Open call: Spier Light Art Festival 2025

Every year, the choice of artworks reinforces just how innovative, bold and experimental South African artists are. Playful, provocative, reflective and engaging, each iteration of the event encourages viewers to contemplate what it means to live in this intriguing, diverse, complicated and hopeful nation on the southern tip of Africa.

Artists and designers (professionals, students and institutions) are invited to submit expressions of interest for light art works and video art that engage all age groups. Light should be a central element and experiment and innovation are encouraged.

The project will completely or partially fund installations chosen by the selection committee, headed by curators Jay Pather and Vaughn Sadie. The selection is not confined to a theme, but artists may be prompted by the ethereal and the whimsical, artworks that speak to technology, issues affecting South Africa, resilience, enchantment and exuberance, and the working wine farm.

Categories of work may include:

• Sound or light.
• Site-specific work (designed to be displayed in particular places on Spier Wine Farm).
• Sculptural, object-based work.
• Interactive art.
• Digital works that foreground technology.
• Video art.

Curatorial briefing

The curatorial team will hold an on-site briefing on 8 June. Artists who would like to attend, should RSVP to lightart@spier.co.za.

Submission requirements and process

Expressions of interest must include:

• Artist/collective/studio biographies of all involved (200 words).
• A short overview of the conceptual interests of the work, specifying which category the submission falls under (300 words).
• A concise description of the work, including concept sketches (300 words).
• A description of the use of light in the work (150 words).
• A description of the audience interaction/engagement with the work, but ideally a video (150 words).
• A provisional but realistic and well-considered budget indicating whether it is to be funded entirely or in part by the Spier Arts Trust.
• Web links to and/or images of the proposed work or, if not already developed, examples of previous work.

Interested artists should email their expression of interest to the project manager at lightart@spier.co.za before 6 July 2024. A more thorough proposal may be requested after the shortlist is announced.