HARROW HIGH STREETS Expression of Interest Specification Call for Artists December 2019 Introduction Harrow Council is seeking Expressions of Interest from a number of different artists to design and produce a number of artworks to display on key locations in Harrow. The aim of the commission is to create individual identities for our High Streets. The successful artist(s) will engage with local communities in Rayners Lane, South Harrow and Wealdstone to produce exciting, vibrant murals and street art for these areas. Interested artists should read the rest of this specification and then complete the accompanying Expression of Interest Application Form. There is £30,000 + VAT available for each mural. The closing date for Expressions of Interest is 20 January 2020. Artwork to be completed and scheduled for display Spring 2020. Background The concept for a mural project was in response to results from consultation taken with traders and shoppers in Rayners Lane, South Harrow and Wealdstone during the summer of 2019. The Council wanted to know what projects people wanted on their High Street. The demand for mural and artwork ranked high in all three areas. Each town centre has identified and set out their priorities for design principles ranging from incorporating local identity and heritage into the artwork, a ‘welcome’ signage feature, and inclusion of local schools and/or groups in the design process where appropriate. Potential sites for the mural/streetart have been considered and the Council welcomes the opportunity for an initial site visit with the commissioned artists to scope the area. Permissions have either already been granted or are being sought from the property owners. 2 Scope To appoint artist(s) to design and produce murals or streetart to display on key locations in Rayners Lane, South Harrow and Wealdstone. Artists must engage local communities. The art produced should respond to the area’s history and serve as a public welcome to those visiting/using the town centres. We would welcome applications from artists living, working or linked to Harrow. Artists are required to have an understanding of the local context and demonstrate how they will engage with local communities during the realisation of the project. Several local schools (listed further in this specification) have already shown interest in being involved in the development of designs. Submissions are to evidence how these schools, and/or other stakeholder groups will be engaged. Please note we are also open to Arts departments within schools working by themselves and submitting an Expression of Interest Application Form, and/or schools working in collaboration with artists. The following sections detail the mural sites for the three locations: Rayners Lane, South Harrow and Wealdstone 3 Details of Wealdstone Mural Specification Three murals are required in Wealdstone. This can either be by one artist producing all 3 murals or 3 separate artists producing one mural each. You may express an interest for both options. Wealdstone is one of Harrow’s most diverse areas and has been identified by the Mayor of London as an Opportunity Area for new growth. Regeneration plans to create a greater sense of community and place are underway, including the new Wealdstone Square at the heart of the High Street and the recently completed Whitefriars Studios at the former Winsor and Newton building, which created 14 new artists studios and a gallery space. Wealdstone remains one of the Council’s key location for regeneration with new developments at the former Kodak site being delivered. Last year the Council, together with key partners including the voluntary and community sector organisations, the Metropolitan Police, and elected councillors set up the Wealdstone Action Group, tasked with bringing positive changes to the local area. In addition the Council has also set up a Traders Group last year. Both groups have expressed support to enhance the public environment and visitor experience at Wealdstone. The area’s community sector are very active with a range of established and new community and ethnic groups keen to engage in dialogue throughout this commission. Local schools Salvatorian College (email: [email protected] FAO Gavin James Head of Creative Arts) and Kenmore Park Junior School (email: [email protected] FAO Michael Baumring) have already expressed interest in participating in this dialogue and can be one of the stakeholder groups engaged. As part of an initial appraisal to identify locations and concept proposals for the murals and street art, two priority sites have been agreed. 4 Site 1 – Flank wall at 1 High Street, Wealdstone - situated at the Ellen Webb Drive Junction This is a key prominent site for someone arriving at Harrow and Wealdstone Station. The principles of design for this mural should incorporate a creative ‘Welcome’ signage to Wealdstone. The artist at this location has the opportunity to apply paint directly to the brick work or to produce art work that can be transferred onto an aluminium sheet. The artist in this location should seek to maximise the creative impact whilst working around the constraints including signage, billboard and drainage. The artist should note that there is also an aspiration by the community to improve the planting at the foot of the mural. Site 2 – Flank Wall at 33 High Street, Wealdstone - opposite the Holy Trinity Church 5 The artist at this location has the opportunity to apply paint directly to the brick work or to an aluminium sheet. The flank wall forms part of the Wealdstone Square which is another key area that the Council is improving to create a large public space to facilitate more events. The Council is open to design principles for the mural that complements the usage and enhancements of Wealdstone Square. There is ambition to deliver a third site and artists are invited to submit proposals for areas where they would like to display murals or streetart in Wealdstone. As part of the application form, artists should provide location details and initial mural design principle ideas within their Expression of Interest. Please note however areas outside of scope for this third site are the bridge at Headstone Drive and the existing mural on the bridge linked to Wealdstone Station. There are plans to revisit these two locations at a later date linked to other wider projects. Map of Wealdstone Mural Sites 1 in red is the Flank Wall at 1 High Street, Wealdstone 2 in red is the Flank Wall at 33 High Street, Wealdstone 6 Details of South Harrow Mural Specification South Harrow is one of Harrow’s district centres which fulfils an important local function in terms of retail, transport and service provision. It is a busy, vibrant centre with high footfall and low shop vacancy rates and an active business community. Regeneration in the area has in recent years focused on public realm improvements including footway improvements and the installation of festive lighting along Northolt Road. South Harrow is a diverse area with a significant proportion of the Council’s south Indian and Sri Lankan communities living here. It also has an active business traders group that work to improve the business environment for local traders. The Council has recently set up an action group for the area called Community Action South Harrow to explore ways the council, police and partners can engage and work with residents, traders, community groups and other stakeholders to improve the area, generate greater community involvement and resilience, and make people feel genuinely safer and happier in South Harrow. This group are supportive of murals and artwork in the area and would specifically like the local schools engaged during the design process of the mural. This could include through creative engagement such as a focus group session where feedback is used to inform the discussion. Feedback from the South Harrow community has been clear that any design must reflect the theme of the local identity of South Harrow and its history. References to the South Harrow of the past as well as of its current population must be considered creatively and drawn out through the focus group session with the schools. The schools so far that have shown an interest are Nower Hill whose Art department should be engaged as part of the process (email [email protected] FAO J Butterworth) and St George’s Catholic Primary School (email [email protected] FAO Deirdre Monaghan).The artist should also consider providing the opportunity to other local high schools as well. Subject to agreement from TfL, the flank wall under the bridge of South Harrow Station is the preferred location for the mural in South Harrow. The wall is a key prominent area and provides an opportunity for an exciting 7 creative mural and street art. Approval was previously gained from TfL and the Council are revisiting this. Site 1 – Flank wall at South Harrow Underground Station Bridge, Northolt Road The artists should provide artwork for the flank wall under the bridge shown in the photograph above that can be transferred over onto an aluminium sheet. As such for this location, as part of the application form, the artist should only allow for the artists fees to engage the schools and community and produce the artwork in a manner that can be transferred to the specified materials. This should be reflected in the finance section of the Application Form. Subject to agreement the remainder of the budget for this site will be allocated to Network Rail to carry out the installation works. The artist should also note that there are wider improvement aspirations for this bridge. This includes a potential lighting scheme under and on the bridge and potentially naming identity of the area on the bridge.