Call for Submissions and Ideas Collaborating and Showcasing Deadline: Thurs 24th June
Hidden Door is a festival run by an arts collective whose overall aim is to encourage, develop and promote excellence, innovation and collaboration across the arts in Scotland.
They are now programming a second festival, after the highly successful sell-out debut event in January 2010, and are looking for creative talent interested in working on collaborative projects, and dynamic work and performances to showcase in their upcoming October event.
All of the three levels of Edinburgh's Roxy Art House will be transformed; including the creation of a 5-stage amphitheatre, an indoor garden, an interactive sonic laboratory and a myriad of spaces and compartments given over to artists, musicians, poets, filmmakers and performers to use imaginatively.
Collaborative Projects
The main space of the Roxy will be filled with 5 stages, all facing inwards, forming an amphitheatre. We want each stage to be taken on as a collaborative project in its own right by a group of contributors (which may involve musicians, artists, animators, filmmakers, set designers etc.) This will involve designing its look, building/decorating it and deciding what happens on it. A basic structure and shape of stage will be provided, which will comprise of a basic frame of stud walls; an 'open box' around a stage platform, to be adapted by the group.
There will be a sequence of installations based on poets' submissions, situated throughout the three levels of the venue which will provide opportunities for people to contribute wall-based work, installation-work, music, film, photography etc in response to the poetry.
There will also be a large room put together as a collaboration of innovative sound works, encouraging interaction from the public.
Showcasing
A large part of the event will be dedicated to featuring the work of new and established talent that is innovative, ambitious and high quality. This includes music, art, poetry and film.
There will be a sequence of enclosed spaces measuring approx 10' x 6' by 8' high that will be ideal for installation-based work, a number of constructed spaces throughout the venue that will suit wall-based work and stages dedicated to showcasing music.
Collaborations
If you're interested in taking part in a collaboration you may have a specific idea/person/band you'd like to collaborate with, or a more general sense that you'd like to work as part of a group (e.g. you'd like to help design and build a set, or as a musician you'd like to put a soundtrack to a film...). Just submit your idea and info, as detailed below, and the Hidden Door team will coordinate the collaborative projects.
Submissions
If you are interested in taking part, sign up to the collective by visiting www.hiddendoor.org. Go to 'become a contributor', where you will be asked to upload some info and some examples of your work. This enables Hidden Door to ensure your work is of the high standard they are looking for. Once it is approved, you will be added to the collective and featured on the site as a 'contributor'.
Then you can send an email to hiddendoorfestival@gmail.com with 'Proposal' in the subject header and any details of what you'd like to do. Being part of the collective does not automatically guarantee your work/music/idea will feature in the next event, and if you sign up as a contributor, you don't have to put a proposal forward for every event. As a member of the collective, you'll be kept in the loop, and you can delete your profile at any time.
What happens next?
If you are to contribute to the next event, you will be sent an email as soon as your proposal has been approved, and no later than 10th July. Then several meetings will be held to facilitate the projects and design the event from the end of July onwards.
In order to book your place in the festival, you will be asked to give a fully refundable deposit of £45. This will be used to pay for capital for the event. It will be made available to be paid back to you the week after. Hidden Door are expecting the event will sell out and achieve an audience of 2000 across the weekend. In the first event, Hidden Door sold out the venue with an audience of 1500 across two days. (Check www.hiddendoor.org/past-events for footage of the acclaimed event.)
Behind the scenes at Hidden Door arts festival January 2010, Edinburgh
Hidden Door exists to challenge the conventional ways of doing culture. Hidden Door is a Social Firm and all proceeds from the event are put into the Hidden Door Fund, which is set up to support the aims of the organisation, provide capital for future festivals and create opportunities for dynamic talent in Scotland.
It will be spectacular, so be a part of it!
Good Luck,
The Hidden Door Team
hiddendoorfestival@gmail.com www.hiddendoor.org
