Light Art – Legacy Commissions Call Out

The Story So Far

We are currently working on the development of a new City Curator Project, Birmingham Light Festival. You can read more about the idea for this project here.

As part of the development of this idea we want to ensure a legacy for the city beyond the annual event itself. Our ambition is to progressively illuminate the city at night, all-year-round. To achieve this, each year we are aiming to commission a minimum of one permanent light installation that will remain in place year-round. 

For 2025 we are commissioning three permanent pieces. Our experience of this process will help inform our legacy approach moving forward.

In September we launched an Open Call for Legacy Partners. You can read about that here. We had some excellent applications and through the Open Call we committed £16,667 of capital funds to three Legacy Partners (a total fund of £50,000). This funding was secured through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The three successful Legacy Partners are:

·      Southside BID in collaboration with Birmingham Hippodrome for Thorp Street

·      Legal & General in collaboration with Rough Diamond and the Jewellery Quarter BID for Newhall Square

·      Colmore BID for Business District Location

We are now seeking Delivery Partners to work with each Legacy Partner to bring their vision to life. 

Could you be a Delivery Partner?

Delivery Partners could come in any form and we’re open to collaborative proposals too. There are three separate visions/briefs. You are welcome to submit a proposal for one or more of the projects.

If you can meet the brief and have a track record in the area of design/fabrication/manufacturing described in the project vision then we’re interested in hearing from you.

You can find each project vision here:

• Southside BID in collaboration with Birmingham Hippodrome for Thorp Street
• Legal & General in collaboration with Rough Diamond and the Jewellery Quarter BID for Newhall Square
• Colmore BID for Business District location

Application Process

Applicants are invited to apply by emailing Alex, City Curator. Please include the following:

For all projects:

Portfolio: Examples of previous work, with a focus on light-based installations or large-scale public art.

Timeline: Proposed timeline for design, fabrication, and installation

Cost Breakdown: Quote for the work

For Roof of Stars & Alright Bab:

Concept Design: Sketches, renders, or concepts of the proposed light art installations.

Technical Proposal: Outline of the materials, fabrication processes, and technical solutions.

We would also like you to tell us how you would deliver on the following:

Sustainability Approach: How would you place environmentally sustainable practises at the heart of delivery

Universal Accessibility: How would you make sure this light art could be enjoyed by everyone

Reduced maintenance: How does your design consider cost effective ongoing power and maintenance

Applications must be submitted to alex.nicholson-evans@colmorebid.co.uk by midnight on 20 October. Applicants must be available for follow up interviews/meetings on 31 October.