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Call for Artists: Digital Art Commission at Grand Junction

Are you an artist, designer, or creative with a passion for public-facing projects?

Grand Junction, a cultural venue and community hub run by Paddington Development Trust, invites artists, creatives, and collectives to propose a digital artwork for St Mary Magdalene Church, celebrating the rich history, community, and evolving story of our building and local communities. This commission forms part of You Are Here, a National Lottery Heritage Funded project exploring place, heritage, and belonging. We are looking for immersive, participatory work that brings people together, sparks dialogue, and creates a sense of belonging.

What we are looking for:

  • We are seeking a durable and sustainable digital artwork that can live in situ for at least 12 months, with the possibility of a longer lifespan.
  • Digital artwork could consist of (but is not limited to the following)- video, projection, animation, digital collage, interactive lighting, lens-based media, audio, or mixed media.
  • Art that is sensory, joyful, and inclusive, using colour, light, sound, movement, or interactivity to engage audiences.
  • Work that engages with site-specific storytelling, making visitors feel welcome, safe, and part of a shared experience.
  • Audience-driven and participatory experiences that engage with concepts of migration, belonging and place-making.
  • Proposals that are accessible across languages, ages, abilities, and devices, considering technical and physical constraints.
  • Ethical, human-made art (not AI-generated) developed with thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and respect for the site.

Practical considerations:

  • Artists should visit the site in advance to understand its atmosphere, architecture, and community context.
  • Consider both interior and exterior spaces, thinking about visibility, engagement, and the audience journey.
  • Artists are expected to develop proposals that respond sensitively to the church as a living place of worship, with the ambition and scale of the work carefully calibrated to this setting.
  • Outline how the work will be experienced digitally and physically, including interaction type, technical setup, and contingency planning.
  • Address accessibility, safety, and inclusivity, ensuring the artwork can be enjoyed by diverse audiences.
  • Artist must be willing to work collaboratively with communities and our volunteer curator panel, who have shaped the brief and will be involved in the selection process.

Fee & Budget:

  • A total budget of up to £20,000 (inclusive of VAT) is available for this commission. This budget is intended to cover artist fees, production, technical development, delivery, and VAT. As a guide, we anticipate allocating approximately £7,000 for the artist fee. The remaining budget will support production and delivery costs, which may include technical development, software or platform requirements, testing, project management, and final delivery. This breakdown is provided as an indicative guide rather than a fixed split. We recognise that digital projects vary significantly in their technical and creative demands, and we are open to discussing the balance between artist fees and production costs in response to the proposed approach, scope, and experience of the commissioned artist. We are committed to fair and transparent remuneration and welcome proposals that clearly articulate how the budget would be used to create the work to a high standard.

In your proposal, please include:

  • Concept and inspiration, referencing points within our ‘What we’re looking for’ (see above).
  • Intended visual style, materials, and digital software.
  • Audience experience: how they will interact, the journey, and the emotional impact.
  • Practical considerations: location, technical requirements, and maintenance.

Submission & Timeline:

  • Please submit a proposal (max 2 pages) responding to the brief.
  • A CV and short bio of lead artist(s).
  • A selection of images or links to documentation of relevant previous work.
  • A basic budget breakdown explaining how you would allocate the production budget (excluding artist fees).

Interested?

We welcome questions ahead of submission. Please direct any enquiries and submit proposals to Alan Kirwan, Heritage & Volunteer Manager at alan@grandjunction.org.uk

The deadline to submit proposals is 16 February 2026.

This opportunity is part of You Are Here, a National Lottery Heritage Funded project at Grand Junction, St Mary Magdalene’s.

 

Timeline (Indicative)