Covid Community Memorial project looking for artists

Creative practitioners across Perth and Kinross are being urged to apply for the unique opportunity to develop a local Covid Community Memorial project.

Led by Perth College UHI in partnership with greenspace scotland and supported by Perth & Kinross Council and Perth UNESCO City of Craft, the commission is open to creative practitioner/s to work with local groups and communities to co-create a ‘Remembering Together’ project.

Christiana Margiotti, Perth College UHI Sector Development Director explained: “This is a fantastic opportunity for someone or a group looking to play an important role in creating an art form that will recognise the huge impact Covid has made to individuals, families, neighbourhoods and beyond over the last two years. I urge anyone working in any artform including: dance, theatre, visual art, design, craft, film, live art, literature, poetry, music, and more to consider the brief.

“All kinds of experience may be recognised, from those with connection to people who lost lives to Covid, those who lost their lives to other illnesses during the pandemic and all those who experienced change, loss and isolation in other ways. It will also acknowledge the ways in which people supported each other.”

Councillor Ian Massie, who helped bring the partners together to access the funding said: “This is a national programme supported by Scottish Government and Perth & Kinross Council bringing together communities and artists in collective acts of reflection, remembrance, hope and healing. Everyone has been affected by Covid in one way or another and we look forward to seeing what ideas are brought forward to reflect the impact the pandemic has had within our Perth and Kinross communities.”

Kim Simpson, Remembering Together programme manager added: "Remembering Together will create space to reflect and remember all that we have experienced during the Covid pandemic, while reconnecting within our communities and inspiring hope and healing. At greenspace scotland, we feel deeply honoured that we will co-create this programme with communities, artists and partners across the country and we are delighted to be working with Perth College UHI and involving the students in this remarkable work. While the memorials themselves will be important, the process of co-creating them, together, with those who have been most affected by the pandemic feels deeply meaningful. We look forward to supporting the many ways that memorial making emerges in communities across Scotland".

The commissioned artist/creative practitioner will engage students from the Creative and Cultural department within Perth College UHI in the co-creation of participatory workshops with communities. Part of the process will be to define what ‘memorial’ means for specific groups.

To apply for this opportunity please see the Creative Scotland listing. The expression of interest deadline is 5pm on Thursday 14 April.