Open Call for Artists, COP26 Green Zone Exhibition, WaterAid

We are inviting artists to submit proposals for a visually arresting exhibition to be presented in WaterAid’s exhibition space at COP26 (Glasgow), responding to the theme of ‘The climate change and water story, as told by youth’. We believe it is essential to engage young people on issues relating to the future of their planet and to use our platforms to further amplify their voices.

You will be required to design a set of workshops that WaterAid will be running with young people in October to capture their responses to the water and climate theme. The exhibition must in some way incorporate the outputs of these workshops. We are also looking for the exhibition to drive further understanding through participation – we are interested to hear your ideas around how people could interact with the exhibition either physically on the day, or through a digital element. This is also something WaterAid are happy to work with you on and develop together once the concept is formed.

Our ambition is for the exhibition to provoke dialogues that deepen awareness and understanding of the links between water and the climate crisis. We hope that a powerful presentation that foregrounds youth voices will inspire attendees to continue the conversation beyond COP.

There will be many organisations exhibiting at COP26 with similar climate messaging – we need to cut through the noise with something unique and attention grabbing.

Water is not always seen as linked to climate change, so we need to deliver that message in a clear and effective way that positions WaterAid as a significant and relevant actor in the climate space.

Expressions of interest no longer than 1 sheet of A4

We are interested in hearing about similar projects you have worked on or are currently working on, specifically to do with climate change and/or work involving working with young people.