Description of the contract
Introduction
The Vale of Glamorgan Council are seeking to commission an artist/s to design and implement, in consultation with the local community, a new light artwork for the Western Shelter on Barry Island’s promenade. The Council has already completed a major refurbishment scheme at the Eastern end of Barry Island that includes public art work.
This regeneration of the Eastern side of the promenade was completed in 2014, and has been very positively received by residents and visitors to the area. The two existing major art works on the Eastern promenade include a professionally and charmingly designed traversing wall by Gordon Young, and a lighting work for the Eastern Shelter by Peter Fink. The regeneration of the area has been so successful that it has recently been nominated for both the RTPI Wales Planning Award and the national Planning Excellence Awards 2015.
This project aims to create a new lighting installation in the Western Shelter to complement and enhance the existing work along the Eastern promenade. The new artwork should create an interaction and synergy between the two ends of the promenade, with the aim to create an updated, contemporary space, and a safer environment, which will encourage local pride and further increase tourism to the area.
This commission is funded by the the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Arts Council of Wales.
The Site
The shelter built in the 1920s, is situated at the Western end of the Promenade. It is a large listed structure in a classical revival style, with tall Tuscan columns supporting a flat roof and a long supporting wall. Along the back of the shelter facing the beach are several amusement arcades, tourist shops and food outlets. There is a central stair way that sweeps outwards taking the visitor onto the sandy beach immediately in front of the shelter. This area is a popular attraction, yet has become tired over the years. The new lighting work should revive the area, creating a more welcoming and accessible space.
The seafront, although beautiful, is an extremely harsh environment with salt and sand degrading surfaces over time. Any light fittings should not be bespoke but should be easily replaceable by the manufacturer.
A building survey as PDF is available on request.
The Project
In the 1960s the Promenade was well lit, with floodlights on top of both the Eastern and Western Shelters, that lit the sea creating naturally, dramatic light shows particularly with high tides and winds. However, these were eventually removed.
The commission for the appointed artist is to create a new Light Art project, that re-captures that sense of innovation, excitement, and destination. We envisage that the lighting would be installed on the underside of the shelter’s roof but are also open to lighting that deals with the columns, the staircase and even the external roof. (Although there is access to the roof it is netted so this would need to be taken into consideration for installation and maintenance.)
The new lighting would need to take into account existing safety lighting within the structure as well as the various levels of light emanating from the different shops within the shelter. Recent consultation with young people in the area identified a desire for more lighting on the Promenade to make it a more attractive and safer place to go in the evenings.
The presence of the shops, and the additional access point of the staircase, makes the Western shelter a very different design proposition to the Eastern shelter. For this project, the artist will need to engage in depth with the business owners operating from the shelter as well as other local residents and relevant council officers. Therefore, there will need to be a close relationship between the artist and the project team to ensure that the consultation and design development is effectively communicated between stakeholders, and that the project develops step by step with presentations and feedback built-in to the process.
The Western shelter is already very popular with young people and families and we would like the artist to devise an engagement activity that really appeals to these groups and draws them into the project. The artist may, if desired, work with another artist to facilitate this part of the project.
The project would develop accordingly:
1. Briefing meeting and consultation with the project team. Research the area, consult with businesses, engage with local community (e.g. activities with local youth club, primary school, history group). Develop set of design principles.
2. Develop concept design, present and consult on initial ideas, particularly with the project team, council officers/Members and businesses operating within the shelter.
3. Prepare final design and technical drawings for planning. Agree commissioning process, schedule, budget breakdown, and installation methodology.
4. The appointed artist will manage and supervise any sub-contractors throughout the installation phase until completion and formal hand over of work. (The project team will not liaise directly with sub-contractors as the artist will be the first point of contact during both the design and implementation phases.)
Any design would require the appropriate listed building consent as the structure is grade 2 listed.
Considerations
The scheme will require the appropriate listed building consent as the structure is Grade II listed.
The light artwork should not have any costly short or long term maintenance requirements
The scheme design should consider accessibility to allow for the maintenance/replacement of components.
A comprehensive maintenance and operation schedule will be required
The Vale of Glamorgan Council would issue a works access licence for any contractors working with the artist to carry out the installation works.
Schedule
Interviews will be held on one of these dates: 13th, 14th or 15th September 2016. Please let us know in your application your availability for these dates. The artist will need to be available to start work on the project immediately on appointment. The lighting artwork should be installed by May 2017.
Contracts
The selected artist will be contracted to the ‘Vale of Glamorgan Council’. The artist will initially be contracted to deliver the first phase of work: research, engagement and design, and paid the fee in two instalments. Once the design has been approved the artist will be contracted to implement the work.
Insurance
The artist will need to have in place Public and Product Liability insurance cover to £5 million.
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