The school of physics and astronomy at Queen Mary is one of the leading research intensive physics institutions in the UK. It has a long history at the forefront of physics in the UK being home to the early development of string theory and then later at the core of the M-theory revolution in theoretical physics. The experimental particle group has had long term association with CERN and was part of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson. The condensed matter group is now at the cutting edge in understanding novel materials and their properties while the astronomy group is one of the world leaders in the discovery of new planets.

The school has had a long term interest in engaging with the arts and has a sustained cultural engagement programme.

In 2015, the school home, the GO Jones building in the Queen Mary campus will reopen having had a 15 million pound renovation.

The Commission

The school seeks a work of art to be installed in the Foyer of the new building. The hope is that the work should reflect the diversity of physics research carried out at Queen Mary and at the same time demonstrate the school’s commitment to engagement with the arts. A total budget of £7,000 is available to cover materials costs and artist’s fees.

The section criteria and process

The artist should submit:

• a brief CV;
• a selection of images of previous other works. (Web links to previous works are very much encouraged);
• a letter of interest indicating how and why this commission fits with the artist’s current interests and practice.

The application should be sent to Prof. D Berman (d.s.berman@qmul.ac.uk) by 1^st September.

Each shortlisted candidates will then be invited to visit the building and interact with staff and submit a detailed proposal for the work (200 pounds will be available to each shortlisted candidate to cover artist time and costs).

The budget and timetable

• Initial artist applications to d.s.berman@qmul.ac.uk by 1^st of September.
• Selection of shortlisted candidates made by 1^st October.
• Shortlisted candidates to visit QM in October and submit a detailed proposal by November 28^th. (200 pounds awarded to each shortlisted candidate).
• Selection of finalist by December 20th.
• Commission completed and installed by March  1^st 2016.