Open Call Art Commission for a facade at Södertälje Hospital

Region Stockholm hereby invites professional artists to submit an Application of Interest for an Art Commission at Södertälje Hospital. The Application is open until December 8th, 2024.

Open Call

Region Stockholm hereby invites professional artists to submit an Application of Interest for an Art Commission at Södertälje Hospital. The commission concerns a challenging and monumental façade assignment. 

An area measuring 17 x 11 metres is available for the artwork and the artist  must take into account the very close viewing distance. The building is  scheduled for completion in spring 2026.

Background

Södertälje Hospital is expanding one of its buildings with five new floors. The northern short side of the new building will be very close to another building, obstructing the view for the healthcare operations there.

The artistic assignment

The artistic assignment is to create a five-storey-high artwork on the façade of the new building. The purpose of the artwork is to provide views for the operations in the nearby entrance building, which will lose their current outlook due to the new building. The artwork is primarily intended for the benefit of the hospital staff, who will be viewing it for many years to come. For this reason, it should offer visual variations.

Due to fact that the new façade will be so close to the entrance building, the artwork will not be viewable in its entirety, only sections of it from the windows on the different floors. Based on these sections, the artist must be able to create a cohesive design with a varied and nuanced visual expression. 

One of the challenges of the assignment is the combination of the very close viewing distance (minimum 0.8 metres) and the large height (approximately 17 metres) while keeping in mind any possible wind tunnel effects that could occur between the buildings.

The total area that is available for the artwork on the northern short wall of the building is 17 x 11 meters (height x width).

Please note that the conditions for the artistic assignment are described under the tabs. Click on the plus signs to read the text.

Application of Interest 

Professional artists are invited to submit an Application of Interest for this Art Commission. In your application, please fill in your contact information and  references to your previous works.

By submitting your Application of Interest, you also confirm that you have reviewed and accepted the conditions outlined in this Open Call.

  • The diary number for this Art Commission is KN 2024/1091.
  • Application deadline: 2024-12-08

Site Conditions

The total surface area that can be used for the artwork on the northern short side of the building is 17 x 11 meters. 

The area consists of a protruding lift hall (17 x 6 metres) covered with fibre cement, and a facade section of aluminium profiles (17 x 5 metres). The artwork can be attached to both of these surfaces. 

The lift hall is made of concrete with external fibre cement cladding (panels), which differs from the building’s other facade made of glass and aluminium in light, white-blue tones. 

The distance between the buildings ranges from 0.8 metres by the lift hall to a maximum of 1.2 metres. The artwork may protrude from the wall by a maximum of 10 centimetres.

It is possible to use different materials for the artwork, but not those that require significant maintenance, such as sound and light.

Requirements

Region Stockholm’s Art Commissions are subject to the following requirements:

  • The artwork(s) should be of high artistic value with sophisticated content, and contribute to a visually attractive environment.
  • The artworks(s) should relate to the health care environment’s specific characteristics and conditions, such as physical safety and accessibility aspects, transportation flows, etc.
  • The selection of materials and production methods should be guided by environmental sustainability. The artist awarded the commission is contractually bound to use as environmentally friendly materials as possible and to handle hazardous substances and waste products in an environmentally friendly way in compliance with current legislation. Chemicals not to be used are listed in Region Stockholm's document “Phase-out list for chemicals hazardous to the environment and human health”. The list will be provided when the sketch assignment is awarded.
  • The art acquired for Region Stockholm’s health care environments should be well adapted in terms of maintenance. The artist must present solutions for how the artwork should be managed and maintained and ensure that a sufficiently high level of sustainability is achieved.

Budget

  • The fee for the sketch proposal is 50,000 SEK, exclusive of VAT.
  • The budget for the art commission is 1,100,000 SEK, exclusive of VAT.

The artist is responsible for the budget

All costs connected to the execution of the artwork, such as the artist’s fee, copyright costs, material costs, subcontractors/assistants, travel, transportation, insurance, and storage until the time of installation, must be covered by this budget.

Mounting and installation will be funded and arranged by the Commissioning Agency.

Timetable

  • 2024-12-08 Application deadline at 24.00 hours
  • 2025 – February Decision on which artist will be invited to a sketch assignment
  • 2025 - June Artist selected for Art Commission
  • 2025 - June The production of the artwork begins
  • 2026 - April The artwork completed on site

The production of the artwork follows the construction project's general schedule. The timetable for the construction project is preliminary and may be subject to change.

Who can apply?

To be eligible for a public Art Commission for Region Stockholm, you must fulfil these following requirements:

  • You must be a professional artist.
  • When the commission is awarded to you, you must be able to send legally valid invoices in compliance with relevant tax regulations, for example by being registered for Swedish F-tax (as a sole trader or company). 

Assessment of Submitted Applications of Interest

The artist’s Application of Interest with CV and visual material of previous artworks form the basis of assessment.

Based on the criteria in the Art Commission's open call, a selection of artists who are deemed to have the experience and expertise necessary for carrying out the requested task will be made. 

Consistent with the diversity the visitors represent and the conditions of the site and the activities, four quality criteria will be taken into consideration in assessment situations:

  • richness of variations
  • content sustainability
  • material sustainability
  • accessibility

These four criteria will function as a tool in order to pose relevant and critical questions.

Awarding of a Sketch Assignment

Region Stockholm intends to invite two artists/artists groups to a sketch assignment. The sketch assignment does not automatically result in the awarding of the Art Commission. The artist is awarded the commission when the Agreement for the Implementation of a Public Art Commission has been signed.

The decision on which artists will be invited to a sketch assignment will be made by the Director of the Art Department, delegated by the Culture Committee. Artists who are invited to a sketch assignment will be notified by telephone or e-mail. Under current law, confidentiality applies for Region Stockholm until the decision on the awarding of the Art Commission has been made.

The decision on the awarding of the Art Commission will be published on Region Stockholm’s website in June, 2025.

Questions about the Open Call

For general information on our Art Commissions and requirements, please consult the webpage "Questions and Answers on Public Art Commission".

Specific questions concerning the project should be submitted in writing via the contact formular on this webpage. All questions received will be published together with the answers.

Submit your questions by December 1st, 2024 to receive an answer before the final application deadline.

To webpage for incoming Questions and answers

Language and Commissioning Agency

Language

The open call of this Art Commission is conducted in Swedish. A non-binding translation of the open call is available in English. Application to the open call can be done in both Swedish and English.

Commissioning Agency

Region Stockholm is the Commissioning Agency and will be party to the agreements with the artists. Region Stockholm’s Culture Administration manages the art project, which includes the application and selection process.

Svart-vit ritning av byggnader vid Södertälje sjukhus.
Possible surface area for the artwork is marked within the red frame.. Foto: Photo: architectural drawing from the construction project.
Svart-vit ritning av byggnader vid Södertälje sjukhus. Betraktningsavstånd markerat.
The space between the buildings is marked in red. The distance is very short.. Foto: Photo: architectural drawing from the construction project.
Svart-vit ritning av byggnader vid Södertälje sjukhus.
View from the west. The red arrow indicates the façade the artist will work on. . Foto: Photo: architectural drawing from the construction project.

Kontakta oss ­ E-mail about this Open Call

Contact the Culture Administration through this formular. The question and answer will be published on this website without your name. Remember not to send sensitive personal data.

Information

Region Stockholm är en offentlig verksamhet. Det innebär att meddelanden du skickar till förtroendevalda och tjänstemän blir allmän handling och kan begäras ut av allmänheten.

Application of Interest

Read all information in this Open Call before submitting your Application of Interest.

The Application of Interest will open as a web formular in a separate window.

The Art Commission will soon open for application.

  • Senast granskad: 4 november 2024