Project Arts Centre presents
It’s that time of year again when we ask you to whip up your wildest ideas and plant them on our big, bold billboard!
In a recent article, Enough of the bizarre furore, evictions are not new touchstones for artists, Una Mullally highlighted the importance of artistic responses to our ongoing political crisis. From Jesse Jones, to Avril Corroon, to Spicebag – artists have always been and continue to be at the forefront of our sociopolitical landscape, driving urgent conversation and posing vital questions.
Last year, we asked what the city meant to artists, and what artists meant to the city. Your response was passionate, and both your anger and frustration were palpable.
It’s clear that as we move forward, as the summer slowly rolls in, this cultural landscape hasn’t greatly changed. The issues that were prevalent last year, remain high on the agenda, at the forefront of our collective consciousness.
But what changes do you want to see? What does our city look like one, two, twenty years from now? What can we learn from our past, our present, and our future?
Do you see something on the horizon that you want to get people talking about? This year, we want your predictions, your readings, your horoscopes, and your divinations – hopes, fears, fortunes, and aspirations. The billboard is big and the ask is broad, so before you draw from the deck, take a moment to pause, reflect, and be inspired.
This year, we asked designer Orla King to respond to these ideas in creating the campaign imagery for this open call. Here’s what she had to say about her designs:
“Had The Tower still stood, we would not have been able to see The Star.”
The artwork draws its inspiration from the traditional tarot card sequence. The selection for The City is The Tower card, representing the necessity for the demolition of old structures to pave the way for new beginnings. This card embodies drastic shifts and transformative revolutions that can disrupt established norms.
As for The Artist, The Star card was chosen, following The Tower in the tarot deck. The Star card symbolizes inspiration and is closely associated with the process of reconstruction.
Both cards were crafted using a collage technique, aiming to create abstract visuals infused with symbolic elements derived from traditional tarot designs.
– Orla King
From visual art, to graphic design, to illustration, to memes, and beyond – whatever we can facilitate being printed large and loud for our billboard, we’re open to exploring.
View our 2022 Whip it Up! artists & billboards here.
View our 2021 Whip it Up! artists & billboards here.
Guidelines
We’re inviting submissions from two artists to take over our billboard. Each billboard will be up for four weeks and will be documented and highlighted through Project’s social media channels & website. The design of the billboard must be new work for the purpose of this initiative.
Deadline: 5pm Friday 23 June
Artists Fee: €600
Send us your ideas for the concept behind your planned billboard in writing (200 words max) or in a visual format. Video or audio submissions are welcome (2 mins max). Please include a link to your website or your cv/bio.
Please submit them by email to submissions@projectartscentre.ie (we will accept Dropbox or WeTransfer links). You can also send any questions and queries to this email address.
Please note that the dimensions of the billboard space are 420x220cm.
Applications are due by 5pm on Friday 23rd June. We will communicate decisions to artists by Friday 30th June. Applications will be shortlisted by the Artistic Director, Executive Director, Curator of Visual Arts, and Project’s Marketing & Comms Team.
Project welcomes applications from all artists working in all art forms but would like to encourage applications by artists from a diversity of national, ethnic, or cultural groups (including, but not limited to Asian, Black, Traveller and minority ethnic, refugees, people with disabilities, working-class and LGBTQI+ artists). We are committed to accessibility and want to make sure that our opportunities are accessible to all artists. If any additional supports are required to enable you to take up this opportunity, please include the details in your application. We will work with you to see how we can help remove any barriers, within a limited budget.
A few words from previously commissioned artists!
Personal ads to the art world by Áine O’Hara | Whip it Up Open Call 2021
‘Whip it up gave me a stage in the middle of the city, a new way to reach audiences and has led to opportunities I never would have had without it. It was a jumping off point for a really positive change in my practice.’ – Áine O’Hara
Find out more about Áine’s commissioned billboard here.