DCU Campus. Photo Courtesy Marco Dias
Open Call for Artist: Community Engagement through Performance Art (CEPA)
News, Opportunities
An artist or artist group is sought to deliver the collaborative project Community Engagement Through Performance Art (CEPA), a collaboration between DCU (led by Principal Investigator Marcos Dias), Create, and Ukrainian Action in Ireland.
The ideal artist (or artist group) will have experience delivering collaborative performance art projects that involve communities as active participants. A previous track record of delivering such projects is desirable, in particular, projects that involve vulnerable and displaced communities. Further information about the project, and the expectations of the artist, can be found below.
Please send expressions of interest (to include a CV and maximum one A4 page demonstrating your suitability and interest for this role) to info[at]create-ireland.ie with ‘CEPA Expression of Interest’ in the subject line by Tuesday 5 April 2023 at 5pm.
About the Project
This project is funded by an Irish Research Council (IRC) ‘New Foundations 2022’ award granted to DCU researcher Dr Marcos Dias for Community Engagement through Performance Art (CEPA)
The project investigates the potential of performance art in urban space to be a conduit for the values, needs and desires of those displaced (in this case, Ukrainian refugees), thereby raising awareness for their situation among wider publics. It involves the collaborative development of a performance art intervention involving Ukrainian refugees and artists, and the recording and analysis of the production and execution of this performance.
The final performance is scheduled to take place in the DCU Glasnevin campus. This event will benefit from DCU’s commitment to support the Ukrainian cause and its designation in 2016 as a ’University of Sanctuary’.
This project is a collaboration between DCU (led by Principal Investigator Marcos Dias), Create, and Ukrainian Action in Ireland. Dr Marcos Dias is the project lead, while Create offers its support and guidance on commissioning and collaborative practice, and Ukrainian Action in Ireland supports the engagement of the Ukrainian community in the project.
Proposed Stages and Key Dates
Stage 1 – Artist Selection (3 weeks)
Wednesday 15 March 2023 – Call for Artists released
Tuesday 4 April 2023 – closing date for submission of expressions of interest
Thursday 6 April 2023 – announcement of selection process result
Stage 2 – Building Collaboration (3 weeks)
Start Date: Monday 17 April 2023
End Date: Friday 5 May 2023
This stage involves two steps. The first step involves a preparatory meeting will be held between DCU Researcher (Marcos Dias), Create, a Ukrainian Action representative and chosen artist(s). This meeting will take place at the headquarters of Create in Temple Bar. The second step involves a series of workshops between the Ukrainian community members interested in participating in the project and selected artist(s) for the project. It will be moderated by the DCU researcher and Create staff. The DCU Researcher will observe and record this process for research purposes (with the consent of participants). The second step of this stage will take place at the headquarters of Ukrainian Action in Ireland in Rathmines. The rota of workshops will be agreed between the project partners and mediated by the DCU Researcher (Marcos Dias). The planned output is for at least one weekly workshop.
Stage 3 – Project Development (7 weeks)
Start Date: Monday 8 May 2023
End Date: Friday 23 June 2023
During the third stage the artists will finalise the project proposals, specifying clear outcomes, materials needed, location of the intervention, budget and how the Ukrainian community will be involved. This process will be moderated by the DCU researcher, Create and the Ukrainian community members involved in the project. Artist(s) will produce the resources needed for the one-day performance event and liaise with members of the Ukrainian community participating in the one-day event. The DCU Researcher will observe and record this process for research purposes (as per the previous stage). This stage will take place initially at the headquarters of Ukrainian Action in Ireland in Rathmines and at a later stage (according to format and needs of the project) at the DCU Glasnevin Campus.
Stage 4 – Performance Event (DCU Glasnevin Campus)
Exact date to be agreed between all partners and participants. Currently the event is planned to take place on the week starting Monday 26 June 2023.
The fourth stage will involve the enactment of the one-day performance art intervention at the DCU Glasnevin Campus, which will be promoted by DCU’s Communication Office, Create and Ukrainian Action in Ireland. The one-day event will be documented, and the researcher will subsequently interview and record participants with their consent to analyse the effectiveness of the event towards expressing the values, needs and desires of the Ukrainian community to Irish society.
Desired Artist Profile
The ideal artist (or artist group) will have experience delivering collaborative performance art projects that involve communities as active participants. A previous track record of delivering such projects is desirable, in particular, projects that involve vulnerable and displaced communities. It is expected that the chosen artist(s) will be able to build props, structures and/or set up any technical equipment needed for the installation (and that the cost of this process and any equipment necessary is covered by the proposed budget below). Please send expressions of interest (to include a CV and maximum one A4 page demonstrating your suitability and interest for this role) to info[at]create-ireland.ie with ‘CEPA Expression of Interest’ in the subject line by Tuesday 5 April 2023 at 5pm.
Funding Available
The following funding resources are specific to the development and execution of the performance event and have been agreed with the IRC. They are conditional on the timely delivery of the project and the responsible use of resources available. The funding will be coordinated by Dr. Marcos Dias and is conditional on funding being transferred to DCU by IRC according to their schedule.
| Artist’s fee | €5,000 |
| Materials for project development for the one-day event | €1,500 |
| Printed dissemination materials (roll-ups, posters, leaflets) for workshops and final one-day event | €1,000 |
| Translation of dissemination materials from English to Ukrainian for workshops and final one-day event | €500 |
| Catering for the one-day performance event | €300 |
| In addition to these resources, the following funding will be allocated to two collaborators (other than the artists): | |
| Social media content producer for promoting the project | €1,000 |
| Filmmaker for recording the one-day event | €500 |
Points of Contact
The liaison contacts for this project will be:
Dr Marcos Dias (Assistant Professor & Programme Chair of BSc in Multimedia, DCU)
Vance Lau (Producer, Programme and Digital Media, Create)
Dr Jennifer Fitzgibbon (Research and Learning Manager, Create)
Acknowledgements
Funders such as Irish Research Council, Dublin City University and The Arts Council are to be acknowledged and included. The following proposed credit line should accompany all publicity material across all media:
This project has been supported by funding from the Irish Research Council. Dr Marcos Dias (DCU) is the project lead, working in collaboration with Ukrainian Action in Ireland and Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.
Additional Information
Any informal queries about the project should be directed to:
Dr Marcos Dias – Assistant Professor, DCU School of Communications: marcos.dias[at]dcu.ie
Any queries about the artist call out should be directed to:
Dr Jennifer Fitzgibbon – Research and Learning Manager, Create: research[at]create-ireland.ie
