The VCA is seeking porposals for two installations to be part of the project ‘Rainbow Streets’. Rainbows are an artistic masterpiece in the sky. In many cultures, rainbows have been the subject of deep symbolism, representing hope, connection and unity and they have inspired art, myths and poetry through the ages.
Artists are being invited to submit proposals for street art installation/s that with vivid, rich and bright colours and/or unexpected elements invite passing patrons to walk underneath it and engage and observe the piece outside of a traditional museum context, highlighting the importance of living in the present we have, rather than the one we wish we had.
**Location:**
The two installations will be located in two different streets: Treasury Street, South Street (the stretch between Republic Street and Strait street)
Duration: Beginning of July to mid-September. Date to be confirmed.
The Agency will collaborate with the selected artist/s in the production of the project.
We’re interested in proposals for artistic installations which…
• Are colourful and attractive, both during the day and at night;
• Are new, original and innovative;
• Are inspired by Valletta: its history, present, old and new traditions, architecture, etc.
• Are sturdy enough to be on display for two and a half months and can withstand weather conditions such as strong sun, wind and possible rain showers;
• Is primarily installed overhead, allowing people to safely walk underneath while not obstructing the narrow streets;
• Can be hung on existing steel cables spanning the street. No new cables or irreversible interventions in the street or the building facades is allowed;
• Are environmentally conscious in their implementation, including in the choice of materials. The use of plastic is discouraged unless it is re-used or recycled and a plan is in hand for its environmentally conscious disposal at the end of the display period. Materials may include metal, wood, glass, textile, ceramic, lights etc;
**The Main Applicant Must:**
• be at least 18 years of age at the time of application;
• be the Lead Artist of the Project; and
• have a VAT number.
*Government organisations or private organisations receiving funds through a Government Line Vote are not eligible to apply for this call.*
__**HOW TO APPLY**__
Your proposed artistic idea should include the following:
• Proposed project concept, description, and sketch;
• Proposed list of participating artists, if any;
• Proposed preliminary budget, as in ‘Fees and Other Costs’ in the application, which must include artist fees and costs associated with the technical rider, cost of materials. This budget will then be discussed and further developed with the VCA in case the project is selected;
• Supporting documents.
Additionally, please submit the essential documents listed below:
• a copy of the ID card of the Lead Artist as main applicant;
• a copy of the VAT certificate of the Lead Artist, or a copy of a blank VAT receipt from an official VAT receipt book with the Lead Artist’s details, as main applicant;
• a CV and artistic portfolio of the Lead Artist as main applicant;
• A short bio of any other artists involved;
• in case of the use of an existing copyrighted work within the new Project, in whole or in part, a confirmation of the license holder that the same work may be used and/or a quote for the licensing fee.
We kindly ask applicants to submit the relevant documents as PDFs via email or file transfer links (e.g. wetransfer.com). Links to cloud storage systems such as Google Drive or One Drive will not be considered.
Should one or more of the listed requirements be missing, the submitted application will not not be considered.
**What the Agency will provide:**
In collaboration with the Artist, the Agency will be responsible to produce the project including providing technical expertise, labour, permits and other logistical requirements for both installation and dismantling. The Agency will also provide a Health and Safety Risk Assessment and Public Liability Insurance.
*All marketing and communication will be handled in-house by the Agency.*
Each selected project idea must be realised using the sum allocated by the Agency. The Agency is allocating up to Eur 9,000 excl. 18% VAT for each selected project. Although most of the production will be in the Agency’s hands, the applicant is required to provide an estimate within the application to show that the proposed installation can be carried out with the available budget. The estimate must include
• Artist/s fees;
• Procurement of Materials;
• Transportation, labour and installation costs (including high up trucks);
• Technical equipment such as light, temporary electrical supply, if required;
• Accommodation and travel for international artists, if required; and
• Other production costs including freight, any licensing fees, electrical consumption (if light based) etc.
__**Submit your proposed project idea and all requested documents via email to opencalls@vca.gov.mt by the 15th April 12:00 (GMT+2/CEST). Late applications will not be considered. **__
For any relevant queries, please send us an email on opencalls@vca.gov.mt by 6th April 2021, 12:00 (GMT+2/CEST).
__**EVALUATION AND T&Cs**__
**Evaluation Criteria**
A minimum of 65 points must be obtained for a proposal to be considered eligible.
**Concept (60 points)**
• Is the installation proposed in line with the requirements set in the call?
• How well does the artwork reflect a link to Valletta?
• How strong will the experiential impact of the proposed project idea be on its public?
• Is the design technically feasible?
• How well do the proposed design and materials provide for its survival over the two and a half-month span of the display?
• Is the proposed installation and its implementation environmentally sustainable?
**Production and Financial (40 points)**
• Is the proposed preliminary budget deemed reasonable in relation to the proposed project idea?
• Has the applicant considered logistical and production issues in the creation of the proposed project idea?
• Is the proposed timeline for the production of the project idea effective and realistic?
**Terms and Conditions**
• Submissions must fulfil all obligations of the application to be considered eligible. Any omissions or missing information will render the proposed artistic idea and related submitted documents ineligible.
• Submissions will be evaluated in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria specified in this call by an evaluation panel against the timeframes indicated.
• All queries submitted to the Agency in relation to this Call will be published as an FAQ document, which will in turn be made available for all the applicants and general public on www.vca.gov.mt. The answers to these queries form part of this application process and are thus considered part of the terms and conditions for the same.
• Government organisations or private organisations receiving funds through a Government Line Vote are not eligible to apply for this call.
• For each selected project, the Agency is allocating a sum of up to €9,000 excl. VAT.
• Once selected, the Lead Artist will be meeting with the Programming and Production Department of the Agency, to further develop the idea and finalise the content, budgets and production of the project in collaboration with the Agency.
• Subsequently, the Lead Artist will enter into a Contract for Service with the Agency. The selected Lead Artist will receive the fee for their respective services, with a final percentage being paid upon satisfactory completion of the project (due not later than 1 month after the event).
• All marketing and communications material and campaigns will be created and managed directly by the Valletta Cultural Agency. Costs for marketing and communication do not fall under the Eur 9,000 budget available for each installation.
• Any sponsorship or collaboration initiatives will be managed by the Valletta Cultural Agency, according to the nature of the proposal. Proposals including third-party funding or self-funding will be considered ineligible.
• The Agency reserves the right not to select any project ideas should none of the submissions satisfy the set criteria.
• Applicants’ personal details will be retained by the Agency for up to one year after the closure of this Call for Proposals, for the purposes of this call and other similar initiatives.
**Timeframes**
• Call opens on 15th March 2021;
• Questions can be sent to opencalls@vca.gov.mt until 6th April 2021;
• Call closes on 15th April 2021, 12:00 (GMT + 2/CEST);
• Final outcome is July to September, as per call;
__**FAQs**__
**South Street info:**
1. Width – 6 and a half mtrs;
2. Maximum length – 58,57 mtrs
3. There are 3 cables available;
4. The cables were installed to hold lights for the feast so they are not designed to support heavy weights, presumably nothing heavier than 5 kg. An Architect’s verification will be sought by the Agency on the feasibility of the selected proposals and the Agency will eventually work with the selected artist to develop the work so that it can be safely installed.
5. Everything must be installed on site in a completely reversible manner, ensuring no impact on any of buildings and their historical architectural elements.
No additional cables may be allowed to cross the facade of any buildings and no permanent marks (including tacks) may be made onto the surfaces.
6. Although the whole street indicated is available, the installation does not have to cover the whole street. It is up to the artist to decide what they wish/are able to cover.
There are in total 3 sets of cables along the street. Each set is composed of two cables, set 50 cm apart. For easy reference these cable sets will be named A, B and C going from Republic Street and Strait Street. The distance between the cable A to cable B is 19m, between B and C is 22m. The height of the cables from the pavement is 4.5m.
The street is occupied by various cafes, shops and residential homes. It may be possible to use existing nails and other accretions already attached on street facades. With the permission of the owners, it may also be possible to make use of private elements such as balconies but the installation should not depend on this as permission would have to be sought and is not guaranteed.
**Treasury Street info:**
1. Width is 3 meters;
2. Maximum length – 82.51 mtrs
3. There are 5 cables available;
4. The cables were installed to hold lights for the feast so they are not designed to support heavy weights, presumably nothing heavier than 5 kg. An Architect’s verification will be sought by the Agency on the feasibility of the selected proposals and the Agency will eventually work with the selected artist to develop the work so that it can be safely installed.
5. Everything must be installed on site in a completely reversible manner, ensuring no impact on any of buildings and their historical architectural elements. No additional cables may be allowed to cross the facade of any buildings and no permanent marks (including tacks) may be made onto the surfaces.
6. If your plan is to use the area under the arches, nothing can be attached directly to the stone roof or pillars in that area.
7. Although the whole street indicated is available, the installation does not have to cover the whole street. It is up to the artist to decide what they wish/are able to cover.
There are in total 5 cables along the street. For easy reference these cable sets will be named A, B, C, D and E going from St. Lucia’s Street to Old Theatre Street. The distance between the cable A to cable B is 9.5m, between B and C is 5.5, between C and D is 6.5m, between D and E is 6.5m, between E and F is 10m. The height of the cables from the pavement is 4.m.
The street is occupied by shops and residential homes. It may be possible to use existing nails and other accretions already attached on street facades. With the permission of the owners, it may also be possible to make use of private elements such as balconies but the installation should not depend on this as permission would have to be sought and is not guaranteed.
The ownership of any materials/tools purchased for the project, that fall within the budget (Euro 9,000 + VAT) is negotiated at contract stage with the artist;
The intellectual property belongs to the artist.
