North east creatives are being offered the chance to make a seed of an idea become a reality, thanks to a new funding initiative being launched in the city.
Organisers of the annual Look Again Visual Art and Design festival are calling for established and emerging artists and designers to apply for support from its Seed Fund – and they could receive a cash injection to make their ideas a reality.
They have revealed that up to four artists, who have an association to the northeast will be in line for the funding package - a total of £2,000 is available - and that once completed, their work will form part of the 2017 Look Again festival.
Debuting in 2015, the Look Again festival is spearheaded by The Robert Gordon University and Aberdeen based art agency – SMART. Celebrating the very best of visual art and design, it aims to challenge the way we see the Granite City and put the north-east of Scotland on the map as a centre of excellence for innovative and imaginative projects.
Sally Reaper, Look Again Visual Art & Design festival director, said: “We’re very excited to be launching our Seed Fund today as it will allow a handful of artists to realise an idea that otherwise might never see the light of day. As artists we often have ideas that don’t fit into our ‘normal’ practice or we dismiss ideas within our practice because we assume they will never happen due to budget, permission or health and safety.
“Whatever the reason, the Seed Fund aims to support artists by providing funding and guidance so that many more great ideas can become visible. We hope it will help knock down some of those brick walls local artists and designers come up against every day when trying to take their art projects from initial concept to reality.”
The Look Again Seed Fund - supported by Aberdeen City Council - is open to north east artists and designers at any stage of their creative careers. It is anticipated that the initiative will encourage more artwork to be produced and shared within the public realm - any publicly owned streets, pathways, parks and open spaces. The successful projects should be temporary in nature and take into account sustainability and environmental impact in terms of production, delivery and removal.
Councillor Marie Boulton adds: “We are delighted to support the Look Again festival for 2017 and are pleased that the start-up fund will benefit local artists by giving them a platform to showcase their ideas and work to a large audience. Last year’s festival certainly captured the hearts of residents in Aberdeen and we very much look forward to see what 2017 brings to the city.”
The Look Again festival has become a firm favourite on Aberdeen’s cultural calendar, attracting world-leading artists such as last year’s headline act Turner Prize winners, Assemble, as well as hundreds of artists from across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Taking place from Thursday April 27 to Monday May 1, the lineup for next year’s event is still to be announced.
Sally continues: “Over the last three years, the Look Again festival has grown steadily and become an important event to the city and its people – we have introduced visual art and design to hundreds who would not necessarily visit an art gallery or exhibition and are working hard to make art truly accessible to everyone."
Artists or designers who are interested in applying for the Look Again Seed Fund should download the full brief from www.lookagainfestival.co.uk. For further details please contact the Look Again team at hello@lookagainfestival.co.uk.