Climate Emergency Open Call – British Music Collection
Across the world, front-line communities are battling the effects of climate change and raising awareness of the global emergency we face. In recent years, an international wave of sustained and direct action has added to the public awareness of the greatest issue of our time, leading to a number of national and local governments declaring a Climate Emergency.
This crisis and its current impact is being felt disproportionately by those already disadvantaged. We cannot consider the climate emergency without considering the other systems of oppression in the world.
Here at Sound and Music, and particularly on the British Music Collection, we feel it is important to create space for composers whose work engages with and seeks to address current social issues.
As a living archive we want to present and curate works that encourage audiences to reflect and to have more insight into how composers, musicians and artists are responding to these issues creatively and within their everyday lives.
The opportunity – deadline 15th November 2020
Today we’re announcing Climate. Sound. Change.: 3 x £500 grants for artists working with sound and music to create new works that respond to the climate emergency with a minimum of one of those grants reserved for a young person aged 16-21.*
The opportunity is intentionally open, and you can continue to keep it broad or focus on specific areas or issues of interest, which might include (but are not limited to):
- Mass production
- Pollution
- Disability
- Access to water
- Global warming
- Indigenous rights
- Racial justice
- Class discrimination
- Environmental refugees and displacement
- Biodiversity loss
- Specific regional issues
These works can be created either alone (solo) or with collaborators of your choice (this could be another composer / musician / visual artist / filmmaker/ animator/ writer etc.)
For the fee, we are looking for 1-5 minute creative responses (this could be audio, video or novel/collaborative approaches to scoring and sharing work …) If you would like to produce a longer piece of work, you are welcome, but Sound and Music is keen to ensure everyone is paid fairly and properly for their time and work.
Successful applicants will also be able to demonstrate an awareness of the environmental impact of their own work. The selected works will be launched and hosted on the British Music Collection online, shared via our social channels and newsletters.
See our Interpreting Isolation project for examples of online work created for us – although your work might be something very different.
*Young Person’s Opportunity – deadline extended to Sunday 29th November 2020
As part of the Climate. Sound. Change. call, we have committed at least one grant to a young artist, composer, music creator or producer aged 16-21 making sound and music in any style or genre.
Please see this opportunity on the British Music Collection for more details. Note that the deadline for the young person’s opportunity has been extended to Sunday 29th November 2020.
How to apply:
Please see this opportunity on the British Music Collection for details on how to apply.
All applicants will hear back from us by Monday 30th November with applicants for the young person’s opportunity hearing back from us by Monday 14th December.
If you have a question, you can contact: Heather Blair, Creative Project Leader – heather.blair@soundandmusic.org
Accessibility
If you have accessibility needs and require additional support for applying please email alex.noble@soundandmusic.org
We can offer alternative application methods (e.g. via email), extensions for the application process, and can also offer financial support for anyone who needs to pay for additional access support. We want to accommodate any access needs so please get in touch to discuss ways that we can help.