The Cody Dock ‘Lighting Up The Lea’ Arts Commission 2023-24
Cody Dock’s 2023 ‘Lighting Up The Lea’ Arts Commission is an open invitation for artists to respond to the findings of the Cody Dock Tidal Lea River Ecology Report.
The overarching aim of this new commission is to provide an individual artist or arts collective with the opportunity to create a site-specific work that will be launched at Cody Dock’s Spring Forward Festival in March 2024 and should, in some way, shine a light on the tidal Lea’s unsung and often unexpected environmental ecology.
We are delighted that this year’s ‘Lighting Up The Lea’ Arts Commission is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a donor-advised fund held at The London Community Foundation.
The commission includes opportunities for the on-site development and creation of new work, followed by a two-month exhibition or series of performances.
We welcome applicants at all stages of their artistic development. The commission is open to all artistic disciplines: the site-specific work can take the form of, but is not limited to, an exhibition, sculpture, multi-media installation, workshops or a single large-scale performance, or a series of smaller performances.
A full breakdown of the application and submission requirements can be found in the commission handbook, alongside an introduction to Cody Dock. The Cody Dock Tidal Lea Ecology Report is available as a PDF in the supporting documents folder, as well as an editable document of the online application form.
Final outcome
The final work should be site and location specific and will be encouraged to make use of Cody Dock’s ever-evolving spaces either indoors or outdoors. The commission outcome can take the form of an exhibition, installation, or performance piece. The exhibition will run for 8 weeks and be joined by an optional school exhibition for the final 4 weeks.
Commission fee
Total commission fee: up to £7,500.00
Commission Development fee: Up to £3,000.00
Commission Production fee: Up to £4,500.00
+ Optional schools’ workshops: Up to £1,500.00 (Dependent on scale)
Application timeline
Submissions launch: August 2023
Application deadline: 6 pm Friday 29th September 2023
Early October 2023: Once applicants have been shortlisted, they will be invited for a guided tour around Cody Dock and meet some of the team who will be on hand to assist and give feedback on the development of their outline proposal.
Starting November 2023: Artists will then be invited to complete a short second-stage application that outlines the broad scope of their chosen project, from which one candidate will be invited to start the development phase.
Commission timeline
November 2023 & December 2023: 8-week Development Phase
January 2024 & February 2024: 6-week Production Phase
End of February 2024: Installation & Exhibition Preparation Phase
March 2024 & April 2024: Exhibition showcase and/ or performance
How to apply
We are interested in learning about your creative process, and your concepts for the commission. Please note that we do not expect finalised ideas at this stage.
Additionally, we would like to see a small digital portfolio (maximum 6 pages), showcasing projects that are deemed relevant to this commission application.
Application requirements:
1. Complete the online Form Assembly application form by 6 pm Friday 29th Sept 2023
2. Digital PDF portfolio submitted through the online application form (maximum 6 pages, no bigger than 20 MB)
(There is a downloadable PDF version of the online application form in the supporting documents folder for ease of completion and upload. It is advisable to save your answers outside of the online portal to avoid losing any completed fields)
Please direct any queries or questions to [email protected] including the subject line: Last Name First Name Lighting Up The Lea 2023 Application
Supporting documents available to download:
• The Lighting Up The Lea Commission Handbook PDF
• The Cody Dock Tidal Lea Ecology Report PDF
• Downloadable transcript of the online application Word document
Access needs
For those who need large text formats, we can send a large text format of the application to your email address or postal address. We can accept handwritten or spoken word formats. Please email [email protected] to discuss how we can support your application.
Cockayne Grants for the Arts is a donor-advised fund at The London Community Foundation. For further information please visit the Cockayne Foundation website and The London Community Foundation website.
The Cody Dock Tidal Lea Report
Published June 2022 by Gasworks Dock Partnership
Written & designed by the Cody Dock Environment & Ecology Team: Benjamin Bishop, (Former) Citizen Science and Environment Manager and Rosie Clewett, (Former) Environment and Ecology Officer
This project was funded by the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm’s-Length Bodies. It was delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency, and Forestry Commission.