Open Competitions

Tatton Park Biennial announces the winners of its first two ‘open source’ competitions for artists. Congleton-based Austin Houldsworth was selected as Cheshire’s Emerging Artist, with his proposal for a gigantic fossilisation machine and Manchester-based Fiona Curran was selected as the North West Artist for her plans for an abstracted and collapsing tree house to be realised in Tatton’s formal gardens.

Biennial curators Danielle Arnaud & Jordan Kaplan said of the appointments: ‘We are so pleased we have been able to offer opportunities to artists we would not have otherwise have encountered. It is part of the defining ethos of the Biennial as a place of creative experimentation that we offer up and deliver new working models (the entire competition took place online as an ‘open source’ event!), which can lead to greater access without diminishing artistic standards or curatorial expectations. The competitions have introduced us to many artists and we are keeping several in mind for work over the coming years.’

Eight short-listed artists met with Arnaud & Kaplan, Brendan Flanagan, General Manager at Tatton Park, and Jocelyn McMillan, Cheshire East Arts Services yesterday. The online Open Competitions were run through www.spacescheshire.com and were made possible by Cheshire East Arts Services and the generous IT support of Nick Clapson at Origin.