CALL FOR ARTISTS – CONSERVATION MURAL OPPORTUNITY

The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation, in partnership with BOS Switzerland and BOS Australia, is seeking qualified artists to design and install murals at the Generator House and the Tank Room of the new solar power facilities at the Samboja Lestari Rehabilitation Centre.

Artists and artist collectives of up to four people, with demonstrated experience in executing outdoor murals are encouraged to apply. The selected artists(s) will be chosen to create artwork that focuses on rainforest protection and orangutan conservation, as well as the environmental benefits of solar power.

The international selection committee will conduct a fair evaluation and select the artists(s) who best demonstrate the potential to achieve the objectives of this call.

Deadline: October 10, 2021, by 5:00 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The selection committee will select one artist or artist collective to create murals on the walls of a generator house and tank room of a new solar power facility, which provides, on average, 270 kWh of renewable energy a month for the Samboja Lestari Rehabilitation Centre in East Kalimantan. Based on previous consumption, the solar installation is predicted to avoid the use of approximately 100,000 L of diesel gasoline and to avoid the emission of over 150,000 kg in carbon dioxide equivalent annually.

The mural is for guests and visitors of the centre and will serve as the centrepiece for information about the new solar power facilities and invite them to learn more about the connection between orangutan conservation and sustainable energy.

The design and installation of murals shall be a celebration of the rainforest and its inhabitants, highlighting the environmental benefits of renewable solar energy, and brings orangutan conservation and sustainability into a single critical narrative. 

SCOPE OF WORK

This project includes the design and installation of art in the following spaces:

• SOUTH & NORTH WALL to honour and celebrate Indonesian’s rainforests and its inhabitants, raising awareness regarding the importance of its protection.

• WEST WALL to provide a simple overview of how the solar system works with a line drawing. For this wall, the design should be based on the explanatory diagram provided by the selection committee.

• EAST WALL & SOUTH SIDE OF THE TANK ROOM to highlight the importance of solar power by featuring some key facts and figures provided by the selection committee.

Please see attachment for the layout and dimensions of the walls to be used.

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY

This call is open to all Indonesian citizen artists and artist collectives. To be considered, artists must have demonstrated experience accomplishing work of similar scope and scale and especially with executing outdoor murals. 

Selected artists agree to: 

• Adhere to all dates established in the timeline 
• Complete the project by the end of December 2021.
• Propose a realistic timeline for project completion that includes no longer than 3 weeks spent on site at Samboja Lestari.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The initial application should include the submission of the documents listed below:

• STATEMENT OF INTENT – 300 words or less, highlighting experience and skillsets, conceptual approach to the work, and why the artist is interested.
• ARTIST RESUME – 1 page maximum. Artist Collectives should include one page for each member.
• WORK SAMPLES – A few images showing examples of previous work. One image per page. Please include artist name(s), title, year, location, and medium with image.

Following the first round of submissions, the selection committee will select three finalists and contact with instructions for a follow-up submission including:

• DESIGN PROPOSAL – Rough sketches of potential designs that the artist(s) would like to install on the available space if selected as the winner. Further details to follow in the finalist notification email.

Email all documentation for the initial application as one (1) PDF document, not to exceed a file size of 5 MB to: hello@orangutan.or.id, with the subject: ‘Art Call Submission’.

PROJECT TIMELINE

• Request for Submissions Closes – October 10, 2021
• Notification of Finalists – October, 14, 2021
• Submission of Design Proposals Closes – October, 22, 2021
• Notification of Winner – October, 29, 2021
• Installation of Artwork – November and December 2021

*All dates, except the initial application deadline, are subject to change.

ELIGIBLE COSTS & PRIZE

All costs, up to IDR 10.000.000, related to the mural project, including related expenses for design, supplies, equipment rental, insurance, transportation including mandatory COVID-19 testing, accommodations, food, and installation will be covered or reimbursed by the selection committee. The winning artist will be awarded with a prize money of IDR 10.000.000. The other finalists will receive a compensation of IDR 2.000.000 for their submitted design proposals.

CONTACT INFORMATION

All questions regarding this call may be directed to selection committee staff at the email address: hello@orangutan.or.id, with the subject: ‘Art Call Inquiry’.

ABOUT BOS & THE PROJECT

The BOS Foundation is working to rehabilitate more than 400 orangutans, with the support of 440 highly dedicated staff and experts in the fields of primatology, biodiversity, ecology, forest rehabilitation, agroforestry, community empowerment, communications, education, and orangutan welfare.

As a non-profit organisation with 30 years of continuous operation, the BOS Foundation’s work conserving the Bornean orangutan and its habitat is only possible due to close collaboration with local communities, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, and international partner organisations. Of these partners, BOS Switzerland and BOS Australia, collaborated to help fund, design, and oversee the installation of the solar power system.