As Portsmouth and its communities celebrate 100 years of being granted City status Portsmouth Creates are looking for local artists with bright ideas to join us in the delivery of an engaging hub of light installations in the north of the city at Cosham Park, as part of We Shine Community.
Taking place across 3 evenings this November, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st we are looking for artists to submit ideas for projects that utilise light in in a creative way to join us in creating something special for communities to enjoy.
These proposals can use digital technologies or simple lighting techniques in a unique and playful way, they do not need to be high tech, we are looking for creative use of light that encourages audiences to engage, creating moments of magic to be remembered.
We particularly encourage ideas from projects that engage with communities in some way, whether via co-creation during development and production or in providing engagement opportunities across the festival. However, we are interested in hearing all creative ideas.
We are looking to commission project(s) up to a maximum value of £3000, (but can be less), to include artist fees, production, installation and de-rig. Power and security will be provided by Portsmouth Creates and any additional requirements can be discussed in further detail.
The site, Cosham Park, is an enclosed park in Northern Road Cosham, PO6 2TA. It contains numerous trees and open spaces depending on project requirements.
There is also an exciting opportunity for an artist to use the old Cosham Larder building, 15 Northern Rd, PO6 2SJ which is situated at the rear of the park net to the Bowls Club. A small building with vaulted ceilings provides a blank canvas to enable visitors to step into an immersive installation/experience of some kind.
At this stage we are not looking for in-depth project plans, but for artists to submit summary project ideas with any supporting images/sketches, proposed engagement, if applicable, and an approximate budget breakdown via email to billie@portsmouthcreates.co.uk Further details will be required if the proposal is selected.
As time is limited, we cannot review any proposals submitted after 17th September 2026. Proposals will be reviewed by the team as they arrive, depending on the volume of submissions we may stop accepting proposals prior to this date. Therefore we encourage artists to submit ideas early to avoid disappointment.
