The Delfina Foundation and Creative India invite applicants from India and the Middle East & North Africa region for commission-based residencies in London, in collaboration with the Pumphouse Gallery in Battersea Park.

The residencies aim to provide an opportunity for research and engagement with the Pump House Gallery’s audiences and the production of new works for exhibition in March to May 2012.

The project partners consider sculpture in its broadest sense, and applicants can work with a variety of materials from paper to found materials to the ephemeral, and in a variety of contexts from public art to installation. The project does not exclusively target sculptors as it aims to support innovative approaches that further the possibilities of sculpture as a medium and how it might intersect with other artforms and new media. The requirement for audience engagement, in the research/conceptualization or production stage, provides an opportunity for a site-specific, locally engaged work in response to the area or the communities in which the Pump House Gallery is located. The best methods of pubic engagement will be determined with the selected artists and based on their practice and conceptual ideas.

*DELFINA*’s partnership with Creative India enables a sculptural-based artist from India to work alongside the artist from the Middle East & North Africa region, supported by DELFINA. Although the two selected artists will not be required to create collaborative works, the jury will ideally select a pair who have similar or complementary practices that might result in interesting crossovers.

Conditions for applicants

• Currently living and working in India or the Middle East & North Africa region;
• Seeking a career defining opportunity to research and produce a bold, seminal artistic project;
• Able to demonstrate achievement or great potential in visually articulating ground-breaking and critically engaged ideas and concepts in an innovative and collaborative way;
• Able to work in an engaged fashion involving the general public;
• Resourceful and accomplished at working in a cost-effective way;
• Can demonstrate how the experience of an international residency in London may benefit his/her practice and career development;
• Proficient in English; and
• Available for the residency (October to December 2011) and the installation/exhibition (late February 2012), as these dates are not flexible.

Please submit only electronic copies of your application form and supporting material to: apply@delfinafoundation.com. Closing date for applications: 4th July 2011, 17:00 GMT.

For more information and to download an application form, please click here.

Please note that this call is not only for ‘sculptors’ but artists who wish to experiment or establish sculptural elements in their practice. Our definition of ‘sculpture’ is loose and includes ephemeral to installation to public works.

All applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision in early July.