Lidl Public Art Commission

Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) wish to commission a public artwork for the roundabout outside the new Lidl Distribution Centre in Nursling, Southampton. As a key entrance site to the Adanac Business Park and thriving economic area the artwork should act as a landmark piece. It should be innovative whilst making reference to the heritage of the southern tip of the Test Valley and Southampton.

Aims & Objectives

To produce an artwork of high quality design that is a suitable size and scale for the chosen site
To produce an artwork that is innovative and bespoke
To deliver a project that demonstrates good practice in terms of community engagement and the commissioning process that is in line with the TVBC Public Art Strategy

Background

The Lidl distribution centre lies at the very southern tip of the Test Valley Borough, on the edge of the Adanac Business Park, and adjacent to the M271 motorway that connects the M27 to Southampton. Adanac Park is home to Ordnance Survey’s headquarters, Holiday Inn Express hotel, Greene King’s new Walnut Tree Farm public house and Lidl’s massive new distribution. There are empty sites available for new businesses to join.
Across the M271 to the west is the Nursling Estate with commercial retail. Further West is the Lower Test Nature Reserve a SSSI. Here the River Test flows through the Lower Test Marshes before passing to the sea through Southampton Water. The mixture of freshwater and saltwater gives a great range of habitats that is reflected in the large numbers of birds and flowering plants found here. It is one of the best sites in the country to see kingfishers and overwintering wildfowl regularly use this site. In the south of Nursling and Rownhams there is also the Solent and Southampton Water Special Protected Area which is of European importance. This site is also a Ramsar Site which is a wetland of international importance for conservation.
Looking at the heritage of the site; the evaluation excavation was carried out by the Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit, and a full report for that work is available. The main excavation was carried out by Bournemouth Archaeology, and the site is still in post-excavation stage so there is no report yet.
The evaluation report includes some basic historical background. Much prehistoric activity has been found in the lower Test Valley area. The Lidl site is on the line of a stream, now culverted along much of its length. The stream is the one that feeds Fernyhurst Lake to the NE, and flows down to the Lidl site and onwards to the Test.

Artist’s Roles & Responsibilities

The chosen artist will be responsible for:

The design, fabrication and installation of the art work
Providing detailed working drawings and designs for the commissioner
Supplying the relevant information and drawings required for any appropriate planning permissions in partnership with TVBC
Effectively managing the available budget with the steering group
Attending regular meetings with the Arts Officer to provide updates for TVBC officers and Councillors on progress, timescales and budget
Delivery of a programme of community engagement
Providing a full maintenance schedule and instructions
Supplying information required for press releases and promotion

The artist will hold and provide evidence of relevant public liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance, and take responsible for any third party contractors.

Community Engagement

In line with our Public Art Strategy we aim that all our public art projects involve community consultation and participation to contribute towards the collection and development of ideas and artworks. Our aim through this process is that residents and local stakeholders are fully involved in the creation of their environments and have a sense of ownership over the places in which they live.
This area is significantly different from recent commissions where the site is located in the heart of a commercial area of the borough without immediate Test Valley residents close by. We will need to find innovative ways to engage with Test Valley residents and stakeholders in the vicinity and enable local Southampton residents to have their say as well.
We anticipate that the chosen artist will devise a programme of consultation events and activities to engage with the range of people and stakeholders around this site.

Budget

This commission is funded through Section 106 contributions for public art from Lidl UK and project managed by TVBC.
£60,000 is available to cover the full commission and it should be noted that this includes:

Artist time for design and drawings
Community events and engagement
Meetings with steering group and relevant agencies
Fabrication, transport and installation
Planning application fees and other fees that may be required.

Deadline for applications

Wednesday 31 January 2018

For more information

Applications should be sent by email to Faye Perkins, Arts Officer, fperkins@testvalley.gov.uk
Please call 01264 368844 if you have any questions

For more details
www.testvalley.gov.uk