Ramada Hotel Commission

BRIEF FOR ARTISTS

Inverness Old Town Art is looking to transform the facade of the Ramada Hotel, Inverness. This project is part of a dynamic series of commissions launched in 2008 that has developed with artists at the heart of the process.

The overall design direction has been developed by Marie Mackintosh (City Partnership Officer) Matt Baker (Lead Artist) Susan Christie (Overall Commissions Manager) and Land Use Consultants.

1. THE COMMISSION

Inverness Old Town Art is a bold new initiative supported by Scottish Arts Council that makes art and artists central to the emerging identity of the old town area of the Highland Capital.

The Ramada is at the end of a key vista, close to the train station and located in the heart of the city's old town. The building backs onto the River Ness which is one of the defining aspects of the city and has been referred to locally with affection as the Princes Street of the Highland Capital.

The brief is open (some practical elements have been introduced for information only), the Appointed Artist will have a strong hand in determining the direction and physical area that he/she wishes to develop as part of the design process.

A series of balconies are prominently positioned in the centre of the facade and there is potential for these to be used as a large-scale canvas. The existing canopy at the front entrance on Church Street will be removed by Feb/March 09 and the Appointed Artist will have the opportunity (prior to the canopy’s removal) to liaise with the contractor to explore options for refreshing the exterior (eg. stonework, windows, etc) and have an input into a programme of external design changes.

There are no specific conditions or limitations to materials or methods of installation, other than the fact that any external installation would need to be safe, robust to wind, varied weather conditions and withstand the challenges of the ever-shifting Highland climate.

We actively welcome submissions by practitioners who work collaboratively including architects, designers and artists who may not have previous track record working within the public realm but can demonstrate a strong visual style or sensibility that would suit the commission.

The emphasis will be on identifying someone, or a team of people, who approach the commission in a creative and highly imaginative way, engage with the Ramada as a unique physical space & resource within the centre of the old town and are motivated by the possibilities that this highly visible site presents.

At this stage, we are looking to select 3 inspiring Artists/Designers/Creative Teams that will develop designs to the point where these could be taken forward to a Second Stage.


2. THE BACKGROUND

The Ramada commission is part of ongoing process of dialogue and change involving artists in the changing identity of Inverness which began with Imagining the Centre in 2006. On 09.09.06 Lead Artist, Matt Baker collaborated with Susan Christie & Evi Westmore (Inverness City Partnership) to stage a one-off arts event that took place over a 12 hour period. Residents were invited to join artists & performers in a series of conversations about Inverness's renaissance. This event took shape after a period of intensive research & development with 14 artists commissioned to transform Church Street with music, large-scale projections, audio art and performances that heightened awareness about the cultural importance of the old town.

Church Street was chosen to be the locus of the event, partly because it is the historic centre of the city and has many hidden architectural details, and partly because the area was undergoing a substantial shift with new businesses and cafes moving in contributing to a sense of flux.

The Ramada Hotel was used, both internally & externally, by a number of the artists during Imagining the Centre. Its strategic location made it an ideal canvas to experiment upon and to use creatively in a variety of different ways: a soundwork was installed in the hotel entrance, and multiple projectors were housed in several conference rooms on the upper levels to enable images of wind turbine blades to slowly rotate over the buildings opposite.

Another part of the hotel was backlit with enigmatic portraits and text hinting at the identity of the city's 'Hidden Heroes' and, in an era marked by risk aversion, perhaps the most surprising project of all involved two abseilers who propelled themselves off the roof to unravel a specially commissioned banner that gave the public a flamboyant taste of things to come.

Throughout this period, the Ramada staff and senior management team have demonstrated their support for being a part of climate of change and creative renewal.

3. RAMADA, INVERNESS – THE BUILDING AND THE PEOPLE
www.ramadajarvis.co.uk

Internationally established as a major hotel group, the UK operation has its headquarters in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire with 40 hotels operating nationally, 8 of which are located in Scotland. Ramada, Inverness is the most northerly of these with 106 rooms, a health club, 4 large meeting rooms and a special license & dedicated staff to co-ordinate weddings. The elegant residential accommodation is spread over 5 floors with views taking in either the River Ness or the old town.

The building is located within the centre of the old town which is a officially listed as a conservation area. The hotel opened to great fanfare in the 1950s under the name of the Caledonian Hotel and is still affectionately known by many people locally as 'the Cale.' Architecturally, the building is typical of much of the design initiated in the 70s with a repetition of form and straight lines dominating the exterior.

In terms of how the Ramada is currently positioned as a hotel, in recent times it has evolved into a contemporary & vibrant facility. Over the last two years the building has been internally undergoing considerable changes to create and promote a confident & comfortable environment that runs close to capacity all year round. The Ramada’s reputation has been growing under the helm of General Manager, James Fraser.

Information and visual documentation of the hotel's rich history can be accessed via a number of sources – archives, local historians and longstanding members of staff who can offer an insight into the early days of the hotel's existence.


4. ENGAGEMENT AND THE WIDER CONTEXT

Inverness Old Town Art is committed to continuing a process of positively interacting with the public and the Second Stage of this Commission offers scope for some form of temporary event to be undertaken. The budget affords scope for the artist to develop a creative relaionship with the hotel and the town –Inverness Old Town Art is committed to supporting new approaches to public art practise

This project is perceived as being one of the major commissions that comes under Inverness Old Town Art. Funds will be accessed through the wider IOTA programme to professionally document the commission and to publicise the ideas that are generated through the creative process by the short-listed Artists.

Inverness Old Town Art is featured on newly launched website publicartsotland.com which is supported by Scottish Arts Council. It is anticipated that the Commission may be chronicled on this site in various ways (eg. Artists’ Blogs) allowing for aspects of the project to be shared with a national audience.

Increasingly, artists' residencies, installations and permanent commissions are helping to build capacity and appetite for more innovative public realm commissioning in Inverness, that embraces all forms of artistic practice, including lighting, new media, live arts and festivals. This dynamic cultural dimension is seen as a critical element in developing the vision for the old town area of Inverness.

Given the significance, visibility and prominence of the site, it is anticipated that liaison with Highland Council's Building & Planning Control Dept. will be crucial. Positive connections will be made with Planning will help to ensure that the project (via the Project Manager) secures support & appropriate permissions. Short-listed Artists will have access to key individuals to enable the design process to proceed smoothly.


5. THE BUDGET

The budget for this commission is £70,000. This covers full artist and professional fees plus all other associated costs including design, production, insurance, transport, site preparation, engineering, installation, and travel. VAT, where applicable, will be listed separately.

Within the wider context of the broader project, Inverness Old Town Art budget, there are funds that have been allocated for professional documentation of the project,


6. THE COMMISSION PROCESS AND TIMETABLE

This project involves a two-stage open competitive process. Short-listing of preliminary proposals will be made by a Selection Panel and taken forward to a Second Stage.


COMMISSION TIMETABLE

• April 08 Commission advertised

• 30th May 08 Deadline for submissions of interest

• June 08 Interviews and Three
Artists/Designers/Creative Teams are invited to research and develop initial proposals (First Stage)
• June-Sept 08 Short-listed artists research & development phase
(Second Stage)
• September 08 Final Artist/Designer/Creative Team selected (Third Stage)
• Sept 08-Feb 09 Permissions, Manufacture and Installation of Final Artwork

It is anticipated that interviews will take place in June with 3 short-listed Artists/Designers/Creative Teams embarking on the Second Stage of the commission process to be complete by September 2008.

The panel will select a short list of 3 artistic practitioners or teams of artists. Short-listed artists/artistic teams will receive a fee of £1500.00 (plus expenses) to fully develop & cost their proposals.


7. WHAT TO DO TO APPLY

Closing Date - FRIDAY 30TH MAY 2008

Expressions of interest should be delivered as a hard copy along with an electronic copy on a CD. Email applications can be accepted but must supported by a disk. Detailed project proposals are not required.

Applicants are requested to include the following:

• Covering letter with full address and contact details
• Recent CV
• Up to 6 printed or digital images of recent work that are relevant to this commission (no slides accepted)
• A written expression of interest (maximum of 500 words). To include a description and outline approach that includes:
  
  Your initial thoughts on the project including a description of your areas of artistic interest or working methods, ideas about how you might develop artwork proposals and who you might collaborate with (if at all).
  
  It is important to give an idea of your current workload and availability.

Send your expression of interest to:

Susan Christie
Inverness Old Town Art
Highland Council
Town House
High Street
INVERNESS
IV1 1JJ

susechristie@gmail.com