Bursary: £12,000 for 6 months starting in June 2014

We are inviting applications from artists or designers to undertake this residency based at St Asaph Cathedral, Denbighshire, North Wales. The residency is a collaborative project between the Arts Council of Wales, the Diocese of St Asaph and Addo.

The residency seeks to investigate the boarder nature and contemporary meaning of ‘pilgrimage’. Defined as a ‘pilgrim’s journey’ or ‘a journey to a place of particular interest or significance’ the role of pilgrimage in church life and history is a long and important one. The after-effects of pilgrimage in particular, are a rich source of imagery for an artist with the potential to question the lasting consequences of transformative change and development these journeys often bring.

Background

The Diocese of St Asaph covers a large area of North East Wales encompassing the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and parts of Gwynedd and Powys. The headquarters for this large region are at St Asaph Cathedral which acts as an activity hub and staff headquarters.

The Site

Despite a population of less than 3,500 St.Asaph was awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. St Asaph has been an important ecclesiastical centre for centuries, dating back to AD560 when a community was founded by the Scottish saint Kentigern, who left his disciple Asaph in charge when he returned to Scotland.

The Cathedral has been twice destroyed by fire twice and has had a fascinating and often violent history , including attacks by rebellious natives and also foreign invaders. It was destroyed by the soldiers of Henry III in 1245 and again by the armies of Edward I in 1282. It was rebuilt between 1284 and 1381 only to be burned by Owain Glyndwr’s Welsh troops in 1402. In l7l5 the tower was completely demolished in a fierce storm. The existing building is largely 14th century with many Victorian alterations due to the remodeling by Gilbert Scott in 1867-75.

The Project

The Diocese launched a ‘Year of Pilgrimage’ programme in May 2013, with Monday 5th May 2014 marking the conclusion to this extraordinary year. As the artist in residence you will have access to the pilgrims stories and, through conversation, be able to draw out what it is to be a pilgrim in the 21st Century.

The proposal is therefore to engage an artist for a six-month period to work with staff and volunteers in order to investigate some of these ideas. The artist will build on links with external projects locally and regionally in order to aid the Diocese aims to:

  • Make a difference to communities locally
  • Raise the profile of the Diocese and the pilgrimage work in particular
  • Make the Cathedral more accessible through high-quality contemporary art 
activity and engagement experiences
  • Create innovative artworks that speak to wide audience

 

Outcomes

The material outcomes of the residency are open but may take the form of temporary artworks, performances or other events created with input from the public, volunteers and staff. There is the potential to explore both the internal and external grounds for installation, performance and other multi-artform interventions e.g. lighting, composition etc.

The Artist

The artist/designer will be someone interested in working within this special place with an interest in history, architecture or design with previous experience of working with others to develop ideas through dialogue. An ability to reflect on the great issues of life and an ethos of collaborative practice and engagement are uppermost.

How to Apply:

To apply for this residency, please send the following information to info@addocreative.com by 16th May 2014:

  • Up to 10 digital images in a PDF document or a Powerpoint presentation, or a 10-minute (max) showreel. All work should be numbered and include, title, date, dimension and media;
  • An up-to-date CV;
  • A letter of application that broadly outlines why you are interested in this opportunity and how it is relevant to your practice;
  • Two letters of support.

 

When sending files large files (over 4MB), please provide hyperlinks to online files or a DropBox containing the files.  Information submitted in other formats will not be accepted.

Please note that we do not require a project proposal at this stage as we anticipate that details of activity to be undertaken as part of the residency will be developed following a period of interaction with the area, community and key stakeholders.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD RESIDENCY BRIEF St_Asaph_Residency_Brief