Visual Artist Commissions, Leeds International Piano Festival

The Leeds Piano Trail 2021 is a joyful gift to the city of Leeds, seeking to unite people under the theme of ‘Growing Stronger Together,’ an ethos which will be shared and developed further by the 20th Leeds International Piano Competition in September 2021.

They will create a unique musical journey which embeds Leeds’ piano heritage within the fabric of the city by installing a series of ten bespoke upright pianos and ten interactive sculptures in accessible urban locations.

Responding directly and sensitively to a paired ‘parent’ sculpture, designed and built by Edinburgh based artists Pianodrome (pianodrome.org), each piano will be transformed by a local artist/designer who will use their own specialism and media to curate their piano. The finished presentations will form a series of dialogues between the Pianodrome sculptures and the accompanying, transformed playable pianos. Five commissions will be given.

The successful artists will also provide a number of workshops to a Leeds based community group, acting as a mentor in guiding them to transform their own piano to be paired with a different Pianodrome sculpture. This is a truly collaborative commission and so we are looking for artists who are comfortable responding to a defined artistic brief.

Commission Fee: £1950

Fee includes:

Design and transformation of the piano
Design materials (1 x upright piano will be provided)
Attendance at Project Launch Zoom in January 2021 and sharing in Spring 2021 (Dates TBC)
Delivery of 2 x Community Mentorship Workshops

Piano transportation and workshop space where needed will be provided.

Application:

To apply applicants should send:

An up-to-date CV
A cover letter of no more than one side of A4
A PDF of no more than ten images of your visual work, which must include example(s) of where you have answered a commission brief.
We promote diversity in employment and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Please send applications to dave.cartwright@leedpiano.com by Midday (12pm) on Monday 7th December.