Artist Commission 2020-21: Mill,

A Bigger Canvas The 200th anniversary of ’s ‘’

Budget: £10,000 Deadline: 7 June 2021 Interviews: 29 June 2021

Suggested Commission Start date: Early July 2021 Suggested Commission End date: November 2021

Introduction

Working in close partnership with the National Trust and their team at Flatford Mill in Dedham Vale (Suffolk), we are inviting proposals as part of our National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) commissioning programme for 2021-22. Essex Cultural Diversity Project (ECDP) commissions provide an opportunity for creative practitioners and artists to not only create new work, but also explore diversity and develop their socially engaged and participatory practice. The projects capture the spirit of place and this commission should aim to connect with communities and give people a platform to meaningfully engage with the core subject of this commission; the 200th anniversary of The Hay Wain by artist John Constable.

About Essex Cultural Diversity Project

Since 2007 Essex Cultural Diversity Project (ECDP) has been bringing together artists, museums, libraries, performers and writers with local authorities and commissioners to improve and enhance artistic and cultural diversity, ensure that excellence is thriving, and that cultural integration and understanding is supported through arts and cultural activity. ECDP is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) working across the East and South East of England to support diversity in arts and cultural practice.

ECDP has a key role to explore the concept of ‘diversity’ across the East of England and beyond, working with a wide range of partners and providing opportunities for artists and creative practitioners from diverse backgrounds and contexts. Through our commissioning programme ECDP aims to support the production of challenging work that responds to specific places and the local context, as well as reflecting on national themes and issues around diversity. For further information on Essex Cultural Diversity Project visit www.essexcdp.com

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About National Trust

The National Trust is one of the UK’s largest Charities founded in 1895 by three people who saw the importance of the nation’s heritage and open spaces and wanted to protect them for everyone to enjoy. 125 years later (2020 was the 125th anniversary) the National Trust looks after special places throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland ensuring that they are accessible for everyone, for ever.

The majority of the Trust’s funding, secured from a range of sources, is spent directly on the conservation costs for properties. The Trust relies on the support of its many members, donors and volunteers, as well as income from grant-making bodies and commercial activities such as retail and catering, to look after the places in our care.

The National Trust is constantly developing its engagement programmes and marketing approach to engage a greater diversity of visitors and volunteers, as well as aiming to increase the diversity of interpretation and curatorial approaches to their properties and collections. Collaborating with organisations such as ECDP is core to this approach, aiming to explore new concepts and reach new communities who may not have engaged with the National Trust and its portfolio of properties and sites before.

For the National Trust, inclusion means making sure everyone feels valued, welcome, able to be themselves and that their opinions matter. This means putting people at the front and centre of everything we do. As an organisation we want to make sure anyone can access and feel welcome with us; that we appeal to a broader range of people (to volunteer, work or visit) and to become more relevant to more people, through the experiences we offer and the stories we tell. It is important that this commission represents this.

The National Trust does have a well-established contemporary arts programme that has been running since 2009, with over 200 artists creating new work inspired by the many places and collections. This has often been achieved in partnership with the Arts Council.

We are delighted to be working with Essex Cultural Diversity Project on this exciting work having partnered with them last year on commissions at Paycocke’s House, Grange Barn (Coggeshall) and Bourne Mill (Colchester).

Project Context – The Hay Wain: an ideal English landscape?

Who is John Constable? Why do we want to celebrate in 2021?

Flatford may seem like a quiet corner of rural Suffolk, but it is the place which inspired one of the greatest landscape paintings of all time and changed the course of western art. In the late 18th century, the mill buildings at Flatford were owned by the Constable family. Golding Constable was a prosperous local businessman who hoped his second son John would join the family business. However, John showed a flair for art and a keen interest in landscape, so followed his conviction and enrolled at the Royal Academy in 1799. This was the start of a career which led him to obsessively depict the landscapes of the Dedham Vale, drawing inspiration from his detailed working knowledge of the countryside and his observations of the landscape.

A Bigger Canvas

Perhaps his greatest achievement as an artist was a series of six foot paintings of the Stour Valley. Their huge size challenged the convention at the time that landscape paintings should be small in scale, befitting their low status in art. In addition, he used a style and colouring which was

2 drawn from his observations of nature, leading him to challenge the accepted ways of painting a landscape. The Hay Wain was perhaps the greatest of his six foot paintings and certainly the most popular today. The subject is simple: a Suffolk wagon sitting in the middle of the mill pond within a scene of rural harmony.

Willy Lott’s House, to the left in the picture, is perhaps the most recognisable feature and connects people to the landscape today. Constable’s understanding of the Suffolk landscape allowed him to depict accurate detail, such as the structure of the house and the movement of the water through the pond. However, even when Constable was painting this picture, the industrial revolution was gathering pace and threatening the fabric of country life. The painting was done in Constable’s London studio seven years after he made his last prolonged visit to Suffolk, so it is a retrospective view, mixing fond memory with naturalist observation.

The painting was first shown at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1821, where it made a big impression but failed to sell. However, it went on to be shown in France and gained Constable a Gold Medal at the Paris Salon of 1824. Through this success it influenced French romantic painting, the naturalistic Barbizon School and the French Impressionists. On the strength of this provenance, the painting entered the British national collection in 1886. This led to the painting being reproduced widely in late Victorian Britain, so it gradually became a familiar image. So much so, that by the early 20th Century, the painting was seen as a depiction of an ideal English landscape. Sadly, this popularity undermined the academic interest in the painting. However, a series of exhibitions from the 1970s to the present day have raised its status once again as one of the greatest English Landscape paintings. Today, the National Trust actually manages The Hay Wain view to reflect the picture that Constable painted, creating an interesting paradox where reality is reflecting a memory of a view.

ECDP/National Trust Hay Wain 200 project – Commission Brief

2021 marks the 200th anniversary of The Hay Wain and so the National Trust and ECDP are seeking to work with a community artist(s) or creative practitioner to partner with us on the celebrations. The National Trust was founded to serve the whole of society and our society is becoming more diverse.

Many enthusiasts of Constable’s work come to visit Flatford every year to celebrate him, and so it is important that this project is respectful to his life and work. However visitors interact with Flatford from a wide demographic for a range of purposes, from people coming for a picnic, locals walking their dogs, families wanting to hire a boat, or visitors who have made a pilgrimage to see “the view”, some will care passionately about The Hay Wain, others won’t know anything about it.

The project aims to enable people to connect with Constable on their own terms. This means working with the spirit that society can connect through art, whether celebrating The Hay Wain in its classical sense or through contemporary forms that represent what art means across our changing society in 2021. Both ECDP and National Trust are hoping this commission will lead to an inclusive programme of activity, with success being focused around the quality and breadth of public and visitor participation.

The key points to consider for this commission are as follows:

• On the 200th anniversary year of The Hay Wain, the National Trust is celebrating one of the world’s best-known landscape paintings and the life and work of the artist John Constable • The commission should aim to be a cultural celebration that connects The Hay Wain through art with the breadth of our society, enabling traditional & contemporary enthusiasts of Constable to celebrate his work in harmony with broader cultural perspectives • Success will be about co-creation, enabling people from all ages and backgrounds to engage meaningfully

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• Ideally the commission programme will work with National Trust daily operations and form part of the daily visitor experience, rather than feeling like an additional project • The commission programme should aim to enhance experiences for people who want to come to Flatford or to celebrate Constable. We would expect to see the majority of the on-site public engagement and related activity taking place between July/August (and particularly around the school summer holidays) and the end of October (half-term is probably the latest opportunity to engage with visitors at any scale). Please bear in mind these timescales when responding to this brief. • It will be important to consider how engagement with visitors and communities from across the wider area could be achieved • Although we welcome proposals for new works and exhibitions, the quality of engagement is the most important consideration

The Coronavirus pandemic creates another layer of uncertainty, given that we don’t know what risks or restrictions we might be working with at various points during the year. A project that connects with those who visit Flatford to celebrate Constable that can be flexible to connect through online channels, will add resilience during such uncertain times and enable people to connect with the project from wherever they are.

Application Process and Support

The successful artist(s) will be selected by a panel of representatives from ECDP and National Trust. A shortlist will be made from the received applications based on how well they meet the commission criteria and respond to this brief, and these will be invited to interview to talk further about their proposal before a final decision is made. The commission appointment process will be managed by ECDP, and throughout the commission period the commissioned artist(s) will receive support from the National Trust team at Flatford Mill and ECDP staff as necessary. ECDP staff will liaise with the commissioned artist to establish a timetable for delivery.

Budget

The commission budget is £10,000 (to include VAT) and will be treated as a grant. This is inclusive of all expenses and must therefore cover fees, travel, materials and marketing. Some promotion and advertising will be undertaken by the National Trust and ECDP, at their cost, and this will be discussed in due course.

Payments will be made in instalments, on receipt of invoice, and subject to progress against achieving agreed activity. The agreed activity will be based on the appointed artist’s commission concept and will be recorded in a contract between ECDP and the appointed artist. If this is a joint commission one artist/organisation will need to be the project lead and all payments will be made to them.

Promotion for the commission can be undertaken in partnership with ECDP, National Trust and other partners as appropriate. ECDP will promote the commission and related activity on the ECDP website and support the process throughout on social media (including Twitter and Instagram). ECDP and National Trust hope that the commission will attract interest from visitors to Flatford Mill through the summer and autumn (as appropriate), as well as potentially attracting participants and audiences from towns and villages across Essex and Suffolk. ECDP would hope to see good levels of audiences online (not necessarily exclusively during the actual commission process).

Practical limitations and considerations for artists submitting proposals

When considering responding to this commission brief it is important that you note the following issues:

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Access to spaces

Granary Space

The partner artist will have access (at no cost) during opening hours to the main showroom of the Granary, a large space located next to the mill that was owned by the Constable family. There is no public admission charge to access the Granary and we will work with the artist to provide a working space for public interaction and operational space, although it may be shared with other NT activities.

Space dimensions: • Floor dimensions: 13.5m x 6.9m (maximum, excluding fireplace insert). • Ceiling height: 2.4m (in between beams)

The Hay Wain

Access is available to The Hay Wain view for activities during opening hours and out of hours may be possible by prior agreement. The external space is shared with the Field Studies Council, who have long term lease at the Mill itself. We will need to work in cooperative partnership with them to be sympathetic to one another’s activities.

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Further considerations

• The successful artist will work closely with the Flatford operations team • Visitors will have access to most areas • Fluctuations in visitor numbers - some days are very quiet, and some are very busy. Generally, weekends and holiday weekdays are the busiest days. • Indoor workspace limited to one large room in the Granary. The floors and walls must be protected from paint splatter. Art works should be free standing or wall mounted and cannot be suspended from the ceiling. • The Granary space may have to be used for other purposes, so any items must be movable within an hour. • The rest of the site is open air so the artwork must be weather-proof if it is to be displayed outside. • The path beside Flatford Mill and The Hay Wain view is a public right of way for people, horses and vehicles, so cannot be blocked. • As Flatford is a conservation area, no permanent changes can be made to the buildings or landscapes, however small.

Tracking Outcomes

It is very important for ECDP as an Arts Council England funded National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) that we can report on all of our activities effectively and accurately. The commissioning of artist(s) for 2021 is the key element of our NPO programme and we expect there to be important outcomes, which we will work with the commissioned artist to record and track. ECDP would also want the appointed artist(s) to be aware of and engage with the concept of the ‘Creative Case for Diversity’ throughout the commission (ECDP is happy to discuss this with the commissioned artists). In summary we would expect the appointed artist(s) to record both quantitative and qualitative information to support ECDP in capturing outcomes (as far as is possible). These include:

• numbers of ‘sessions’ and a list of workshops/events/meetings that took place as part of the • commission • numbers of project participants or volunteers • numbers of audiences who attended events (who were not direct participants) – i.e. ‘live’ audiences • any information on digital audiences (i.e. those engaging or viewing work online) where this is possible to get • Reflections on how the commission has impacted on the practice of the appointed artist(s), and how the commission may have impacted on the beneficiaries (volunteers/audiences) and the place • Any recorded feedback from participants/beneficiaries or partner organisations involved • Photos from workshops, events and the artwork/performances (much of this can be shared on the ECDP website and social media)

Environmental Sustainability

ECDP and National Trust are both committed to minimising the potential for negative impacts on the environment. As an NPO ECDP has a leadership role in the arts/cultural sectors therefore needs to take steps to promote environmental sustainability as we do for issues relating to ethnic and cultural diversity. This is relevant to the commissioning programme for artists and we are keen that all artist(s) interested in this commission for Flatford Mill consider how they will reduce the impact of their work on the environment. For example, the use of materials – consider whether they are recyclable, made from recycled materials, or can be repurposed after the commission. The aim of this will be to reduce the waste from commissions/exhibitions and the use of non-recyclable materials where possible.

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Responding to this Commission Opportunity

To apply for this commission please email [email protected] and include the following:

• An outline of the artistic concept for the commission, including the proposed community, engagement process, intended audience and legacy (no more than 2 sides of A4). • A brief description on why you are interested in this commission at this time, how your project promotes diversity and any relevant connections with Flatford Mill or Dedham Vale (no more than 1 side of A4). • A biography and CV with relevant previous work (no more than 2 sides of A4). Please include links to relevant websites and social media/media. • An outline budget breakdown showing how you would utilise the £10,000. It is important that all of the funded work takes place within the 2021-22 financial year, so please be clear on availability and resources to complete the commission in time. • An approximate timeline for the work

As a diversity led organisation we are committed to making our application process more accessible, and can be adaptable if the above procedures don’t quite work for you. We therefore welcome proposals in other formats, such as a video or audio version of your proposal, following the format above.

Please ensure that proposals are received by midnight on 7 June 2021 - Send your proposal to [email protected]

Interviews will be on held on Tuesday 29 June 2021 at Flatford Mill. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 disruption interviews could be held via Zoom video conference if it is not possible to do face to face interviews. Interviews will include an opportunity for a 15-minute presentation on your proposal. If you are shortlisted for an interview, we will let you know by Tuesday 15 June 2021.

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