the artwork will be 15m wide by 9m high.

The commission will include an Augmented Reality (AR) layer which will be embedded in the artwork, to add depth and meaning to the piece. Based on the commissioned artist’s level of experience with AR, this element may be provided by the artist(s) with support from AR specialists, or by Proposition’s AR specialists, in consultation with the commissioned artist(s).

Prior experience of working with AR is not a requirement to apply for this commission. 

The concept for the commission: Biodiversity Fingerprint

If humanity is now the dominant influence on the ecology of our planet then aiming for Net Zero and low impact is not sufficient as it will merely slow the pace of degradation; this degradation is entirely avoidable as human beings can have a dramatically positive impact on biodiversity and ecological resilience in the process of producing everything we need to thrive.

Drawing on an immense wealth of positive examples from different parts of the world and throughout history – such as the Loess Plateau in China, self-sustaining Oases across the Middle East, Homegardens in South East Asia, or the Great Plains in North America – and combining them with recent scientific discoveries, we must learn to reimagine ways in which we can transform our civilisation’s damaging impact on biodiversity and progress to an age of ecological abundance.

This is the central idea that we want the commissioned artist(s) to explore in this commission.

In response to the prevalent concept of ‘Carbon Footprint’ we conceive a progressive approach that focuses on the immense potential for human beings to have a positive impact on biodiversity. Biodiversity Fingerprint is the concept we are putting forward to provoke consideration and imagination of how our actions can increase biodiversity. What Biodiversity Fingerprint does a person, company or country have? Our relationship with other living things is an integral part of our identity, much like a fingerprint. Please refer to the Appendix which introduces this concept in more detail.

With this commission, we want to harness the power of artists’ imagination to provoke a redesign of our civilisation and help viewers reimagine themselves and their actions as contributors to biodiversity.

The commission: Artwork Specification and Deliverables

Proposition is seeking artistic responses to the ambition outlined above.

The commission will be installed on the Northwest wall of Proposition Camden in Chalk Farm Road, facing the iconic, circular building of The Roundhouse. The fabrication of the artwork will be undertaken by Proposition. Once fabricated, it is expected the artwork will be 15m wide by 9m high.

The commission is intended to include an augmented reality (AR) layer, to add animation, depth and reveal layers of information as viewers engage with the work. It is not a requirement that the commissioned artist(s) should have experience of AR, as Proposition will have specialists on hand to assist with this element. However, the artist(s) will be expected to work with Proposition’s specialist to realise the AR objective of the project and engage supportively with this process.

As a minimum requirement, the commissioned artist(s) will be expected to submit their artwork as a high-resolution digital file which will be fabricated by Proposition to be installed on its building. Through the commission development period, discussions between Proposition, the commissioned artist(s) and specialist advisors will take place to agree the format and medium of the commissioned piece. All parties will agree on the best way forward to execute the commission.

Proposition will be responsible for the fabrication and installation of the commission, ensuring all processes and materials employed are consistent with its ethos. The commissioned artist(s) will be expected to submit their work in a format which supports the fabrication process.

The artwork is expected to be displayed for a minimum of 3-6 months.

The commissioned artist(s) will retain the intellectual property in the artwork, but Proposition will have beneficial ownership of the file and fabricated artwork. 

The commissioned artist(s) will be expected to take part in panel discussions and media interviews organised by Proposition as appropriate. 

Process and Timetable

The commissioned artist(s) will be supported by specialists who will help them gain further education and information relevant to the commission. Daniel J Hudson, Executive Chairman of Proposition, has been a student of biodiverse farming for 14 years, including as an apprentice to Prof. Martin Wolfe. He has worked and campaigned to spread biodiverse farming for the past 10 years. Further guidance from a selection of senior figures in ecological regeneration and the change in mindset and systems required will also be provided. Tours of biodiverse farms in the UK will be organised for the commissioned artist, complemented by a suggested reading list and film list. This will allow the commissioned artist to gain further insight into the central concept of the commission.

It is expected that the commissioned artist(s) will work in a freelance capacity and have 7 weeks to complete their commission. They will need to provide their own equipment and will be allocated a studio to work at Proposition Camden should they wish to have a base there.

A travel and hospitality allowance will be provided in the event the commissioned artist(s) is/are not based in London.

Criteria to apply:

• Open to applicants internationally
• Aged 18 years +
• Applicants must demonstrate an interest in the environment and ecology
• Experience of delivering artistic projects
• There is no requirement of a formal art education to apply
• Applications may be submitted by individuals, groups or collective of artists

In line with the Artists Union England’s ‘Good Practice Charter’, applications are encouraged from artists from diverse and/or marginalised communities. As such, we encourage applications from practitioners across a range of ages, career stages, ethnicities, heritages, abilities, sexualities, genders and socio-economic backgrounds. 

How to apply

Applicants should submit the following information by email at commissions@propositionstudios.com  :

• Contact details 
• Digital images of up to 4 works relevant to the context described for this commission
• Description of their practice and relevant experience (200 words – 2 mins video) 
• A short text outlining the applicant’s interests in the brief and Appendix and their thoughts on how they might respond (300 words – 3 mins video)
• Links to Instagram/website/online portfolio (if available)
• Diversity monitoring information

There is no fee to submit an application. Artists are invited to include any access requirements in their submission. Submissions are accepted in written or video format. 

For illustrative purposes, and not intended as a way to contain the scope of the commission, we suggest the following questions as prompts for the artist(s) wishing to apply for this commission: 

• How can we redesign our human managed systems in a way that helps our planet’s biodiversity flourish?
• Can we imagine ways to create ecological abundance through our actions? 
• How do our food, clothing, the built environment, resource use and waste connect us to other living things and how can these support biodiversity? 
• What might human beings’ positive impact on biodiversity look and feel like? 

Website link: https://www.propositionstudios.com/programme