Artist’s Brief – Trubys Garden Tearoom 16 October 2022
Trubys Garden Tearoom is an interfaith community café run by British Muslim women who live in Milton Keynes. Our aim is to create opportunities for positive dialogue and collaborative working. Since 2017 Trubys has hosted the annual Great Get Together Iftaar (GGTI). The Iftaar is an Islamic tradition of breaking the fast at sunset during Ramadan. At that time of day, families come together to say prayers before settling down to a special meal together. In Milton Keynes, the GGTI aims to include more communities around Milton Keynes in the experience and spirit of Ramadan. It is used as a platform for extending and challenging the boundaries beyond faith.
Trubys is now looking to appoint a female sound artist/composer who will create an original piece to be debuted at the Great Get Together Iftaar in April 2023.
Inspired by female characters from the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the piece will feature the psalms[i] and/or words/ phrases from the Torah, the Bible and the Quran demonstrating the strength of women in faith to the present day (a pen portrait is attached to this brief of three women from the Abrahamic faiths which symbolise strength, patience, endurance, resilience, relentless and bravery shown by women when fending for their children. Please click here for attachment). The piece will be framed as a collaborative ‘evening prayer’ that challenges and pushes boundaries of the traditional, to promote a shared experience of sacred thought and practice from a modern female perspective.
The sound artist/composer will work with women from the three faiths to develop the piece, and must remain sensitive to the belief that women from the Islamic faith do not sing the scriptures.
There are certain resources that will be available to the sound artist/composer, such as the singing voices and the religious expertise of those involved with Trubys. However, there is not a big budget to hire professional musicians though volunteer amateur musicians may wish to participate from within the three faiths and MK community. Therefore, we envision the artist using in the main digital technologies alongside live performance (where feasible within budget and timescale) to create a modern, multidimensional and imaginative soundscape which results in an atmospheric performance at the Iftaar. A visual aspect to the performance would be welcomed. Trubys would like the piece to have legacy and longevity.
TIMELINE:
November 2022 – April 2023.
PAYMENT: Artist fee: £5,500 (inclusive of VAT), plus £500 for expenses.
There is a small budget available for a technician and some materials. This can be discussed with the successful applicant.
TO APPLY:
- Please provide an Artist brief (two pages OR 10 PowerPoint slides OR a short video) with your initial ideas of how to take this project forward. The proposal should respond to the information outlined here. We are looking for innovation, potential for teamwork, experience of community engagement, and accessibility.
- Include a CV and some samples of your work.
- Include a breakdown of days and costs.
- Deadline: 5 pm, Friday 4th November 2022.
- Email: kurshidabmirza@gmail.com and elizabeth@aha-mk.org
[i] the Psalms is not found in the Torah and the Quran; they are poems which were composed at a much later stage by King David and found in the widePTanakh as it is known to Jews or the Old Testament as it is known to people of other faiths. The Psalms (Zabur) is Pecognised as one of the books revealed to Prophet Dawud (David) Peace Be Upon Him and is mentioned several times in the Quran alongside the Torah and the Injil (Gospel). Muslims tradition maintains that the Zabur (psalms) mentioned in the Quran is the Psalms of David.