New Wide-Open opportunities

For those unfamiliar with the name, Wide-Open is the place-centred arts commissioning practice that grew from the former Public Art Commissioning wing of DGArts. Wide_Open worked successfully with The Stove and Spring Fling to deliver the recent Environmental Art Festival Scotland across D+G and now has two very interesting commission opportunities on offer:

Opportunity 1: Wild Cabins Design Brief
Wide Open offers a unique opportunity for an individual architect or small design team to work with us to deliver to RIBA Stage D a high quality moveable Wild Cabin design with integrated green technology.

Bothy on Isle of Lewis - image from Carolyn Mazur's wonderful Tin Shed Blog

Wild Cabins is a new and innovative venture that connects people to wild places through providing small clusters (3 – 4) of sensitively designed, off-grid cabins situated in rural and wilderness locations for holiday accommodation and curated artist’s residencies. The first clusters will be in Dumfries & Galloway.
Wide Open will work with a candidate(s) who can demonstrate excellence of design, coupled with a sound practical knowledge of off-grid technologies and Scottish planning requirements. Proven experience required in working with sustainable materials, a sensitivity to wild and rural places and a good understanding of a manufacturing process suitable for the production of Wild Cabins is vital.
Closing date: 5pm 20th September 2013.
For further information please download brief here.


Opportunity 2: Nil by Mouth Artist brief
Food production contributes 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. 30% of the world's population is malnourished and another 30% is obese. Food production uses 70% of the world's fresh water and 40% of the world's land. Developed countries waste 30%-40% of food. There are no win-win situations, only trade-offs.

The Crichton Carbon Centre has secured Creative Scotland funding to deliver a talent development programme for four creative professionals working in any artforms which will promote professional development, connectivity and support ambition. Wide Open, with its extensive expertise in working with artists, is collaborating with the Crichton Carbon Centre, in its capacity as a research and educational centre for environmental science and sustainability, to curate this programme.
The Nil by Mouth programme is a unique opportunity to research and express current science associated with food production through workshops and knowledge exchange. In parallel artists will undertake two short residencies on farms or in food producing communities. In developing this programme it seems only appropriate to start with soil as a counterpoint to the statistics noted above. The programme lasts approximately 6 months. The research will culminate in a group exhibition, event or performance.
The full brief can be downloaded here.


Deadline for applications 6pm 23rd September 2013.