Eden Court Theatre and Cinema is currently planning a major capital project to refurbish existing buildings and to add a second theatre, two new cinemas, and two studios for educational use.  As the largest cultural venue in Northern Scotland, Eden Court sees the incorporation of Visual Art and Craft into the fabric of the building as essential part of the venue’s responsibility to promote creativity in all art forms.  As the architects leading the development project, Page and Park have a long-standing commitment to commissioning artists and makers within their buildings and town centre developments.
 
When finished, the new Eden Court will have three distinct architectural styles; the gothic original Bishop’s House, the 1976 Theatre, which together are Group A Listed, and the 2006 new development, which was been designed as a striking, contemporary addition.   The commissions programme will be dealing with the three buildings, plus external landscaping in the grounds, which overlook the River Ness in the centre of the city.  There is no presumption that the artists will work in a collaborative way with the community, but artists who engage in collaborative research /practice are also welcomed.

The language used by the commissioners and architects in describing their expectations of the work is instructive:  ‘contemporary, has integrity, pure, stunning, beautiful, creative, reflective, dynamic,  quality of technique, construction and finish, durable, low maintenance’.

Commission opportunity - Wind towers

The new building is using a unique natural ventilation system which will be seen externally in the form of six wind towers, five rising above the roof and one tall tower towards the front elevation.  These will be a prominent feature of the new Eden Court and the right approach could transform this from potentially having an industrial identity, to one which forms a major feature of this landmark grouping of buildings. This provides a unique opportunity for a major commission for an artist / sculptor to work with environmental design engineers to create a series of forms on the top of the turrets, or on their fabric.

Budget
£210,000 in total / £35,000 for each of 6 towers is allowed as the commission costs,  including construction, fees and expenses (technical ventilation equipment is separately costed).

Applicants are invited from sculptors who have:
• An established track record of successful large scale commissions
• Experience of working with architectural/ engineering/ fabrication teams to deliver large scale work

A copy of the plans can be seen on the HI~Arts website at http://www.hi-arts.co.uk/aug04_eden_court_theatre.htm

An artist’s impression of the new Eden Court, incorporating building designs by Page and Park, is available by email from  lmackay@eden-court.co.uk, 01463 732672.  Further information on Eden Court can be found at eden-court.co.uk

Submissions should include:
• a letter of response to the tender opportunity
• a CV which demonstrates relevant expertise and experience
• 6 images of your work which you feel illustrate its relevance to the proposal, (clearly named and titled, with size, materials and location) on CD ROM for Microsoft applications.

Deadline 20 December 2004.

Sue Pirnie
Commissions Manager
Eden Court Theatre
Bishops Road
INVERNESS
IV2 5SA

The Eden Court Development is funded by:
The Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund
The Scottish Executive
Highland Council
Inverness and Nairn Enterprise