1. The Commission

We want to pivot from fear-driven climate fatalism to a celebratory, hands-on reimagining of the future. Rather than paralyzing people with apocalyptic climate predictions, we’re looking for artists to work with an empowering grassroots invitation to construct a localised world where people would genuinely love to live. 

Our biggest problems need big ideas and new solutions. We have a generational opportunity to establish a new momentum for a more sustainable, community-focused and creative future that is more closely in sync with nature. But is the actual reality of our present standing in the way? Let’s find out.

Ideas around evolving the driving framework of community-powered climate solutions by building public, participatory, and open-source artworks, sculpture, offline physical media and communication are welcomed.

As a county, we have experience in finding our hope and harnessing creativity to devise new solutions through the people and places of a county with a track-record of coming together to tackle common problems. Unionism and collectivism over division is our strength and we believe is a social muscle that we must flex.

We declare a climate and ecological emergency, recognising the unique role art and art commissioners can play in creating fundamental societal change through collective imagination and leaps of faith powered by a central idea that we, as people and places, can describe and create a positive future through collective agency and effort.

The scale of environmental action can seem and human-machine communication is rooted in data, digital art, physical media, science, technology and activism. We’re looking to ‘back the hack’ of a shared crisis that needs big solutions from big imagination where community, connection, and communication are central to envisioning our future hope.

Within the context of a history where our county was once a coalfield supplying the world with extractive fossil fuels, we’re interested in exploring how this place is also fertile ground for a better, sustainable future, a place for ecological recovery, inter-species support and radical solutions to rebalance the present to make our future hopes a reality. 

We’re looking for a wide-range of ideas from digital arts and/or multi-disciplinary practices that explore environmental storytelling, social action and community imagination through a solution-centric output. 

Further context:

In the past five years, our communities have faced an expanding polycrisis that is intensifying; a pandemic, austerity, cost-of-living, climate change and collapse, global tensions, and  divisive politics that threaten to divide our communities, destabilise the systems we all rely on, and create a purpose-paralaysis for us as people planning the future we wish to see.

However, County Durham has a tradition of rallying together in solidarity, compassion and support, particularly in challenging times. We have a collective responsibility to offer a place to come together, understand our collective challenges and do something about them in an impactful, meaningful way to amplify our perspectives, devise solutions, and connect people and places in ways that harnesses the positive people-power that our ex-coalfield communities have in abundance - but perhaps need re-energising.

No More Nowt is looking to explore a programme of work where the main practices are developed through a digital, technological and scientific lens, where nature, collectivism, radical ideas, community-engagement and social action combine for future-focused creative solutions.

By radical, we mean acts of social change, of resilience and resistance in the face of challenging times, long-term thinking over short-termism. This commission is all about shining a positive light and planting the seeds of ideas, resources or innovation that might grow into something bigger and hopeful for future generations and projects.

2. Commission Budget

£20,000 in total.

We expect the artist or organisation to work with a minimum of two communities and with various partners in County Durham.

The artist or organisation will deliver a minimum of 24 days’ worth of engagement/contact sessions with local communities (based on 1 day a week/2 half-days) between September 2026 and March 2027. We expect sessions to be delivered in line with the AUE rate of pay.

The remaining budget should include travel, materials, planning/prep time, VAT, access costs and any other expenses as well as costs associated with the culmination event. For example, a celebration event exhibiting artwork and garden across one or multiple locations. 

We would also expect commissioned artist / collective / organisation to factor in any community costs e.g room hire, food and energy bill contribution where applicable. 

No More Nowt will provide marketing and publicity support, as well as producing support for the overall project where needed. 

3. What We Want

Through this commission we hope to achieve:

• A digital residency with a strong connection to our county, responding to current realities, places, people, histories and hopes.

• A successful shape of how a socio-technical inspired project can explore, test and achieve community-powered climate solutions that are artworks in themselves.

• An opportunity for local people to engage with their locality, meet new people and be involved with cultural opportunities they may not have engaged with previously. 

• An innovative approach to working with community partners (ie. our Cultural Hub network and strategic partners).

• Consider ethical and societal impacts of emerging technologies.

• Delivery of an artwork that can be redistributed at the needs of the community that welcomes new people, ideas and amplification to the world.

• Delivery of a launch event, installation, sculpture, browser-accessible artwork or other impactful artifact(s).

We are open to artists at all stages of their careers including recent graduates and are always interested in applications from people who have connections to County Durham.

We are always interested in diversifying our artists, audience and participants in terms of gender, race, sexuality, lived experience and disability. 

Inspiration:

NMN Digital Programme - http://nomorenowt.org/digital-programme 

Superflex - https://www.superflex.net/

The Treaty of Finsbury Park - https://newdesigncongress.org/en/pub/finsbury-park-2025/#:~:text=Furtherfield%20Commons.

EcoLogicStudio - https://www.ecologicstudio.com/

Future Farmers: https://www.futurefarmers.com/about 

Cement Fields - https://www.cementfields.org/projects/source-to-sea

Thijs Biersteker - https://thijsbiersteker.com/

The Oak Project - YSP - https://ysp.org.uk/art-outdoors/the-oak-project

Olafur Eliasson - Ice Watch - https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/ice-watch-2014/

Novak - Flux -  https://www.novak.uk/our-work/flux

4. Timeline

• Commission launched 8th October 2026

• Deadline for Submissions is Monday 16 November 2026, by 5pm. Submissions to be electronically emailed to hello@nomorenowt.org with Subject Line: ‘We Are Hope — Digital Residency Commission’

• Shortlisted artists / organisations will be interviewed late November 2026 (working schedule is w/c 23 November)

• Commission starts December 2026

• Delivery of all outcomes should take place by September 2027

5. How To Apply

To apply please send the following in either:

1) a single PDF document or

2) a video or audio file sent via WeTransfer that should be a maximum of three minutes to hello@nomorenowt.org including the reference: ‘We Are Hope — Digital Residency Commission’.

If you do not adhere to the guidance your application for the commission may not be considered. 

Please describe your idea and approach to this commission (max 1000 words) include the following:

• Your core artistic idea and how this idea demonstrates ambition and innovation using your response to the areas outlined in the ‘What We Want’ section above, working closely with communities in County Durham.

• What artwork you might create as part of this commission;

• Please give a brief biography (max 200 words) of your work and for any other artists that will be involved with you in this commission.

• Please attach a proposed timeline (include the contact days with the participants, planning, evaluation and visits).

• Please attach a budget including contingency should delivery be required to change.

• Please confirm that you have Public Liability Insurance cover of up to £5 million.

• Please confirm that you have an up-to-date basic DBS. 

You can include images or video links with your response if relevant however please ensure these are selective.

Please also complete Equal Opportunities Form, using this link: 

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/NCH49J1Kxc

6. Use of AI

At No More Nowt, we are dedicated to the creation of art, and community arts-based practice that stems from human connections that we have nurtured over the past ten years. We believe in human creativity and collaboration, and this is at the heart of our decision making when commissioning artists and organisations. We are a programme that is steeped in working and connecting with people on the ground across County Durham

All applications we receive are read by our small but dedicated team and decided internally alongside our community panel. We rely on the strength of our team, not algorithms. In making your application, please describe in your own words your idea, reflection on your practice as an artist/organisation and your skills and experience. We understand that AI can be used as a tool to remove barriers and help with accessibility needs. However, applications that solely rely on AI, we feel, will not offer the best picture of you as an artist/organisation and will struggle to fully demonstrate understanding of this commission.

7. Selection

Through the application process, NMN will assess the following:

• Quality and ambition of the artistic approach

• Quality of approach to utilising socially engaged work with young people and your track record in this, particularly with audiences and participants who do not typically engage in this way.

• Feasibility, deliverability and value for money

Only shortlisted artists will be invited to interview however where possible feedback will be provided.

8. Contact Details

For further information, please contact No More Nowt. Email: hello@nomorenowt.org

9. About No More Nowt

No More Nowt works to engage local people in creative activities and grow cultural provision in ways that are sustainable and can last, focusing on parts of County Durham where involvement in creativity and culture is significantly below the national average and areas classed as ‘Left Behind’ Neighbourhoods. 

No More Nowt was founded in 2014 (formerly known as East Durham Creates) as one of Arts Council England’s 46 National Creative People & Places projects. In 2022 the programme became a countywide initiative, having worked solely in East Durham for the first 8 years. Co Durham Co Created. 

No More Nowt is an action research-based programme, encouraging communities to take risks, try something different and co-create a responsive cultural offer through this learning. Delivery ranges in scope and scale. By design NMN believe culture can and should happen in any space that matters to local people. 

Our work is made possible thanks to a network of Creative Champions, Cultural Hub leaders and creative practitioners and collaborators who share our mission that no one should be left behind by culture. 

To find our more explore more of the NMN website here; https://nomorenowt.org/ and check out our social media channels @nomorenowt

10. About the Actual Reality programme

Actual Reality is the name of the NMN digital programme, named after the Actual Reality project devised by OGRE Studio. Our digital programme explores how digital can be used to enhance both the physical in person delivery of NMN but also how it can exist as its own unique strand of delivery. The programme ranges from the creation of new game spaces to the use of AR to activate physical artwork to DIY tech-based art exhibitions to brand new chatbots developed specifically with and for the County Durham community.

In 2022 upon becoming a countywide programme across a vast rural geography and following the integration of digital into work during the pandemic NMN committed to beginning to develop a digital programme strand alongside its more physical interventions. Since commencing with digital Arts Council England have introduced Digital Art as their 10th artform, showing how digital art is increasingly present in a world where tech has become part of everyone’s lives.

Good luck! We’re looking forward to your application.

Thanks,

The NMN team