Call to Artists
Black Dog Arts of Bungay have received initial approval from Ditchingham Parish Council and the Norfolk Highways Department (planning permission in progress) to build a permanent installation in the centre of “Chicken Roundabout" on the A143 at Ditchingham to commemorate the chickens that lived there for many decades.
The chickens, who probably originally escaped from a nearby allotment, inhabited the area before the roundabout was built, and continued to live there, being fed bread and grain by a local resident, Gordon Knowles, until 2010 when the last of the flock were taken in by an chicken rescue charity. Chicken Roundabout became known nationally, if not worldwide. It has its own Wikipedia and Facebook page, has its own song and a board game devised around it.
The consensus is that the installation should be a large structure on top of a pole in the centre of the roundabout, rising above the existing trees. We would call it the "Chicken of the East", and it would be made of metal which would weather and rust.
Black Dog Arts are therefore inviting artists and makers to apply for the opportunity to design and construct an eye-catching piece of public art. The project will be funded by sponsorship from local businesses and crowd-funding by interested members of the public.
Proposals should address the following topics:
1. The existing trees on the roundabout are approximately 10m (32 feet) tall, and the sculpture should be easily visible above these trees. The scale of the chicken could be 2m (6'6") tall and 2.25m (7'4") wide on top of an 11m (37') pole.
2. The structure must of course be robust to withstand high winds. If it swivels there must be safety mechanisms so the sculpture cannot be lifted off its post. The Road Safety Officer also stipulates that "the main structure either needs to be relatively light weight so that it collapses on impact with a vehicle, or the fixings need to be shearable bolts (nylon type) so that the base breaks away from the concrete base rather than providing a hard impact."
3. In your proposal, please include the total cost for design, materials, construction and installation. Proposals from collaboration between artists and skilled metalworkers are encouraged.
4. Please indicate an approximate timescale for construction and installation.
5. Please supply evidence of previous experience with large-scale metalwork projects.
Expressions of interest by 30 April should be sent to Marlene Jervis, Chair of Black Dog Arts: Willow Cottage, 78 Nethergate St, Bungay NR35 1HE, 01986 892905, [email protected].
The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2017.
Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Photo of the roundabout, but please feel free to visit the site.
Black Dog Arts of Bungay have received initial approval from Ditchingham Parish Council and the Norfolk Highways Department (planning permission in progress) to build a permanent installation in the centre of “Chicken Roundabout" on the A143 at Ditchingham to commemorate the chickens that lived there for many decades.
The chickens, who probably originally escaped from a nearby allotment, inhabited the area before the roundabout was built, and continued to live there, being fed bread and grain by a local resident, Gordon Knowles, until 2010 when the last of the flock were taken in by an chicken rescue charity. Chicken Roundabout became known nationally, if not worldwide. It has its own Wikipedia and Facebook page, has its own song and a board game devised around it.
The consensus is that the installation should be a large structure on top of a pole in the centre of the roundabout, rising above the existing trees. We would call it the "Chicken of the East", and it would be made of metal which would weather and rust.
Black Dog Arts are therefore inviting artists and makers to apply for the opportunity to design and construct an eye-catching piece of public art. The project will be funded by sponsorship from local businesses and crowd-funding by interested members of the public.
Proposals should address the following topics:
1. The existing trees on the roundabout are approximately 10m (32 feet) tall, and the sculpture should be easily visible above these trees. The scale of the chicken could be 2m (6'6") tall and 2.25m (7'4") wide on top of an 11m (37') pole.
2. The structure must of course be robust to withstand high winds. If it swivels there must be safety mechanisms so the sculpture cannot be lifted off its post. The Road Safety Officer also stipulates that "the main structure either needs to be relatively light weight so that it collapses on impact with a vehicle, or the fixings need to be shearable bolts (nylon type) so that the base breaks away from the concrete base rather than providing a hard impact."
3. In your proposal, please include the total cost for design, materials, construction and installation. Proposals from collaboration between artists and skilled metalworkers are encouraged.
4. Please indicate an approximate timescale for construction and installation.
5. Please supply evidence of previous experience with large-scale metalwork projects.
Expressions of interest by 30 April should be sent to Marlene Jervis, Chair of Black Dog Arts: Willow Cottage, 78 Nethergate St, Bungay NR35 1HE, 01986 892905, [email protected].
The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2017.
Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Photo of the roundabout, but please feel free to visit the site.
