Artist Archive | Open Call 2022/23

A new annual programme dedicated to the revival and rehoming of existing works.

The deadline for the Artist Archive Open Call has now passed. Read about the 2022-23 programme here or find out about our selection process in this news item.

Artist Archive reduces and renews in place of the pressure to constantly innovate and increase output.

The programme questions the standard forms and hierarchies of what an archive is and who gets to have one, giving precedence to artists and their past works that: 

• were unfunded or underfunded
• had few opportunities to be presented 
• might otherwise be lost or forgotten
• resist the mainstream  

We’re interested in how the transient nature of dance is remembered, and in revisiting works completed or unfinished, however rough and ready. We’re not interested in slick or flashy restaging. 

This opportunity is open to UK-based dance artists, choreographers, and movement practitioners, as well as artists from other disciplines who are working with or have worked with dance and choreography.

There are 3 strands of Artist Archive to apply for: Live, Material and Digital.

— Live Archive

— Who is eligible? 

We welcome applications from artists and for works that fit the criteria listed above: works/practice that received little to no funding, had too few opportunities to be presented, are at risk of being forgotten outside of an immediate community, and that resist mainstream sites of production and presentation.

This opportunity is open to dance artists, choreographers, and movement practitioners, as well as artists from other disciplines who are working with or have worked with dance and choreography. Our conception of dance and movement is not limited to contemporary dance practices.

The artist applying must be UK based. 

Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from those in full time education.

— What work/practice is eligible? 

This call out is about making visible work that already exists, a past work or practice. It doesn’t matter if the work was in process or unfinished at the time, or never presented.

However, we are not interested in proposals that want to ‘finish’ or ‘complete’ a work, or further the research and development of it with the money/time offered by Artist Archive. We are interested in revisiting/rehoming works at the stage they got to or were left at, including works that are considered complete.

Importantly, we want to support work that has/have been unfunded/underfunded or indeed completely unsupported previously.

— What support and resources can SDS offer?

We can offer: 

• Two days of studio space and front of house support for events in the Live Archive strand.  
• Support with basic installation/mounting in the Material Archive strand. 
• Provision of equipment from our tech store, as negotiated. We have: speakers, projectors, a tablet/stand and a TV screen that can be used as part of installation for the Material Archive strand. Download our Equipment List.
• Basic technical support for Digital Archives. 
• Communications support 
• The offer of an outside eye 
• Connections with SDS’s networks

— What does ‘up to 2 or 3 opportunities’ mean?

The number of projects we accept and fund will depend on the applications made and how much support each proposal requires. If several artists propose budgets at the lower end of the scale, then we can potentially accept more applications than if each artist applies for the maximum amount. This is not meant to deter artists from asking for the amount they need. 

— Can I make more than one application? 

You can make one proposal for each strand within the same application. Please note that we may offer funding only one of your applications, so please consider these as distinct proposals.

In the first part of the form there are tick boxes to determine how many strands you’d like to apply to. You can provide a up to 3 distinct proposals, timelines and budgets for each strand – addressing the different amounts of funding we’ve allotted to them.  

— Can I apply to/across all three stands with a single archived work or practice?  

Whilst we have made multiple proposals possible, we advise that you choose one strand for any single archive work, choosing the most fitting/desired context for your proposal. It is unlikely that we would select the same artist with the same single focus for more than one strand. 

— My work is interdisciplinary/hybrid, what strand should I apply to?  

We recognise that many projects will touch on multiple strands/mediums, however we encourage you to consider where the project might be best served for the outing you are proposing. The original form of the work/practice doesn’t dictate the strand it applies to, but rather what you’re going to do (for example someone might host a live event about a digital project).

— How much can I apply for? 

You can apply for between £800 – £2000 for Live Archive and £1000 – £3000 for each of the Material and Digital Archives.  

— What should I include in my budget? 

Please consider the cost of: 

• Fees: you should set an hour/day rate and propose how long you and others will work on your project. This might include artists, contributors or technical support fees for example.
• Transport costs: do you or others need to travel to complete this work?  
• Material costs: purchasing materials, printing, bespoke installation etc.
• Contingency: we propose 3% 
• Other: Insurance or Access costs

— Is there additional budget for Access costs? 

SDS has a separate budget for Access which is used across all of our activity. If there are Access costs involved in your proposal these should be noted as additional to the proposed budget. If we go ahead with your proposal we will then confirm if all of these proposed costs are feasible.

— How much detail should go into the proposed timeline?

The timeline should be a practical tool for you, to map out the process you anticipate going on to bring your proposals into being. It is very important to us that artists are paid properly for their work. Your budget and timeline should correlate and you should not be anticipating periods of unpaid labour.

The timeline is also an opportunity to give us some practical insight into your working process, working needs and any other engagements that may impact on the project and its scheduling. We will see the timeline as a proposal to be negotiated – but please make us aware if there are any strict /immovable dates in your timeline.

— In what format should my supporting documentation be?

Documentation of the work proposed can be shared with us via a URL link or uploaded directly within the application.

Providing a URL link to documentation is best for large files such as video.

You can upload the following file types:

• Images like .png, .gif, .jpg
• Documents such as .doc, .xls, .ppt, .pdf
• Audio like .wav, .mp3, .mp4
• Video like .mpg, .mov, .wmv

If needed, you can supply accompanying notes. We recommending providing time stamps (max 5 mins) for long video or sound material.

— Can I propose curating the work of another artist?

Yes – as long as you have the permission of the artist(s), and can supply documentation to support this, or they can communicate with us themselves.