IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATIONSOpen call for storytelling artists

Concept development R&D (Stage One) 

OVERVIEW OF OPEN CALLWe are looking for up to six emerging or established Coventry-based storytelling artists to take part in a rapid narrative concept development process, working in collaboration with a leading immersive digital studio. This will be Stage One of R&D for a major project ‘Impossible Conversations’ (working title) - part of Coventry City of Culture 2021 and imagined as an innovative combination of online storytelling, pop-up live performance, street art/installation, and immersive digital media.

 CLOSING DATE: Monday 9 November 2020 at 12.00 (midday)

REGISTER FOR ONLINE Q&A: www.coventry2021.co.uk/impossible-conversations

CONTACT FOR ALL ENQUIRIES: Tim Powell, Creative Producer for Impossible Conversations R&D // tim@timpowell.uk // 07812 241572

ABOUT COVENTRY CITY OF CULTURE 2021Coventry’s City of Culture programme will start in May 2021 and run for 12 months. We will deliver an extraordinary year, celebrating our city with events, music, dance, theatre, and large-scale spectacle - while providing some much-needed certainty and resources to our artists and communities. We are a diverse, modern city which is re-imagining the role that culture can play in bringing people together. Coventry is a city of welcome, a city of activists and pioneers, a city of peace and reconciliation, a city of innovation and invention, a City of Culture.

By inspiring leading artists to work with us, supporting a new generation of artists and makers, nurturing the creativity of young people, welcoming our communities to collaborate, partnering with local schools and universities, supporting high profile tourism campaigns and removing barriers to attendance, we, along with our city partners, encourage everyone to participate in the creative life of their City and region.

The Trust is committed to:

Welcoming 2.5m additional visitors to Coventry and Warwickshire in 2021 Making long-lasting social change in Coventry 80% of the city’s residents experiencing at least three events in 2021 Increasing audience attendance from under-represented communities by 20% Activating more than 11,000 participants and 5,000 City Host volunteers Starting a wave of cultural investment across the region 

This is your opportunity to be part of telling the story of a city on the move.

ABOUT “IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATIONS”

Impossible Conversations (working title) will bring a cast of personalities from Coventry and the nation’s history to life to tell their incredible stories, some famous and others lesser known, in a surprising series of virtual and real-world experiences on the road to and across Coventry during 2021. Brought to life over the course of several months through an innovative combination of online storytelling, pop-up live performance, street art, and immersive media, this contemporary ‘Canterbury Tales’ will take the public on an imaginative journey to Coventry via a series of surprising encounters with incredible people. It will be a twenty-first century digital portrait of the city.

Impossible Conversations will celebrate the diverse communities, eccentric personalities, multiple histories, cultures, and achievements that represent Coventry’s place in our national story, and most importantly, our future. But why have these historical personalities all suddenly started talking, and why are they all coming to Coventry in 2021? Well, that’s what we want you to work with us to find out… We envisage Impossible Conversations to take the form of three layers of engagement: “Invitations”May – August 2021

A teaser marketing campaign across social media will introduce national audiences to the key themes of the storyworld we’re creating.

How could interactive video or augmented reality bring a selection of characters to life online? e.g. could social media content trigger an augmented reality video call with a famous face? “Encounters”July – August 2021 A series of pop-up interventions in public spaces across the country and Coventry, starting the process of bringing characters and storytelling to life into ‘the real world’.

We envisage these interventions taking multiple forms: live performance, street art, mobile AR, and digital interactives e.g. using OOH (out of home advertising) infrastructure in public locations (or unique combinations thereof).

Taking inspiration from projects like Jeremy Deller’s ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’, how might we combine ‘live’ with ‘digital’ to create a series of brief, impactful storytelling encounters in everyday locations? “The Event”August / September 2021 Over a day/weekend in August 2021 all of our characters will converge in Coventry at multiple public locations (possibly moving to a single location) for “The Event”.

All prior storytelling will have led-up to this moment, driving audiences to it.

We envisage a ‘trail’ or journey-like immersive experience for audiences, combining live performance, street art, and installations, threaded together and augmented by digital media such as projection mapping. We are particularly interested in how mobile immersive content (audio, 360 video, augmented reality layers) can add to or trigger live performance in the public realm. 

CREATIVE TEAM AND PROCESS

Our overall ambition for this project is to forge collaborations between local emerging or established storytelling artists and leading digital studios. We anticipate, following the R&D process, to appoint a Lead Writer/Storyteller from Coventry and a Lead Digital Studio/Agency, but it is likely that multiple creatives will be required to collaborate to deliver this multi art form project.

We have designed the following creative process for this project:

STAGE ONE R&DStage One R&D will include the following five elements for the artists involved: 1. Artist selection and matching to digital studio (by project team)Each artist will be matched to one digital studio and will work with them to develop the proposal below (the studios will be working separately with two artists).

2. Introduction session with project team (for all artists and digital studios)This workshop will be a welcome to the project and allow the participants to introduce themselves to each other - and for the project team to go into further detail on: 

Creative Concept and Ambitions Aims, Objectives & Audiences Coventry City of Culture themes Partners Timeline & Budget

3. ‘Art of the Possible’ session led by digital studio (for all artists matched to them) This workshop will introduce the artists to:

The studios and their work Previous examples of their work relevant to the project The creative potential of immersive story forms, particularly immersive audio, 360 video,

augmented reality, etc.

ARTIST OPEN CALL

26 Oct - 9 Nov 2020

STAGE 1 R&D: narrative concept development

16 - 26 Nov 2020

Up to 6 artists and 3 studios

STAGE 2 R&D: proof of concept proposal development

30 Nov - 18 Dec 2020

Up to 3 artists and 3 studios

STAGE 3 R&D: proof of concept production, testing & evaluation

Jan - Feb 2021

Up to 3 proof of concepts

COMMISSION / PRODUCTIONdependent on success of R&D process

From March 2021

Intro to immersive content production: process and key considerations. Means of collaborating

4. Development workshops (for artists and matched digital studios)Supported by and in creative collaboration with their matched digital studio, each artist will develop a proposal for an overarching narrative concept for the story that answers the question “Why are the characters coming back to Cov?”. This must take into account the following project aims:

Journeys to a mass gathering/Event in Coventry Online/National/Local engagement (Invitations/Encounters/The Event) Storytelling that responds to place and audience Cross-platform/multi-artform storytelling Core themes of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021

5. Presentation of proposals and selection of (up to) three artists for Stage Two R&DUp to three storytelling artists will be selected to progress into Stage Two of the R&D. In this second stage they will develop ‘proof of concept’ proposals based on the narrative concepts developed in the first stage – still working in collaboration with a digital studio.

Please see KEY DATES section below for the formats and timings of all these stages. 

 HOW TO APPLY (THE CHALLENGE)To be considered for Stage 1 of this process, we ask you to respond to the following challenge at the online form linked below. The challenge: Choose a character connected to Coventry (famous, infamous or unknown – living, dead or fictional).  In no more than 500 words, describe an impossible encounter or conversation with this person in a specific Coventry location connected to their story. This should be an innovative experience combining story, place and audience - created using your own storytelling practice and enabled by the possibilities of interactive or immersive technologies (such as those mentioned in the ‘ABOUT “IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATIONS”’ section above). 

What would they say to you? What would they show you? What would they say about the world today?  How would the encounter make you feel? What would it make you think? We’re not looking for finished works, full treatments or technical details. We want to hear about new types of audience experience that create magic, spectacle and emotional connections to audiences. And we want to hear your creative approach – and how you would apply and develop your own practice in collaboration with an immersive digital studio to create this.Entries can be made at this online form: https://forms.gle/Ytg5Gkqbwzeq8gEP6  For other accessible application options please contact tim@timpowell.uk

WHO CAN APPLY?To be eligible to apply for this opportunity you should: 

Live and/or regularly work within a CV postcode (this covers Coventry and parts of wider Warwickshire).

Be available on the key dates set out below Have experience in an artistic discipline focussed on narrative storytelling Be willing to collaborate throughout with the immersive digital studio you are matched

with – and produce a joint proposal that combines both sets of skills and experience We recognise and affirm that the UK City of Culture title belongs to each and every one of Coventry’s citizens, regardless of gender, race, faith, sexuality, age or disability. In line with that commitment we welcome and encourage applications from artists that are representative of the diversity of Coventry as a city.

We are anticipating submissions from typically narrative forms (writers, directors and designers for stage, screen or interactive etc.) but welcome other art forms - if you think these can meet the narrative and collaborative requirements of the brief. 

 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR OPEN CALLSubmissions will be assessed by a panel comprising the Coventry City of Culture Trust’s Digital Curator and the Creative Producer for Impossible Conversations R&D.

The key criteria are that the submission should:

Represent a genuinely innovative type of audience experience Meaningfully combine character, story, place and audience Show an appreciation of cross art form and/or multi-platform storytelling Offer a genuine collaboration between the artist and a digital studio Indicate an approach that is potentially scalable to the whole project/ambitions

These are in addition to having met the eligibility criteria above.  

KEY DATESOPEN CALL

Open call launched: Tuesday 27 October 2020 Virtual Q&A sessions (one hour, online - optional but recommended): Monday 2

November at 7pm and Tuesday 3 November at 11.30am Open call closes: Monday 9 November 2020 (12.00 midday) Applicants contacted with results: Wednesday 11 November 2020

STAGE ONE R&D: narrative concept development: Monday 16th – Thursday 26 November 2020

Intro session with project team (2 hours, online): Monday 16 Nov, AM Art of the Possible session led by Digital Studio (2 hours, online): Monday 16t Nov, PM Artist/Studio workshops (2.5 days): to be agreed between participants 17 – 25 Nov Presentation of concept proposals (online): Thursday 26th Nov Selection of (up to) three concepts for the next R&D stage: Friday 27 Nov 2020

STAGE TWO R&D: prototype proposal development: Monday 30 November – Friday 18 December 2020

Intro session with project team and partners (2 hours, online): Monday 30 Nov AM Research presentation: characters & locations (2 hours, online): Monday 30 Nov PM Artist/Studio workshops (5.5 days): to be agreed between participants 1 – 13 De Presentation of prototype proposals (online): Monday 14 Dec Selection of (up to) three prototypes for the next R&D stage: by Friday 18 Dec

STAGE THREE R&D: prototype production, testing and evaluation: January – February 2021

FEES AND PAYMENT STRUCTUREEach artist in the Stage One concept development R&D will receive a fixed fee of £500.00 (five hundred pounds) for an anticipated three days’ work. Those artists selected to proceed into Stage Two prototype proposal development R&D will receive an additional fixed fee of £1,000.00 (one thousand pounds) for an anticipated six days’ work.

Payment will be made on submission of invoice by the artist on completion of the R&D stage (following proposal presentation: 26 November for Stage One, 14th December for Stage Two). Payment terms are 30 days. Access costs will be paid in addition to this where required.

IPR AND COPYRIGHTOwnership of Intellectual Property and Copyright in pre-existing content, ideas and technologies used shall remain with the original owner.

For open call submissions that DO NOT result in the artist taking part in the later R&D stages: any ideas or concepts within your submission will be owned by the artist (or relevant third parties).

For open call submissions that DO result in the artist taking part in the later R&D stages: any ideas or concepts within your submission will be owned by the artist  (or relevant third parties) but the artist will agree to licence them to Coventry City of Culture Trust such that we retain the right to use the idea or concept in future developments of the project, whether or not the artist is involved in delivering them.

Similarly, any proposals developed at later stages of the R&D will be subject to subsequent detailed IPR agreements, but as a minimum Coventry City of Culture Trust would expect either joint ownership of Intellectual Property and Copyright, or a perpetual licence such that we can use the content and concept without limitation indefinitely in any location.Other factors to consider:

The artist must ensure that any third party Intellectual Property Rights and Copyrights are not infringed and any required permissions to use such third party materials, ideas and technology are obtained.

Any materials or content the artist creates that includes existing Coventry City of Culture Trust -owned materials (including logos and images) will remain the property and copyright of Coventry City of Culture Trust regardless of whether they have been altered or adapted.

 

RULES OF THE OPEN CALL

1. Coventry City of Culture Trust shall at its sole discretion decide whether any of the open call submissions received are shortlisted and considered for the Stage One concept development R&D (or later stages)

2. All submissions will be reviewed and assessed against the same set of criteria by members of the Project Team. The Project Team’s decision as to the success or otherwise of any open call submission shall be final.

3. Coventry City of Culture Trust reserves the right to alter the R&D process or the scope of the project, or cancel either, at its sole discretion at any time without notice. This includes changing the matched artists/studios between or within stages.

4. You may submit up to two different open call submissions, but any one artist can only take one place on the Stage One concept development R&D.

5. The submission form is available for online completion only at: https://forms.gle/Ytg5Gkqbwzeq8gEP6Submissions by any other means will not be accepted (unless for accessibility reasons).

6. All open call submission documents and assessment sheets are confidential and will not be available to anyone other than the Project Team, Digital Studios and any relevant advisors or contractors.

7. As we anticipate a very high number of submissions, Coventry City of Culture Trust cannot promise to provide detailed feedback regarding unsuccessful submissions.

8. The time and expense you incur in preparing any open call submissions is entirely at your own cost.  No fees will be paid by Coventry City of Culture Trust, nor the reclaim of any expenses permitted.

9. All contact with Coventry City of Culture Trust should be in line with the process outlined in this document, and attempts to unlawfully influence, bribe or coerce Coventry City of Culture Trust staff in contravention of the Bribery Act 2010 is not permitted.

10. If you ask Coventry City of Culture Trust a question in respect to the open call, then unless we believe (at our sole discretion) that the question relates solely to a unique aspect of your submission we may, in the interests of fairness, share the question and the answer with other parties intending to make a submission.