Coventry’s musicians and visual artists are joining forces to create a ground-breaking new visual album delivered by Coventry City of Culture Trust.
Coventry City of Culture Trust is commissioning up to 30 local artists to produce a visual album and is calling out for musicians, bands and musical acts, as well as visual artists.
The project will feature up to 15 new pieces of music, each of which will have a video created to accompany it by different creatives including animators, filmmakers, graphic designers and videographers.
It comes at a time when those working in the arts and cultural sectors have been hit hard financially by the coronavirus outbreak and the project aims to support artists who have been most affected by the loss of income from live gigs, concerts and exhibitions.
The project is created by the Trust in partnership with The Tin Music and Arts, The Empire, Warwick Arts Centre, The West Indian Centre and Coventry City Council and Coventry promoter Sam McNulty.
It will be created in the space of just ten weeks from the artists’ own homes and will feature a mix of musical genres and styles all found in Coventry.
The Trust wants to hear from everyone from singer-songwriters to bands, from Dhol drummers to rappers, and from string quartets to electronica artists, to represent Coventry’s diverse music scene.
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “During this time of uncertainty and isolation we wanted to give Coventry a voice, and there is no better medium to do that than music.
“This project gives a creative outlet for those artists that may be suffering due to the current social distancing measures in place to battle Covid-19. Just because we are all at home, it doesn’t mean that good things can’t be created and we believe this project will really draw on and showcase Coventry’s creativity.”
Applicants for both parts of the project will need to submit an online form and links to up to three videos of their previous work. Successful musical applicants will work with a music technician who will master the finished tracks. When first recordings of the tracks are complete, they will then be passed on the visual artists to produce the music videos.
Jon Davis, the Senior Producer from Coventry City of Culture Trust working on the project, said: “The idea for the project came about by thinking of ways we could commission artists to create new work whilst still making sure we adhere to the Government’s social distancing rules. The visual album is a great opportunity for us to prove that, even in these times, Coventry is a great Music City.”
Sam McNulty, a champion of Coventry’s local talent, added: “I’m delighted to be part of this project. Working on an album is never easy but working on one from home and in isolation is a whole new challenge. We are sure that the musicians, artists and the production team will rise to the task and create something truly unique and special.”
The call out for artists is open until April 28. You can find full details here https://coventry2021.co.uk/jobs/.