Inbjudningar utställningar

Inbjudan till UNITED NATIONS


PERMANENT MEMORIAL AT THE UNITED NATIONS TO HONOUR
THE VICTIMS OF SLAVERY AND THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
UNESCO – History and Memory for Dialogue Section - 1, rue Miollis 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France
www.unesco.org/culture/slaveroute - www.unslaverymemorial.org


Dear Sir, Dear Madam,
UNESCO and the Permanent Memorial Committee are delighted to invite creators and visual arts professionals to submit original ‘site specific’ artwork projects in the framework of an international competition for the creation of a Permanent Memorial to honor the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade.

This call for participation offers a unique experience to insert this tragedy in the collective memory of Humanity and to raise awareness on the contributions of the victims of slavery and of the slave trade to the construction of the modern world. Their input to the redefinition of the notions of Freedom, Dignity and Human rights, help to build a new humanism and a culture of peace. It draws shared lessons from this chapter of our common History.

The granted artwork will be erected in a prestigious public space at the United Nations Headquarters, New York along the East River bank. The project will be released at the end of the competition in spring 2012 and awarded a 50,000 U.S. Dollars endowment. The deadline for submitting proposals is 19 December 2011.

Considering your expertise and credibility in the arts field, we would be very grateful if you accept to forward this information through artists’ networks internationally. In that perspective, please find attached the call for competition, the Guidelines and Rules as well as the registration forms to the competition and details about the Memorial physical site.

Yours Sincerely,

UNESCO - Permanent Memorial Staff


International Competition for the Permanent Memorial
at the United Nations to Honour the Victims of Slavery
and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
COMPETITION GUIDELINES AND RULES
I. Introduction
In keeping with resolution A/RES/63/5 and A/RES/65/239 adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly; the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the
Permanent Memorial Committee are delighted to launch an international competition and call for
designs. Participants are invited to submit designs for the creation of the Permanent Memorial at
the United Nations to Honour the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
II. Theme of the Competition
The memorial is formally titled: The Permanent Memorial at the United Nations to Honour the
Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade. The theme of the Permanent Memorial initiative is:
“Acknowledging the Tragedy; Considering the Legacy; Lest We Forget”.
III. About the Partners
The United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Permanent
Memorial Committee are the implementing Partners of the competition, with Member States from
the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union (AU) playing a primary role in the
implementation process.
1. The Permanent Memorial Committee
The Permanent Memorial initiative was developed out of a process at the United Nations, designed
to implement paragraph 101 of the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action Plan which
calls for the international community to honour the memory of the victims of slavery.
The Permanent Memorial Committee was established in 2007. Its role is to manage the overall
project and provide oversight of the Trust Fund for the permanent memorial initiative, and in so
doing, seeks to ensure implementation of successive United Nations General Assembly resolutions
on the permanent memorial project.
The Members of the Committee are: Brazil, Ghana, Jamaica (Chair), the Netherlands, Portugal,
Qatar, Senegal, Suriname, the United Kingdom, the African Union, the Chair of CARICOM, the
Chair of the African Group of Ambassadors at the United Nations, the United Nations Offi ce for
Partnerships (UNOP), the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), the New York Public Library Schomburg
Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee for the Elimination
of Racism of the NGO Committee on Human Rights. The Ambassador/Permanent Observer of
CARICOM is also an ex-offi cio member of the Committee.
For more information, visit the website of the Permanent Memorial: www.unslaverymemorial.org
2. UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works to create
the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for
commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of
sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the
alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.
UNESCO brings substantial experience in undertaking a wide range of international competitions.
Its work on the Slave Route project and its standing as a respected member within the UN family
will enhance its collaboration as an implementing partner for the international design competition.
For more information, visit UNESCO website: http://www.unesco.org/
IV. Competition Objectives
The Permanent Memorial to Honour the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
represents an effort to acknowledge the tragedy of slavery; and to educate future generations
about the lingering consequences of the centuries-long enslavement of and trade in Africans
supplied to the colonies of the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe. This includes the legacy of
hatred, bigotry, racism, racial prejudice, and xenophobia – which are linked to current economic
and social inequalities worldwide that continue to pervade the international community.
The goal of the competition is to identify and select an outstanding design for the Memorial
to enshrine the legacy of millions of African captives whose untold stories, memories and
contribution to humanity forever changed the world’s societies. The Memorial’s aesthetic appeal
must complement the landscape of the UN Headquarters in New York City. [See: Site Information
in Annex I bellow] The selected design must have the potential to be an iconic monument that
deepens the visitor’s visual and spiritual experience at the United Nations Headquarters as they
acquire an understanding of this historical and social tragedy. The winning design will highlight the
cross cultural and global impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, while honouring the memory of
those who died and those who have shared their struggle.
V. Brief Description
The Permanent Memorial competition is an Open International Design Competition to be conducted
in two stages.
In the fi rst stage, organized by UNESCO (Phase I), all submitted designs shall be initially reviewed
for qualifi cation. Qualifying Participants shall then be further reviewed for selection of 16 semifi
nalists by a Selection Committee composed of UNESCO staff and experts. The selected 16
semi-fi nalists shall be forwarded by UNESCO to the Permanent Memorial Committee at United
Nations Headquarters where an international panel of judges will be established in Phase II of the
Competition.
In Phase II, organized by the Permanent Memorial Committee, the international panel of judges will
review the sixteen (16) semi-fi nal designs and identify seven (7) fi nalists, who shall be invited to
New York for interviews. The panel of judges will subsequently select a winning design.
The general competition schedule is anticipated as follows:
Sequence of Activities Time Table
1. Launch of design competition and dissemination of Guidelines and Rules August-September 2011
2. Closure of submissions 19 December 2011
3. Notify sixteen (16) selected artists and relevant Member States of selected semi-fi nalist
applications;
February 2012
4. Review of sixteen (16) semi-fi nalists applications, and selection of seven (7) fi nalists February 2012
5. Notify seven (7) selected fi nalists and relevant Member States; and press announcements
as appropriate
March 2012
6. Interview of seven (7) fi nalists in New York March 2012
7. Selection of winner 1st April 2012
8. Press announcements 1st April 2012
VI. Site Information
Specifi c indications with regard to the site for the establishment of the permanent memorial and
general information on United Nations Landscape are provided in annex I.
VII. Competition Regulations
A. Acceptance of the Competition Guidelines and Rules
By participating in this competition, the Participants accept unconditionally the present Guidelines
and Rules.
B. Eligibility
1. The design competition for the Permanent Memorial is open to all artists, including graphic
designers, sculptors, architects, new media and other visual arts professionals from all
geographic regions of the world.
2. The participants shall enroll in their private and personal capacity, and shall not be acting on
behalf of any organization, governmental or non-governmental; corporate or private entity.
3. Designs from Participants who are minors at the time of submission must be supervised by a
creative professional, and submitted by a person having legal responsibility for them.
4. Designs from both individuals and collaborative groups are acceptable.
5. The sixteen (16) semi-fi nalists must avail themselves the opportunity to forward any
reasonable modifi cation requested to the Selection Committee within a reasonable time.
C. Judging Criteria
Criteria for Permanent Memorial Design Selection include the following requirements:
1. Basic Criteria
i) Be a symbol that acknowledges the tragedy and legacy of slavery and the slave trade;
ii) Have resonance with all human beings, but especially for the global community of people
of African descent and its Diaspora; and the descendants of the victims of slavery and the
Transatlantic Slave Trade;
iii) Encourage refl ection on the common heritage resulting from the interactions generated
by this history;