Artichoke, the producers of extraordinary large-scale events, have launched BRILLIANT, a £50,000 nationwide commissioning scheme for new works for the UK’s leading light art event. Six awards will be made, with the works to be shown alongside those of internationally-renowned artists at Lumiere, which is commissioned by Durham County Council and takes place in Durham from Thursday 18th – Sunday 21st November 2021.
The BRILLIANT commissioning scheme is open to creative individuals currently living in the UK who are aged 18 or older, and have a bright idea that will transform Durham’s urban landscape using the medium of light. Successful applicants will be supported by Artichoke with the production costs and technical expertise to create and install their artwork, and receive a fee.
For the first time the scheme will be open to the whole of the UK, encouraging the nations to unleash their creative potential and bring light into people’s lives. The BRILLIANT scheme, which has run for ten years, was previously open only to residents of the North East of England. Three commissions are still reserved for people from the North East, while the extended scheme will support three more commissions from across the country.
Twenty-one BRILLIANT artworks have been shown across the previous editions of Lumiere Durham, which have attracted over 1 million visitors. Successful artists have made work using recycled objects including glass washed up from the ocean, and supersized everyday objects including knitting needles, desk lamps and a Slinky.
To broaden the diversity of those working in the medium of light art, Artichoke is encouraging applications from those who identify as d/Deaf and Disabled, and Black People and People of Colour.
“We are delighted to open up BRILLIANT to the whole country – we want as many people as possible to dazzle us with their ideas. Light art has traditionally been dominated by white, male, non-disabled artists and we want to help change this by providing the financing, mentorship and technical support necessary for anyone with a great idea to make it a reality.”
Helen Marriage, Director of Artichoke,
Applications will close at 9am on Thursday 11 February 2021. All the information on how to take part in the BRILLIANT competition, including an information pack and application form available in accessible formats, can be found at lumiere-festival.com/brilliant-2021
About Artichoke
Producers of extraordinary live events, Artichoke is one of the country’s leading creative companies and is a registered charity, funded by Arts Council England. At Artichoke, we use art to undermine the mundane and disrupt the everyday to create a new kind of world that we’d all like to live in.
Our most recent project, PROCESSIONS, commissioned by 14-18 NOW, was a mass participation artwork that brought tens of thousands of women onto the streets in June 2018 to celebrate 100 years of votes for women. Previous projects include Royal de Luxe’s The Sultan’s Elephant (London in 2006); La Machine’s 50-foot high mechanical spider for Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations (2008); Antony Gormley’s One & Other commission for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square (2009); Deborah Warner’s Peace Camp commission for the London 2012 Festival with Fiona Shaw; Temple by David Best in Derry~Londonderry (2015); and London’s Burning, a festival commissioned by the City of London Corporation to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London (2016). Artichoke creates and produces Lumiere, the UK’s largest light festival, which has been staged in Durham every two years since 2009; in Derry~Londonderry in Northern Ireland as part of the celebrations for City of Culture 2013, and in London 2016 and 2018. artichoke.uk.com
