Liverpool's first plans for major festival, alongside Eurovision, announced
Artists from around Merseyside and competing nations could be given an initial £2k funding to develop their proposal for the festival
The first plans for a huge cultural festival to take place alongside Eurovision have been announced.
Artists and creatives from all competing nations have been encouraged to get involved.
It’s just over six weeks since Liverpool was named as the 2023 host city for the Eurovision Song Contest, staging the global event on behalf of Ukraine. It’s just over six weeks since Liverpool was named as the 2023 host city for the Eurovision Song Contest, staging the global event on behalf of Ukraine.
Today, the Culture Liverpool team has begun to make its winning bid a reality by issuing a call out to artists, creatives, makers, musicians and performers for ideas towards creating an inclusive, thought-provoking, entertaining and diverse cultural festival in the lead up to May’s main event.
The festival will include a number of commissions, events and installations which will celebrate UK music, Eurovision and most importantly, act as a platform for showcasing modern Ukraine – an ambitious, progressive country.
The commissioning call out is in three categories:
UK and Ukraine
These commissions will bring together Ukrainian and UK-based artists and producers to collaborate on creating new projects which capture the ambition and energy of modern Ukraine. Artists can come from any discipline, although there is a particular interest in large-scale outdoor works and installations.
Each commission must bring together a Ukrainian artist, creative or collective with a UK counterpart. Applications from Ukrainian nationals living in Ukraine or outside of the UK are welcome, and support will be given to match those individuals with a UK collaborator.
Music United
These commissions will celebrate the power of music to bring communities together. They will encapsulate the joy and congregation which music can bring across boundaries, ages and backgrounds.
Eurovision in Liverpool
These commissions will be a celebration of the joy, diversity of spirit, plurality of opinion and sheer fabulousness of Eurovision taking place in the heart of the UK’s most exciting city. They may draw on the history of the competition, or look to its future, or simply revel in what it stands for.
Anyone interested must:
- Deliver breath taking work in a short timeframe.
- Be willing to work in collaboration with other artists and producers.
- Have a history of creating high quality work of scale, ambition and accessibility.
Applications are welcome from creatives who live in the nations competing in Eurovision 2023 and in particular from artists from Ukraine and from the Liverpool City Region.
The deadline for expressions of interest is midday Monday 12 December 2022. Those successful in this first stage will be given an initial £2k funding to formally develop their proposal.
The Cultural Festival has been made possible through support from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and will include partners the Ukrainian Institute and British Council in the commissioning process.
Director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan CBE, said: “These commissions will fulfil our promise to Ukraine and also enable artists to engage in Eurovision in a completely new way. We always wanted to do more than what you see on screen and this free festival will give thousands of people the opportunity to engage with brilliance from artists around the world.” Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General, Ukrainian Institute said:
“The Cultural Festival to take place alongside Eurovision in Liverpool is a major opportunity to showcase Ukrainian culture to UK and global audiences. I hope the commissions will reflect the resilience, creativity, hope, and diversity of today’s Ukraine and the powerful voices of its artists and creatives.
"I would like to thank our UK partners for standing with Ukraine in these challenging times and for hosting the contest on our behalf."