Calling on UK based visual artists working in the mediums of paint, photography, drawing, mosaic, sculpture and collage. We invite you to become part of a national conversation to transform understanding of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impacts.

The World Reimagined is a ground-breaking, mass participation art education project to transform how we understand the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact.

It has been said that one can tell a great deal about a people, about a nation, by what it deems important enough to remember – and what it chooses to forget.

For too long, the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade has been untold, unheard, mistaught or misrepresented. In the UK, we celebrate with pride the Trade’s abolition – but the people who were enslaved and their descendants; Britain’s role in the Trade’s creation; and the Trade’s devastating legacy are usually missing from how history is told. This is not ‘Black History’, this is all of our history.

We are living in a key moment for racial justice and it calls on us to courageously face our shared history with honesty, empathy and grace so we can create a new future in which all can say: I am seen. That is the mission of The World Reimagined.

The World Reimagined will see trails of large globe sculptures in cities across the UK in the Summer of 2022, created by artists to bring to life the impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The trails will be the centre of a broader education and engagement programme, with hundreds of schools, community groups, sporting and cultural institutions taking part across the country.

At the end of the campaign, the Globe sculptures will be auctioned to raise funds that will create a grant-making programme for projects and organisations across the UK that work to make racial justice a reality. This programme will be open for applications in 2022-23.

The World Reimagined is a vibrant project that will inspire and instil pride in what it means to be black and British and help us all better understand what it means to be British. We hope to help our society come together in dialogue – to re-examine our understanding of our history and reimagine the world that we can create together – one rooted in acknowledgement, dignity and unity, cherishing our diversity.

We are delighted to invite artists from across the UK to bring their perspective, talent and creativity to The World Reimagined by submitting designs for the Globe sculptures that are the centrepiece of a national conversation and experience.

Our Open Call asks artists to create designs that respond to our Journey of Discovery – nine themes that help to illuminate people’s understanding of our shared history. Each trail will feature one Globe for each theme of our Journey of Discovery. Our themes are:

• Mother Africa
• The Reality of Being Enslaved
• Stolen Legacy: The Rebirth of a Nation
• Abolition & Emancipation
• A Complex Triangle
• Echoes in the Present
• Still We Rise
• Expanding Soul
• Reimagine the Future

From Open Call submissions, the final commissions will be selected by The World Reimagined Jury.

The selected designs and their subsequent Globe sculptures will sit alongside the work of invited established artists; collaborations between artists and communities; and collaborations between artists and icons.

Each trail in each of the host cities will consist of ten Globe sculptures, with one for each of the 9 themes of Journey of Discovery and a 10th that will be created by a commissioned artist in collaboration with community groups to speak to The World Reimagined’s connection to place

The trails will be 1-2 hour walking experiences in central locations of our host cities. They will be connected by a digital platform that enables visitors to learn about the artist and their vision; explore our collection of relevant and local history; and connect with local community organisations inspired by events associated with the mission of The World Reimagined

Sculpture trail maps will be available at local venues in each host city.

Our host cities are:

• Birmingham
• Leeds
• London
• Swansea
• Bristol

With more to be announced soon…

The base Globe sculpture will be an identical fibreglass & resin hollow Globe, 140cm in diameter, with a total height of 168cm including the base. It will weigh between 40kg-60kg without its concrete base, which will be attached onsite during installation. You will finish your globe with a weather resistant and anti-graffiti lacquer that we will provide.

Artists are advised not to make any structural changes to the Globe.

Your Globe will be delivered to The World Reimagined studio spaces as pictured, on steel stilts. You will also be provided with the lacquer to protect your design.

Each artist commissioned by the Jury will be awarded £1,500 on installation of their Globe. There will also be a £150 materials budget available to each artist once they formally accept the commission.

After the Globe charity auction in late summer 2022, artists will receive 10% of all net money raised by their Globe. The remaining funds will create the grant-making programme for racial justice.

We will be opening Artist Studios in each of the host cities for accepted artists to create their Globes. You may not use the public Artist Studio for any other purpose aside from Globe creation.

If you have a private studio you may use this to create your Globe instead. If you are using a private studio you will be responsible for the transport of the globe and associated costs.

If you would like to submit design ideas for a globe please register your interest. You can save and return to your submission.

In registering your interest, you are agreeing to be contacted about free artist masterclasses that are there to support your application. You are also agreeing to be contacted about other events connected to The World Reimagined programme.

Once you have registered your interest you have until 5pm on 30 September to complete your submission.

The Open Call launches on the 27 May 2021. Your submission- via our online portal – must be completed before the 30 September 5pm BST. You can save and come back to your submission during this time.

You will be required to submit an image of of your globe design, along with an artist statement, bio and examples of past work. Pleas submit a high-res (300dpi) landscape image of your artwork to the equivalent ratio of: 67.73cm x 38.1cm

Alongside your designs, you will be asked to provide the following information:

• Bio (300 word count)
• Socials/Website
• 5 images of previous work (optional)
• Artist’s Statement (no more than 300 words), including reflection on chosen theme and 1 minute video statement if you wish

SUBMIT HERE