Call for ApplicantsMorton Hall Writing / Sound Commission29 November – 20 January 2020

We are inviting applications from artists, poets, writers, spoken word performers and composers working with the medium of the written / spoken word or sound to create a work that responds to the theme themes of involuntary institutional detention, or structural violence and immigration. Both individuals and collectives are welcome to apply. The work will be presented as part of ‘Morton Hall Big Walk’ a project - which has been commissioned by Mansions of the Future (MotF) in partnership with the Justice Arts & Migration Network (JAM).

Background Information:On Saturday 28 March 2020 commissioned artist Natasha Davis will devise and lead a 10 mile walk from Lincoln Castle (Lincoln’s Victorian Prison) to Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre (Swinderby, Lincolnshire). Participants, collaborators, communities and members of the public will be invited to join in at any stage during the walk. The ancient practices of pilgrimage and walking the walls, beating the bounds, will be re-oriented to an acknowledgment of how the policy of detention without trial plays out in real time for real people in our own county. The walk will not mimic or replicate the work and activities of existing protest and asylum support organisations but will be a collective action, response and acknowledgement of the detention / removal centre and the lives within.

Morton Hall is an Immigration Removal Centre located in the village of Morton Hall (Swinderby, near Lincoln) in Lincolnshire, UK. The centre is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service and was previously a women's prison. In 2011 Morton Hall closed and re-opened as an Immigration Removal Centre, holding adult males awaiting deportation. The centre was formally opened on 1 June 2011 by then Immigration Minister Damian Green.

Commission:A fee of £500 will be awarded to the successful applicant to develop and deliver the work expressed within their proposal, with the close support of the project partners (MotF and JAM). Travel fees and accommodation where appropriate (up to the value of £200) will also be covered for the successful applicant to undertake a research visit and present / deliver their work as a part of the Morton Hall Walk on Saturday 28 March 2020.

The work will also form part of the legacy of the project; it will be included / referenced in printed materials produced in the wake of the walk and across digital platforms managed by the project partners. Ownership and copyright of the work remains with the successful applicant at all times.

Important Dates:Call for submissions: Friday 29 November – Monday 20 January 2020 (5pm)Responses sent to applicants: Monday 27 January 2020Development / completion of work period: Tuesday 28 January – Sunday 14 March 2020Deliver date: Saturday 28 March 2020

Application: Please complete the application form attached and submit alongside a CV & up to 3 images / videos / examples that best represent your practice.

Applications & all supporting documents must be submitted as PDFs or JPEGs. If examples are performance-based Vimeo or YouTube links are also accepted.

Applications must be submitted by 5pm on Monday 20 January 2020 to info@mansionsofthefuture.org.

Please direct any inquiries about the application process, Mansions of the Future or the Justice Arts and Migration Network info@mansionsofthefuture.org or 07494 344352. We look forward to hearing from you.

Candidates who face cultural, social, physical or economic barriers to applying for opportunities in the arts and those who have lived experience of migration or detention are particularly encouraged to apply - with our assessors understanding our commitment to equality and diversity.

Application form

Name(s):

Telephone (lead telephone if a collective):

Email (lead email address if a collective):

Website(s) / Social Media(s):

Statement: Please tell us about your practice, why you are applying for this opportunity and your personal relationship to/interest in the themes outlined. 300 words maximum.

Proposal: Please tell us about the work that you propose to develop / deliver for the Morton Hall Walk project if your application is successful. 300 words maximum, you may include diagrams, drawings or references if relevant.