How To Apply?
The residency is a major new opportunity for a Photographer as part of the national Photographer-in-Residence Programme ‘Picturing England’s High Streets’. The opportunity in Coventry is developed by GRAIN Projects in collaboration with the Coventry High Street Heritage Action Zone Board and in the context of a wider programme of High Streets Heritage Action Zone activities.

The residency will contribute to the key local High Street Heritage Action Zone aims including, restoring and regenerating a forgotten part of Coventry’s historic townscape, boosting the local economy and celebrating the city’s rich heritage. The Burges area is the focus and forms a key element of Coventry’s surviving historic townscape.  The Coventry High Street Heritage Action Zone project will help reverse decline by enhancing the special character of the conservation area, attracting more business and visitors and raising awareness of the area’s heritage within the local community.

The Photographer-in-Residence will connect with the communities in this distinct area and contribute to the cultural activities that are planned in the lead up to the development of a new heritage square and public space.

Coventry;   The Burges, Coventry High Street Heritage Action Zone | Historic England

About the national photographer-in-residence programme  
Picturing England’s High Street is a three-year project which includes six photographer-in-residence programmes at six high street locations across England. For more information see Open Call: Historic England, Picturing England’s High Streets – Photoworks.

England’s high streets have a long history and have always been at the heart of our communities. They are our landmarks, points of reference and meeting places. Across centuries people have gathered together on high streets, from market days to turning on the Christmas lights; coffee dates to national jubilees.

Every high street in England, whether it is in a medieval market town or a post-war city centre, has a unique and distinctive history that creates identity and a sense of place. Despite this, high streets are struggling, and need to adapt to survive. This commission will help people reconnect with their high streets, seeing them as places that can thrive and are of relevance to them and their lives.

The photographer-in-residence programmes are a key part of this Picturing England’s High Streets. The six photographers-in residence will work with local communities to reimagine the high street, producing images which will become part of the Historic England archive.

High street users and the community are at the heart of this project and we are looking for photographers whose practice is socially engaged. We are proposing a way of working rather than a thematic or visual approach.

The project starts with a simple provocation; ‘Your high street: Investigate before, picture now and imagine the future……’

We will use this provocation as a creative springboard for a socially engaged, diverse, community led commissioning for the 6 photographer-in-residence programmes.

What are we expecting?
We are looking for a photographer who has an interest in Coventry HSHAZ and whose practice embraces the opportunity to collaborate with the local community. We would welcome applications from socially engaged photographers with a connection to Coventry  – although this is not essential.

The Socially Engaged Photographers role will include working closely with local partners to develop relationships with communities to develop visual narratives that are meaningful to them. The photographer will support participants to create photographic stories themselves, through a process of dialogue and collaboration.

Artist Fee – £4,000 over 1 year.

Key dates and timeline
Open call deadline: May 26th 2021
Short list contacted: June 4th 2021
Interviews: June 10th 2021 (TBC)
Start date: Summer 2021  HSHAZ residency begins
End date: End Summer 2023

How to apply   
For more information and to apply download the Brief here.
Download Equal Opportunities Form here.