Open call: two public artworks for Masthuggskajen

Visualisation for Masthuggskajen. Image: City of Gothenburg

Artists can now apply for two different commissions to create public artworks for the new Masthuggskajen district in Gothenburg, with the themes ”Gateway to the World” and ”Gateway to the City”. Apply by 17 October 2023 at the latest.

Read this page in Swedish

This commission involves doing artistic work on the major urban development project around the Masthuggskajen district. The theme of the first commission focuses on ”Gateway to the World”, which will be a single or multi-piece permanent public artwork that will be installed in the newly built part of Masthuggskajen.

The second assignment is a two-part assignment focusing on the current Masthuggskajen and the ”Gateway to the City” theme. The first part of your work will be exploratory and make use of public engagement, and the second part will be about creating a a permanent public artwork in the area.

You can submit an expression of interest for either one or both commissions, but you can only be selected for one of the commissions.

About the area

For 400 years, Masthuggskajen has played an important role in the development of both Gothenburg and Sweden as a whole. The port has been an economic hub with trade and exports and imports. The district was named after the production of ship masts in the port area. The area is also known for other important historical events, such as the mass emigration to North America in the 19th century and the emergence of the labor movement in Gothenburg.

An urban transformation of the area began in 2019. The vision is for Masthuggskajen to become a green and dynamic district with housing, services and offices. A new peninsula will also be constructed, which will create a closer link between the city and the Göta Älv river.

This will be an opportunity to influence the changing face of Masthuggskajen through art, which allows for more variation and contrasts to be emphasized.

Image: Kanozi Arkitekter

Artistic commission for sub-area 1, Östra Masthuggskajen: Gateway to the World

  • The commission involves creating a unique, context-specific and permanent public artwork with a clear vision and original character.
  • The public artwork can be made of several parts and be spread out in the area, while maintaining a coherent content. The commission covers the eastern part of Masthuggskajen including the new peninsula. Part of the artist’s commission is to suggest where the artwork can be integrated into the area.
  • The thematic focus of the commission ”Gateway to the World” is based on the history of the eastern part of Masthuggskajen. Topics such as economics, trade, exports and imports are focus areas, but also national and international relations and issues of power.
  • The public artwork must be completed and installed no later than the completion date of the Masthuggskajen district, which is currently scheduled for 2030. The timetable is provisional.

The full description of the artistic commisson is available in Swedish on TendSign, where you submit your expression of interest.

Artistic commission for sub-area 2, Västra Masthuggskajen: Gateway to the City

  • The artistic assignment consists of two parts, one permanent and one exploratory part, and the contents of both must be coherent with each other. The parts may overlap or run in parallel.
  • The permanent part consists of creating a public artwork for the area around the western part of Masthuggskajen, which relates to the social and historical context of the area. Part of the artist’s commission is to suggest where the artwork can be integrated into the area.
  • The exploratory part should include public engagement features, such as dialogue-based methods that engage local residents or businesses. It is also possible to create temporary or semi-permanent public artworks during the process.
  • The thematic focus of the commission ”Gateway to the City” is based on the historic and contemporary aspects of the western part of Masthuggskajen. Many cultural expressions and social meeting places have emerged here over the years, as well as organizations that focus on socio-economically vulnerable groups. The public artwork should reflect the unique identity of the area.
  • The permanent public artwork must be completed and installed no later than the completion date of the Masthuggskajen district, which is currently scheduled for 2030. The timetable is provisional.

The full job description is available in Swedish on TendSign, where you submit your expression of interest.

Visualisation for Masthuggskajen. Image: City of Gothenburg

Compensation

Commission 1, Östra Masthuggskajen, Gateway to the World

  • Three selected artists will receive a sketch fee of 100,000 SEK excluding VAT. You will not be compensated for submitting an expression of interest.
  • The artist’s budget for the public artwork is 7,000,000 SEK excluding VAT.

Commission 2, Västra Masthuggskajen, Gateway to the City

  • Three selected artists will receive a sketch fee of 75,000 SEK excluding VAT. You will not be compensated for submitting an expression of interest.
  • The artist’s budget for the public artwork is 4,200,000 SEK excluding VAT. This includes both the permanent artwork and the exploratory public part.

About the procurement

To be eligible to apply for the commission, you need to be a professional artist. In this context, “professional” means having a degree from an artistic higher education programme of at least three years, or an equivalent qualification through documented artistic activities of five years (art projects, exhibitions and/or public artworks).

The procurement is carried out according to the Public Procurement Act (LOU). As a first step, professional artists can submit expressions of interest for the commissions. You can submit an expression of interest for either one of the commissions or both, but you can only be selected for one of the commissions. Please indicate in your expression of interest which commission(s) you are interested in. Please note that you should not submit any sketches or ideas and process proposals at this stage.

Based on the expressions of interest, a jury will select three artists for each commission, each of whom will be invited to produce a sketch or idea and process proposal. Afterwards, a decision is made on which artists will get the final commissions.

The one percent rule

The public artwork is financed by the one percent rule. It means that construction companies and administrations in the City of Gothenburg set aside at least one percent of the construction cost for art in all new construction, renovation and extension projects.

The client for the public artwork on Masthuggskajen is the City of Gothenburg’s Land Development Department. The process manager is Gothenburg Art (Göteborg Konst) at the City of Gothensburg’s Cultural Affairs Administration.

Submit an expression of interest

You can submit your expression of interest on TendSign. The website provides full information on the commission and how to proceed. In order to submit an expression of interest you need to create a user account on tendsign.com. Creating an account is free.

Your tender must be written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English. Please note that the procurement will be carried out in Swedish, which means that all information and dialogues will be in Swedish. Thus applicants need to be able to understand  – or have access to reliable translation of – written and spoken Swedish.

Deadline for the expression of interest

Please submit your expression of interest by 17 October 2023 at 23:59.

Do you have any questions?

The open call is made through a public procurement process, which means that everyone who apply will receive the same information. That is why we cannot answer any questions by phone or email. The questions have to be asked directly on TendSign, where all received questions and answers as well as any additions and amendments will be published.

The deadline for asking questions is 9 October 2023. Responses will be published by 11 October 2023.