Call for artists

Open Call to Artists for Glow Wild 2022

Roy­al Botan­ic Gar­dens, Kew are look­ing for artists to design and cre­ate instal­la­tions for our Annu­al Glow Wild Win­ter Fes­ti­val at Wakehurst.

Closing
23:59 31/10/21
Fee
Total value of contract: up to £400,000
Region
Region-wide
Contact Name
Sarah Jandu
Telephone
Glow Wild is a winter lantern trail set at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex.

In its eighth year, Glow Wild is a mature event with a unique place in the crowded winter light trail market. It is a mainstay in local calendars with a dedicated audience and high return-visit rate.

In 2022, Glow Wild will run on non-consecutive nights for approximately six weeks between mid-November 2022 and early January 2023.

The trail consists of a number of installations along a one-mile route through the gardens. These installations include animated lanterns made from
natural materials, fire-based sculptures and artworks – either existing or commissioned specifically. It is designed to appeal to a family audience – it attracts the full generational range.

In 2022 Glow Wild will explore the full spectrum of colour, celebrating the diversity of adaptation in nature. Discovering colour connects us to the world
around us, but our perception of colour divides our experience from that of other animals on Earth.

We are seeking submissions from artists working in light, sculpture, lanterns, projection or performance for our winter lantern trail in 2022.

Across the spectrum of colour, we would like submissions of artworks of light which delve into the following areas:
• infrared – mosquitoes, vampire bats, bed bugs, and some snake and beetle species
• fluorescence
• structural colour
• bioluminescence – we are particularly interested in creating a bioluminescent experience on Black Pond
• ultraviolet – how insects see the world
• iridescence

Artists are required to install their own artworks, with support from our production and horticulture teams.

Please consider the materials you propose – we prefer soft, natural materials that are sympathetic to the landscape.

We will consider both existing artworks and new commissions.

We invite artists to submit their interest in the programme by 31st October 2021.

The team will then choose the artists they’d like to invite to visit Glow Wild 2021 and discuss the project with them in more detail. Following this a more detailed proposal will be submitted including some initial design ideas and costings.

From this point, the selected artist will be engaged to develop initial designs for Wakehurst and will be paid for any work submitted.

If you are interested, please contact Sarah Jandu via procurementtenders@kew.org for further information.