Art Grants Information

Art installations and grants FAQ

Art Installation Guidelines

1. The Challenge

• Creating art for Jilakin Rock City presents many challenges. You must consider the physical landscape within the Wheatbelt, the logistics of transporting props, building materials and equipment to site, as well as the challenge of using tools and equipment in a place which has no mains power and only a small market for resources (within the Town of Kulin).

2. Responsibility

• All aspects of the art piece should be carefully thought out by the artist(s) and artist(s) must be prepared to seriously consider the responsibilities that go hand in hand with creating art for an event this large.
• Artwork must be sufficiently secured against high winds and intense weather conditions. Anchoring to the ground + Guy wires necessary for the securing of art pieces, are required to be flagged.
• Artwork must be well illuminated at night. To prevent pedestrians or art vehicles from crashing into art pieces, all aspects of the art piece should be well-lit, including rebar and guy wires.
• To prevent irreparable environmental damage, no holes larger than 300cm by 300cm in either direction may be dug on site. If you do need to dig a hole up to this size, you will need to keep the dirt, so you can pack it back into the hole when dismantling your installation.
• Camping is not allowed at any art installation on site.

3. Early Entry.

• Artists can apply for early entry to the site for the purposes of installation. If you or your crew need early entry to the Blazing Swan site to set up and install your art piece, please outline this in your Art Application.
• Anyone who needs early entry to site will require an Early Entry pass (free) in addition to their Blazing Swan ticket.
• You must be fully self-sufficient throughout your build.

4. The Process

• When you apply for an art grant you will receive a confirmation email confirming your application.
• Within 1-2 weeks of applications closing you will receive either a request for more information or an approval e-mail.
• Artist Liaison is your person to chat through any issues, support you and will let you know all the things you need to do such as: signing your artist agreements, tickets + early entry, power requirements, placement details, on site support and exit survey.

5. Sound

Large-scale sound art is confined to the edges of the site. Art installations that contain loud sound elements will need to be placed on the village’s outer perimeter. Some installations require a quiet area, and amplified music makes that impossible. With the open nature of the site, sound carries far and wide very easily. See our sound page for further information.

6. Budget + Grants

Large art grants (1st round) – Up to $6000
Small art grants (2nd round) – Up to $1000

• The Art team is not responsible for fully funding any art project. Artists are strongly encouraged to find alternate funding for their art and to use grants as a way to supplement their work.
• Art grants are on offer as a contribution to the costs of building and transporting your art piece to Blazing Swan. If you would like to apply for a grant you must complete the grant application form prior to the closing dates. Grant applications will be considered by a selection panel of artists and community members against the following criteria.
  • Viability
  • Integrity
  • Impact
  • Interactivity
  • Engagement + Accessibility
  • Relevance to Principles or Theme
  • Environmental Responsibility
  • Further detail on the criteria can be found here
• You must complete and submit an itemised budget with your grant application to be considered by the selection panel. If you are successful, 70% of your grant will be paid prior to the event. The remaining 30% will be paid post- event and is dependent on delivery of outcome, deinstallation and strike. You must also submit accompanying receipts as they relate to your budget within 2 weeks for the remainder of the grant to be paid out.
• An art grant does not cover; Your time, warehouse hire, generic tool purchase, previous pieces that have already been funded (however you may apply for a grant to refresh it or for transport costs)
• If you do not receive an art grant your art can still be registered and placed should you still wish to bring it.

7. Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace is one of the core principles of Blazing Swan and art is no exception. A blank canvas is provided for participants at the beginning of the event on which to create a unique mark, and at the end of the event a blank canvas is all that should be left behind. All traces of Art pieces that burn, MUST BE REMOVED.

8. Fire and Flame Effects

We love burning things but there are special requirements if your artwork incorporates FIRE in any way. Read more about Art Installation Fire Guidelines.

• Open Fire: Flames created by candles, torches, fire barrels, wood fires, and/or artwork that will itself be engulfed in flame or otherwise burned.
• Flame Effects: Flames that are automated, switched, pressurised or have any action other than simply being lit on fire. This includes projects that use gas or liquid fuels.
•  Pyrotechnic Display: Explosives, fireworks or projectiles.
• Hazardous Materials Storage: Storage of hazardous or combustible materials, including kerosene, gas, petrol, pyrotechnics, etc.If your artwork incorporates fire in any of those ways, it is mandatory that you contact the Fire Safety coordinator as soon as possible to discuss your plans: fire@blazingswan.com.au Failure to do so will leave us no choice but to remove this component from your installation.