Full Commission Brief: Dunton Hills | Essex Cultural Diversity Project

Artist Commission 2021:
Brentwood, Dunton Hills Garden Village #1

Budget: £10,000
Deadline: Friday 30 April 2021
Interviews: Thursday 20 May 2021 tbc

Suggested Commission Start date: 1 June 2021
Suggested Commission End date: 30 November 2021

How to Apply

Please read the Brentwood Dunton Hills 2021 Commission Brief before sending in your proposal, as it provides key information that you will need to consider as part of your idea. To apply for this commission please email jo@essexcdp.com and include the following:

An outline of the artistic concept for the commission, including the proposed community engagement process, intended audience and legacy (no more than 1 side of A4).
A brief description on why you are interested in this commission at this time, how your project promotes diversity and any relevant connections with Brentwood/Dunton Hills (no more than 1 side of A4).
A biography and CV with relevant previous work (no more than 2 sides of A4). Please include links to relevant websites and social media.
An outline budget breakdown showing how you would utilise the £10,000. It is important that all of the funded work takes place within the 2021-22 financial year, so please be clear on availability and resources to complete the commission in time
An approximate timeline for the work.

Accessibility

As a diversity led organisation we are committed to making our application process more accessible, and can be adaptable if the procedures above don’t quite work for you. We therefore welcome proposals in other formats, such as:

A video or audio version of your proposal, following the format above
A 1-2-1 video or telephone call to talk through your proposal (we will use the prompts as listed above)

Please do not hesitate to contact Jo on jo@essexcdp.com or 07952 563451 if you would like to talk this through. We would also be happy to make an appointment to talk you through this brief.

Further Reading

Our partners at Brentwood Borough Council would like artists to be familiar with current design plans and community consultation that has already taken place, so the following two documents are worth a browse and may inspire some ideas for your project, as mentioned in the full commission brief.

The draft Detailed Design Guidance (SPD)
The latest community consultation report

FULL COMMISSION BRIEF

Introduction

Working in close partnership with Brentwood Borough Council, we are inviting proposals from creative practitioners for a new commission, as part of our NPO commissioning programme funded by Arts Council England. ECDP’s commissions provide an opportunity for artists to not only create new work, but also explore diversity and develop their socially engaged and participatory practice. The projects also capture the spirit of place, connect communities and give people a platform to tell their stories in their own words.

For this commission we are looking for creative responses to the evolving development of a new Garden Village on land at Dunton Hills, a site that sits within the Brentwood Borough but also very close to Basildon and areas of Thurrock. More information about Dunton Hills Garden Village is below, providing a background and context for this commission.

We are looking for a project that will focus on the engagement process with the local community to connect them to the site and the new place. Community consultation is already taking place as part of the planning, and we see this commission as an opportunity for artists to compliment this work by helping communities articulate a shared vision, to capture and archive the site at this particular time, and explore what the development may offer its new communities in the future.

We welcome proposals that reflect on one or more of the key themes underpinning the development: A Strong Sense of Place, Land Use and Design, A Forward Thinking Village, Sustainable Movement, and Landscape.

The commission will run from June until the end of November 2021, so proposed projects need to consider the timescales of the development: the Dunton Hills Garden Village site could be under construction from 2022 onwards, so final creative pieces should be mobile, able to be digitally exhibited or have a flexible home outside of the site, until such time as it may be possible to be integrated or exhibited in the new Garden Village.

Dunton Hills Garden Village: Background & Context for the Commission

The ‘overarching vision’ for Dunton Hills Garden Village is:

‘Dunton Hills Garden Village is a settlement in a Borough of villages. It is a place where people’s lives are shaped through understanding the value and protection of the local natural environments. Education and community facilities and amenities are central and well-integrated, creating a place that becomes a blueprint for healthy and sustainable living’.

Dunton Hills Garden Village is a new settlement proposed in Brentwood Borough that will help to meet the needs of our growing population. The proposal is identified in the emerging Brentwood Borough Local Plan as a strategic housing allocation. It will be a self-sustaining community; providing up to 4,000 homes, new schools, job opportunities, health and community facilities and new public spaces. Dunton Hills Garden Village will become one of the borough’s many villages that make up the unique character of Brentwood.

In January 2017 Dunton Hills Garden Village was designated as one of (then) fourteen Garden Villages by the Government and continues to be well-supported by Homes England. Dunton Hills Garden Village is regarded as one of the leading Garden Communities for its engagement with the local community and youth population.

Bordered by the A127 to the north and the A128 to the west, a mainline railway line to the south (including nearby West Horndon Station), the site includes areas of heritage, traditional farmland, woodland, and historic pathways. The site currently comprises undulating arable farmland, a family golf centre and a historic farmstead Dunton Hills Farm, located at the heart of the site, which is a prominent landmark and will be an integral part of connecting to the past for the future Village.

Dunton Hills Garden Village is just over 256 hectares and will provide a self-sustaining community that includes:

3 distinct neighbourhoods including: A Village Centre (to include local shops, services, cafés, healthcare provision, community facilities, employment, and a Mobility Hub), and two smaller Neighbourhood Hubs
Education facilities including a new secondary school, three primary schools and early years provision
Over 5 hectares of employment space
Three care homes
Green infrastructure, including parks, greens, natural and semi-natural green space, as well as space for water retention
Access and mobility routes including routes for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport (no train station) and cars

The three distinct neighbourhoods, knitted together by a rich variety of green spaces weaving through woodland, play areas, water features and nature areas, with exceptional views across the wider area from a ridgeline park. Historic farm buildings will be retained and incorporated within the central village green, a focal space for community events.

Brentwood Borough Council has progressed with planning for the new Garden Village and is in the process of developing a draft Detailed Design Guidance (SPD), a process it wants to be as collaborative as possible with local communities across the area. A Framework Masterplan has been produced which clearly identifies the boundary of the new village, as well as setting out the spatial approach with areas for open space, housing, community, and education. The ambition is for 2700 new homes up to 2033 (the current Local Plan timescale), and ultimately for 4000.

Project updates about the proposed plans, community consultation and key timescales can be found at https://www.duntonhillsgardenvillage.com/project

The Commission

This is the first commission in an initial two-year partnership between ECDP and Brentwood Borough Council, focused on Dunton Hills Garden Village. Another commission opportunity, with a new brief and open call to artists, will go out at some stage in 2021-22. These commissions, treated as separate projects, will be important in terms of reflecting on the Garden Village concept as it develops, in engaging local communities, and creating a legacy that connects past, present and future. At this stage of the development, we are looking for a project/piece of work which could potentially:

Compliment the ethos of the Garden Village

The commission could reflect the changing landscape, the importance of green and natural spaces, the heritage and history of the land. It could celebrate the birth of a new community that supports a range of people and ways of living, It could encourage ownership, a sense of place and exploration of local identities, and highlight the new development as an environment that creates a blueprint for healthy and sustainable living.

Reflect diversity and capture the voice of the community

The commission is an opportunity to find creative ways to represent the thoughts and views of the community participating in the consultation, and to capture views from a wide range of people. We are interested in exploring the concept of diversity in relation to the Garden Village as it develops. It is important that as well as considering housing, facilities and the environment, that a strong sense of building a new diverse and resilient local community is considered throughout the development, and the commission could help to shape and capture this.

Provide a legacy

It is important to capture and archive the site at this particular time, and explore what the new development may offer its new communities in the future. The commission will therefore represent this point in time, as well playing a role in imagining the future of the space and the communities who will live there. There is an interesting history and legacy of building new communities (including Garden Cities and New Towns) across the UK, including for example those led by the pioneer Ebenezer Howard who sought to provide better housing, more open space, and a new relationship between town and country, as a response to the poor conditions of much of the rapidly expanding towns and cities of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Dunton Hills Garden Village is very much part of the evolution of this process – one of many such programmes currently underway across the UK. The artist should consider that the site will be in a state of ongoing building work and development, so any legacy needs to be flexible and future presentation/exhibition thought about.

Provide accessible engagement opportunities

The commission would create an opportunity for engagement with people that aren’t typically involved in a planning process, so the work can be accessed by groups and schools not directly involved in the programme. As part of the commission, we would like the appointed artist(s) to work with at least one local community or voluntary organisation, and engage volunteers in developing the work of the commission. It is important for ECDP and its partners that the artistic process creates opportunities for people to learn new skills, gain confidence and have enjoyable experiences. This is an important element, and we would expect to see at least 10 people volunteering their time supported by the commissioned artist.

The planning process has been particularly focussed on capturing the voices of children and young people, and it is anticipated that this commission will continue and build on this work. We would therefore like artists to work with the small group of schools who have already engaged in the co-design process and enhance the education programme. This includes four primary schools, two secondary school and two SEN schools.

Complement the Detailed Design Guidance (SPD)

The SPD is due to be formally adopted following a 6-week public consultation process from May- June 2021. It will detail the outcomes of a community co-design process and will guide how the development will come forward in the future, so any proposals should be synonymous with this guide. The draft SPD is available to view here. An accompanying document that explains the community co-design process for the draft SPD should be considered and contains further information around the 5 themes of A Strong Sense of Place, Land Use and Design, A Forward Thinking Village, Sustainable Movement, and Landscape – it is available to view here.

About Essex Cultural Diversity Project

Since 2007 Essex Cultural Diversity Project (ECDP) has been bringing together artists, museums, libraries, performers and writers with local authorities and commissioners to improve and enhance artistic and cultural diversity, ensure that excellence is thriving, and that cultural integration and understanding is supported through arts and cultural activity. ECDP is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) working across the East and South East of England to support diversity in arts and cultural practice.

ECDP has a key role to explore the concept of ‘diversity’ across Essex, working with a wide range of partners and providing opportunities for artists and creative practitioners from diverse backgrounds and contexts. Through our commissioning programme ECDP aims to support the production of challenging work that responds to specific places and the local context, as well as reflecting on national themes and issues around diversity. We are keen to see greater use of ‘digital’ to achieve this, and especially welcome creative responses to how this can happen (particularly relevant given the current prominence of, and reliance on, digital tools across society, business and education). For further information on Essex Cultural Diversity Project visit www.essexcdp.com

About Brentwood Borough Council

Brentwood is a borough of many villages which has a current population of over 75,000. The borough has a diverse economy, with a range of different transport links to London and surrounding areas. The combination of country parks and open green spaces make the borough a very attractive place to live. Much of the population in the borough is retired, with a significant ageing population. The population is projected to increase to approximately 78,000 over the next 20 years and as such new places for people to live are needed in the borough.

Application process and support

The successful artist(s) will be selected by a panel of representatives from ECDP and Brentwood Borough Council. A shortlist will be made from the received applications based on how well they meet the commission criteria and respond to this brief, and these will be invited to interview to talk further about their proposal before a final decision is made. The commission will be managed by ECDP and the commissioned artist can receive ongoing support, advocacy and advice from ECDP and Brentwood Borough Council throughout. There may be opportunities to engage directly with the consultant teams working with the Council, particularly in relation to ongoing consultation and community engagement.

ECDP staff will liaise with the commissioned artist to establish a timetable for delivery and identify times for recording the ongoing creative process (this is as important for ECDP as the final outcomes in terms of understanding community engagement with the process).

Budget

The commission budget is £10,000 (to include VAT) and will be treated as a grant. This is inclusive of all expenses and must therefore cover fees, travel, materials and marketing. Some promotion and advertising will be undertaken by the partners, at their cost, and this will be discussed in due course. Payments will be made in instalments, on receipt of invoice, and subject to progress against achieving agreed activity as outlined above. If this is a joint commission one artist/organisation will need to be the project lead and all payments will be made to them.

Promotion for the commission can be undertaken in partnership with ECDP and other partners as appropriate. ECDP will promote the commission and related activity on the ECDP website and support the process throughout on social media (including Twitter and Instagram). ECDP hopes that the commission will attract significant numbers from the local community both in terms of active engagement and audience, as well as attracting audiences from further afield (where possible/appropriate). ECDP and its partners would expect to see good levels of audiences online (not necessarily exclusively during the actual commission).

Tracking Outcomes

It is very important for ECDP as an Arts Council England funded National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) that we can report on all of our activities effectively and accurately. The commissioning of artist(s) for 2021 is the key element of our NPO programme and we expect there to be important outcomes, which we will work with the commissioned artist to record and track. ECDP would also want the appointed artist(s) to be aware of and engage with the concept of the ‘Creative Case for Diversity’ throughout the commission (ECDP is happy to discuss this with the commissioned artists). In summary we would expect the appointed artist(s) to record both quantitative and qualitative information to support ECDP in capturing outcomes (as far as is possible). These include:

numbers of ‘sessions’ and a list of workshops/events/meetings that took place as part of the commission
numbers of project participants or volunteers
numbers of audiences who attended events (who were not direct participants) – i.e. ‘live’ audiences
any information on digital audiences (i.e. those engaging or viewing work online) where this is possible to get
Reflections on how the commission has impacted on the practice of the appointed artist(s), and how the commission may have impacted on the beneficiaries (volunteers/audiences) and the place
Any recorded feedback from participants/beneficiaries or partner organisations involved
Photos from workshops, events and the artwork/performances (much of this can be shared on the ECDP website and social media)

Environmental Sustainability

ECDP is committed to minimising its potential for negative impacts on the environment. As an NPO we also have a leadership role in the arts/cultural sectors and consider that ECDP can have a positive impact on environmental sustainability as we have for issues relating to ethnic and cultural diversity. This is relevant to the commissioning programme for artists and we are keen that all artist(s) interested in this commission for Dunton Hills to consider how they will reduce the impact of their work on the environment. For example, the use of materials – consider whether they are recyclable, made from recycled materials, or can be repurposed after the commission. The aim of this will be to reduce the waste from commissions/exhibitions and the use of non-recyclable materials where possible. Artists should consider where possible choosing accessible locations for activities and events – locations that can be easily accessed by public transport/walking as well as by older people. This fits with the sustainable vision and principles which are fundamental for how Dunton Hills Garden Village comes forward.

Responding to this Commission Opportunity

To apply for this commission please email jo@essexcdp.com and include the following:

An outline of the artistic concept for the commission, including the proposed community engagement process, intended audience and legacy (no more than 1 side of A4).
A brief description on why you are interested in this commission at this time, how your project promotes diversity and any relevant connections with Brentwood/Dunton Hills (no more than 1 side of A4).
A biography and CV with relevant previous work (no more than 2 sides of A4). Please include links to relevant websites and social media/media.
An outline budget breakdown showing how you would utilise the £10,000. It is important that all of the funded work takes place within the 2020-21 financial year, so please be clear on availability and resources to complete the commission in time
An approximate timeline for the work.

As a diversity led organisation we are committed to making our application process more accessible, and can be adaptable if the above procedures don’t quite work for you. We therefore welcome proposals in other formats, such as:

A video or audio version of your proposal, following the format above
A 1-2-1 video or telephone call to talk through your proposal (we will use the prompts as listed above)

Please do not hesitate to contact Jo on jo@essexcdp.com or 07952 563451 if you would like to talk this through. We would also be happy to talk you through this brief.

Please ensure that proposals are received by midnight on Friday 30 April 2021 – Send your proposal to jo@essexcdp.com

Interviews will be on held on Thursday 20 May 2021 in Brentwood (tbc). Due to the ongoing COVID-19 disruption interviews could be held via Zoom video conference if it is not possible to do face to face interviews.

Interviews will include an opportunity for a 15-minute presentation on your Proposal. If you are shortlisted for an interview, we will let you know by Thursday 13 May 2021.