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Arts by the Sea Festival, Bournemouth’s annual celebration of art, culture, people and place, has opened applications for artists to stage two of the largest spectaculars at the 2022 event. Running from Friday 30th September to Sunday 2nd October, Arts by the Sea takes over Bournemouth town centre including the iconic Town Square, Lower Gardens and Pier Approach, filling it with a diverse mix of art forms from artists from across the UK and beyond.

Applications are now open for Expressions Of Interest to deliver both the opening night projection mapping spectacle on Bournemouth’s iconic Town Hall and the large-scale carnival closing parade. Those wishing to find out more information surrounding the creative brief and application process should visit www.artsbythesea.co.uk. The final deadline for Stage One applications is Monday 28th March. 

With a footfall of 100,000 people across the festival weekend and with an audience spanning all ages, many eyes will be set on these high-profile productions. Arts by the Sea is passionate about drawing audiences together with performances that ignite a mischievous spark of the imagination, or experiences people can have fun with or get lost in together.

The opening projection mapping at the Town Hall should engage with the festival’s central theme this year of which more information will be revealed on application. It should also look to incorporate a performance and a method for audience participation .

Previous creatives to have showcased their bespoke work in this setting include Avanti (Hydromania), The Colour Project (Silicon Shores), Illuminos (Hotel d’Illusions) and NOVAK (Kindred).

Following the pandemic where Arts by the Sea had to scale down its closing Carnival Spectacular, 2022 will see the processional parade return with a bang. The festival is looking to commission a carnival specialist to curate and deliver the parade. It should engage with the 2022 theme and give opportunities for participation to community groups across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole as well as individuals from the Arts by the Sea audience. The carnival should also look to incorporate a short spectacle finish. 

As part of the brief, the carnival specialist will incorporate the festival’s mentoring programme, this year supporting the Bournemouth-based Director of the World of Love Festival, Bea Sieradzka. 

Snaking from Horseshoe Common to the centre of Bournemouth, audiences are drawn onto the streets to watch and participate as the parade passes. Previous incarnations of the carnival have included Dundu & World Beater’s Parade, Next Generation and Carnival SOS both curated by Shademakers, and due to social distancing, a static parade was held in 2021 led by Shademakers in partnership with locally based IAAC & UMOJA Arts.

The carnival offers the opportunity to represent the diverse citizens of the BCP conurbation and ensures that the multi-cultural heritage of the area is showcased, as well as giving audiences the chance to be reflected in the headline spectacle.

The first stage of applications consists of an Expression of Interest where applicants will detail their experience and be requested on an individual basis to apply to the second stage. 

Arts by the Sea believes that art in all its forms is powerful, and that art is for, and by, everybody.  As such, first stage applications will also be accepted as video, audio or in other non-traditional formats to ensure that everyone has the best opportunity to express their ideas and experience.

Interested applicants are invited to visit the Artist Opportunites section on the Arts by the Sea website to read the full brief for both opportunities before applying.

While the theme and programme for Arts by the Sea 2022 are yet to be announced, audiences are guaranteed another intriguing, exciting and unique carnivalesque celebration of art across many forms. From participatory experience, diverse music, art and dance, site-specific installations and large-scale spectaculars in Bournemouth’s beautiful locations, there’s something for all ages at Arts by the Sea.