Apply now for the
Diasporas Now U.K. Tour
2023-2024
Frequently Asked Questions:
Diasporas Now U.K. Tour 2023-2024
Why should I apply for the Diasporas Now U.K. Tour?
This is your chance to join the Diasporas Now community, either as one of the selected artists for this round of the performance commissions, or to be on our radar for future opportunities.
We pride ourselves as a continual support network for our roster of artists as an alternative to the current institutional ecosystem of diversity optics and one-off performance commissions. For Diasporas Now, intersectionality is in our DNA. We are here to celebrate you.
In addition to the core Diasporas Now team (Rieko Whitfield, Paola Estrella, and Lulu Wang), your work will be considered by our guest panel of practicing artists and educators Harold Offeh and Michelle Williams Gamaker, and the curatorial team at the Institute of Contemporary Arts including Sara Sassanelli.
Who is eligible to apply?
We welcome artists of all ages, experiences, backgrounds, and mediums, but the only criteria is that you identify as a person of colour or a member of the global majority.
How many artists will be selected for the tour?
For this Diasporas Now tour, we will be commissioning a total of 15 artists across three events.
The events will take place on the following dates:
The NN Contemporary Art (Northampton): 2 November, 2023
Humber Street Gallery (Hull): 24 November, 2023
The Institute of Contemporary Arts (London): 13 February, 2024
For each event there will be a line-up of 5 artists, consisting of 3 local artists (living and/or working in the city where the event will take place) and 2 external artists (living and/or working in a different city from which the event will be taking place). The artist fee will be ยฃ150 for local artists and ยฃ270 (ยฃ150 artist fee + ยฃ120 to cover travel costs and accommodation) for external artists.
Can I apply as a group or collective?
We do accept applications from other groups or collectives, but please be aware that the performance fee will be allocated per submission, not per individual. We also prefer that at least half of your members identify as global majority artists.
When is the deadline?
The deadline to apply is 4 September, 2023 at 23:00.
Will feedback be provided?
As Diasporas Now is run by a small team of practicing artists, we are unable to provide feedback on individual applications. However if you apply and are not selected, please keep in mind this is not reflective of the quality of your work. We often curate line-ups in relation to what would work best as an overall theme or event.
If you are not selected for this tour, there is a good chance we will keep you in mind for future opportunities. So come attend our events, experience the art we commission, meet our community in person, and bring your friends to the party. Diasporas Now is for everybody.
For any additional questions please email diasporasnow@gmail.com.
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1. Is re-staging of work accepted or are you specifically looking for new performances?
Diasporas Now U.K. tour provides an open opportunity for participating artists to present their work. We accept existing projects which can be presented in the venue, and also encourage artists to experiment their new ideas.
2. What is the maximum duration permitted for a performance?
The suggested duration for each work will be 5-30 minutes.
3. Is it possible to stage a performance in public space outside any of the venue spaces?
Works are planned to be presented in the space provided by our partner institutions, but we are open to suggestions and will adjust according to the curation. We will do our best to provide artists with support and coordination.
4. What is available in terms of AV equipment?
Our team is still confirming the equipment list with the partner venues. If you could list your equipment requirement in your application we will put it on the record and get back to you as soon as we finalise the list.
5. My practice consists of choreographing art performances performed by others (not usually performed by myself) . Is this ok or do you require the applicant/artist to be the performer?
The form of performance is flexible as we would like to give artists the freedom to present their ideas in the best way possible. We would prefer to see artists themselves on the stage but it is also up to your decision.
6. I have a small proposal 'deck' for the performance, with a mood board. Am I able to link this as part of the proposal or at this stage would you prefer the one image of previous work?
Yes you are welcome to copy and paste your performance deck link to your work description if you wish. You can also attach images from previous work if they help us to understand your practice.
7. Can international students with a Tier 4 Visa be a part of this scheme?
Students with Tier 4 visas are welcome to apply for the opportunity.
8. Do artists have to present existing works or is there a budget for production costs to create new work in addition to the artist's fee?
Since the artist fee is not high, we are not expecting artists to produce new work. We see the tour as a space for performance artists to experiment and/or test new ideas. This might be the continuation of an existing project and/or the beginning of something that could be developed further in the future.
We will provide technical support during the event and we will have one day of rehearsals ahead of the performance evening.
9. If the work involves performers, is there a separate budget to pay for their time and travel expenses? or should I apply to submit work that only involves myself?
Unfortunately, we only have a budget for the selected artists. What we do provide is for the artists to become part of a community of creators where we will continue to organise events and provide new opportunities where cross-disciplinary collaborations take place.
