The Opportunity What an artist's bursary of £8,000 to research, create and present an original, exciting and captivating proposal for a new light art work When Delivery: The ILLUMINE programme will culminate in a new light artwork to be exhibited at up to 6 of our member festivals between October 2027 and February 2028. Proposals: The final artwork will need to be: SUITABLE for presentation at outdoor winter light festivals in the UK The successful ILLUMINE artist will also need to: DESIGN an artwork suitable to be repurposed - consider sustainable materials and equipment as well as what happens at the end of the presentations Finance: The artist (or collective) will receive a bursary of up to £8,000 (exclusive of VAT) to research, develop and produce a proposal for an achievable new work. This will be paid in three parts - £4,000 at the start of the research phase, £1,000 on presentation of the final proposal and £3,000 on delivery of the work at the first festival. We can be flexible with the schedule of these payments should it be necessary. Reasonable travel, accommodation and subsistence costs will be covered separately by LUTN during this phase. Reasonable travel, accommodation and subsistence costs at the delivery stage will be covered separately by LUTN. Transport of the artwork will be covered by the participating member LUTN festivals. If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please submit your application by date time according to the below instructions: The deadline is Friday, September 11 (5pm) We want to make things as simple as possible and are aware that applications can be both unnecessarily complex and time consuming for artists. To submit: Please send a very short CV, examples of your work and covering letter (or video or audio equivalent), outlining your interest, your proposed idea, indicative budget and relevant artistic skills and experience. We actively encourage applications from artists whose enthusiasm for taking part may exceed their current experience in light art.Job Summary
Job Description
LUTN member festivals will work together to commission an artist or collective to develop a new light artwork for the 2027/8 season. The artwork would travel to a number of different festivals in the network between October 2027 and February 2028. ILLUMINE is for Black and POC artists with an established professional practice and a recognised, successful portfolio of work. It is an opportunity for an artist to realise a work at scale. If an artist has never worked with light before, LUTN will budget for technical specialists and a creative producer to help realise the work. The ILLUMINE programme aims to address the lack of diversity of artists within the light art sector to ensure that light festivals are more representative of the populations they serve.
The ILLUMINE commissioning opportunity includes:
a comprehensive induction to the partners and festivals
support, training and mentoring from across the LUTN network including guidance in areas, if required, such as marketing, finance, production, risk assessments method statements (RAMS) and fundraising
a projected production/creative budget between £40k - £70k, subject to festivals funding the work
invitations to LUTN member festivals and introductions to their teams during LUTN 27/28 season and with an opportunity to connect with a new group of artists, technologists, producers
if required, support from the ILLUMINE Producer to help realise the work.
Development phase: October 26 - March 27
Concept sign off: April 27
Prototyping and production: May / June - Sept 27
Installation: Oct 27- Feb 28Job Requirements
ARTISTICALLY challenging, aesthetically impressive and of high quality
STRUCTURALLY resilient enough to withstand the winter weather at multiple festivals between October 2027 and February 2028, and to withstand transportation across the festival network
ABLE to be seen by large crowds of people
CREATE an artwork of mid / large scale - we are encouraging ambitious proposals
DELIVER an experience for audiences to enjoy, be inspired by and engage withJob Responsibilities
Artists will also receive a production/creative budget up to a maximum of £70,000 (exclusive of VAT) to deliver the new work. The production budget includes all materials and technical, installation and operational costs.Useful Links
How to Apply
Applications should be made by completing the application form below.