Playable Artists Commission

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture are looking to commission an individual/s from the global majority background to respond to the unique community-centred history of MAPA through an engagement with their on-site staff, centre visitors and archival materials.

• Sculptural requirements include: A temporary, modular (for ease of fabrication, transportation and storage) approach.
• A demonstratable response to MAPA’s unique history and the diverse communities it has and continues to serve.
• The artist must demonstrate a commitment to environmental impact and sustainability at the heart of the design, sourcing sustainable materials wherever possible, working with local suppliers/fabricators and considering the thoughtful repurposing/regifting of material involved (e.g. donating sculptural elements to various local early years education providers). The artist will be supported in these ambitions by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Production, Development and Engagement teams.
• The project’s team will support and adequately resource any access needs of the artist and/or collaborators.

We welcome applications from creative individuals including but not limited to artists/designers/architects from the global majority background/s. Interested individuals should respond to the brief with a recent CV and a one page covering letter addressing the following:

• Indicate why you are interested in the particularities of this opportunity
• Loosely indicate how you might approach responding the brief
• Some detail on relevant transferable experience e.g. working to deadlines and with fabricators to produce large scale work.
• Demonstrate an early understanding of some of the challenges of producing work for the public realm

We also particularly welcome applications from creative individuals who live/ work in Bradford or who have a relationship to the district.

This role may require you to work alongside or come into contact with children and adults at risk. Accordingly, if applicable, it will be a condition of your employment that Bradford 2025 receives satisfactory pre-employment checks. This will include a DBS certificate as well as obtaining employment, and character references.

Please send these two documents via email with the subject line: Playable Artists Commission to [email protected]

Deadline for applications is 31st October 2024 at 5pm.

The Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture team are developing a year-round programme of Playful interventions and magical moments of discovery for children, families and curious adults alike, co-produced with local people, artists, architects, designers and theatre makers.

Featuring an early years’ sensory wonderland presented by Herd Theatre, cardboard landscapes by ARCADE and opportunities for exciting interactive play with Woodland Tribe. The programme will celebrate the universality of play as a tool to learn, reconnect and reimagine new possibilities.

In partnership with Play Bradford this strand of programming builds on the district’s extraordinary and historical commitment to imbedding and facilitating adventure play.

Learn more about Play Bradford at www.playbradford.org.uk

MAPA promotes opportunities that enrich and enhance the personal and social development of young people and communities in the West Bowling area of Bradford. Using creativity as a tool to empower, engage and include, their work aims to bring about change, encourage positive activity and develop vital life skills.

Learn more about MAPA at: www.mapabradford.net