The call for entries for the first annual environmental art "Beheshtestan," exclusively for artists in all fields and trends of art and architecture, was announced in the Abbasabad Cultural and Tourism Zone.

In line with its mission to enhance social vitality and recover civic identities, and with a focus on supporting urban creative ideas and capabilities, the Abbasabad Cultural and Tourism Zone announces the "Beheshtestan" design and implementation call for entries to provide design and implementation, specifically in one of the parks of this complex called "Behesht-e Madaran Park" as detailed below.

Artists in the fields of visual arts, architecture, and other experimental and general artistic trends related to the call, groups, institutions and art centers, higher education institutions, secretariats, and art organizations in various institutions and organizations are invited to submit their ideas and designs in the form of environmental, participatory urban art, with priority given to implementation on horizontal and ground surfaces, landscapes and connected facades to this call's secretariat. Artistic creations in this section can be defined and designed in all fields of visual arts, installations, performances, etc.

The design and implementation of "Beheshtestan," as an activity integrated with urban spaces, is considered an interactive sub-branch of "participatory art," which aims to create a relationship between people and the environment, strengthen the sense of familiarity among citizens with the ideas created based on artistic and creative elements in horizontal and vertical surfaces in different areas of the Behesht-e Madaran Park, and is designed and implemented in accordance with cultural and social contexts.

Vision:

"Beheshtestan" has various functions, including reminding environmental memorabilia, alleviating the tedium present in the movement and social life of citizens by relying on space joy, improving the landscape of Behesht-e Madaran Park by creating a mental image of tangible history-memories, interactive approaches, and the ability to integrate with public discourse. The ideas of Beheshtestan, with the help of accessible materials, resources, and the ability to utilize modern technologies, are designed in a way that increases audience participation in encountering the forthcoming creation and facilitates mutual interaction between people and the artwork. Artists in the presented works have the opportunity to explore, engage in individual and group games, "create," cooperate, get involved with the artwork, and interact with others. The created works are designed with reference to aspects such as execution techniques, the material used, color, positioning, location, extent, and elasticity to facilitate audience engagement with the work.

Approach:

Support from the Abbasabad Cultural and Tourism Zone in creating opportunities for designing and implementing artists' creative ideas in public spaces and gamification of the environment and landscape through "imagining" connection and belonging and delaying the tedium of "presence" with artistic creation.

Goals:

• Strengthening social interactions, aligning artists and citizens in enhancing the sense of belonging to the environment.
• Creating a sense of suspension in urban presence through the joy of space.
• Producing the capacity for social and visual critique and citizenship rights in the form of a participatory artistic creation.
• Improving the mental image of the park and developing the vitality of the public environment by creating joy and dynamism in the park's environment.
• Providing pleasant visual norms, diversity, and readability in the environment, flexibility, sensory richness, and everything that enhances positive environmental factors.
• Providing a platform for the emergence and implementation of artistic ideas and creations with various interactive and social expressive methods.
• Strengthening the spirit of participation and practicing teamwork and experience sharing. (It is recommended that artists prioritize creating participatory and group-oriented creations in their design and implementation of works.)

Features of Submitted Ideas and Designs:

1- The proposed designs should have high audience acceptance and be capable of implementation in the public space of Behesht-e Madaran Park with the possibility of using environmental and social artistic techniques. (In using materials, resources, and colors, special attention should be paid to resistance against wear, aging, and destruction. The use of traffic colors or other materials that can maintain their quality during implementation is emphasized. The durability of the work in this call is estimated to be "permanent," "non-permanent," or "semi-permanent" with medium durability (maximum one year).

2- Providing a space for interaction with the audience to familiarize citizens with the process of creating the artwork by artists is essential for implementation. Therefore, the design and implementation of related interactive performances is an integral part of the project.

3- The surfaces considered for this call include walls, facades, pedestrian paths, walkways, squares, park entrances, pavilions, furniture, and forest space suitable for green areas.

4- Each artist or art group can submit more than one proposal for this call, and the selection and judging committee can select up to two proposals from each artist and two executions for each proposal.

5- If the proposals possess artistic and social features and are suitable for urban space, the selection and judging committee can choose the selected proposals for implementation in more than one location within the Abbasabad Cultural and Tourism Zone.

6- The area allocated for each focused or scattered proposal implementation is a maximum of 50 square meters.

7- The maximum number of executions for the selected proposals is two times. Therefore, the initial determination and suggestion of execution locations and presentation of the work are the responsibilities of the artist or art group. However, the final decision on the execution location and the size of each work will be communicated by the curator and the call secretary.

8- Performing an interactive performance and creating a non-rigid visual report (video, video art, etc.) of 59 seconds with characteristics specified by the secretariat (requirement to use slogans, related images of the event, etc.) are essential execution requirements for the works.

9- The accepted proposals and ideas will be reviewed for placement in the proposed areas by the artists under the supervision of the call curator, representing the council, and will be developed and edited for suitability in public spaces if needed.

10- The timing of the artists' presence in the placement and adaptation sessions under the supervision of the selection and judging committee and the curator, as mentioned in the call schedule, is non-negotiable and cannot be extended. Artists who do not participate in site visits and final placement of their proposals within this timeframe will be removed from the list of accepted works and artists in this call.

11- Description of services, estimate, and payment for the executed works in this call are as follows:

A- Description of Services:

Thorough washing and cleaning of the execution site with an environmental social perspective, and if focused on surface and traffic paint techniques, using water jet, air jet, wire brush, etc.; complete drying of the execution site; purchase or provision of tools and equipment, execution and labor costs, necessary execution materials and supplies (all consumable materials, connections, traffic paint, primer coat, clothing, etc.); one interactive performance with citizens for at least five hours and creating a 59-second documentary video and presenting a documented report of each site-executed work in the form of five A4 pages. (All mentioned services are separately provided for each execution.)

B- Estimate:

The total cost of the execution services detailed in section A is paid for each execution. (If the final selection of the work does not match the material and supplies estimate, and only with the decision and determination of the selection and judging committee, the amount can be increased up to 15 percent.

• If the location is approved and a re-execution is assigned for a proposal, 40% to 70% of the approved amount in the first execution will be added to the artist's contract at the discretion of the judging and selection committee.

General conditions of the call:

1- The review, expert opinion, approval, or rejection of proposals is the responsibility of the selection and judging committee.

2- Considering the call for proposals is open to all art specialists, architects, and various academic and practical levels, the capacity for participation is available to all interested audiences and enthusiasts in this field.

3- To facilitate and enhance communication with the selection and judging committee and to record related information in the documentation of Abbasabad Cultural and Tourism Zone, it is recommended to submit a biography, a summary of artistic activities, and the artist or art group's resume in one A4 page.

4- The responsibility for executing the accepted proposals lies with the artist or art group owning the proposal. If execution is not possible, the selected proposal will be removed from the execution list of the call.

5- Compliance with all copyright and design laws is the responsibility of the sender of the works, and they are accountable for all legal consequences. If at any stage of submitting the proposal, during various expert and judging phases, or during or after the execution of the proposals, the non-authenticity of a proposal is confirmed, legal actions will be taken according to the decision of the selection and judging committee and relevant managers.

6- It is essential to pay attention to environmental issues and the preservation of national assets (trees, flowers, plants, etc.) when designing and executing the work in the park.

7- Artists who refuse to continue executing the work for personal reasons or fail to complete the work with the desired quality and in the specified time frame and conditions will not receive any payment. In case of potential damages, compensation will be pursued according to customary legal clauses in related contracts.

8- Decision-making in unforeseen cases is the responsibility of the curator representing the Abbasabad Cultural and Tourism Zone.

Submission Time and Method:

All forms for submitting works in each section can be downloaded from the Abbasabad Renewal Company channel at http://t.me/abasabadecopark. Artists should submit all necessary registration and submission materials to: @abasabadecoparkPR (Telegram) and https://eitaa.com/abasabadecoparkPR (Eitaa).

• 3D design files (hand-drawn or computer-generated) in jpg format in A3 size with 300 dpi resolution are acceptable. The description of services, definition and explanation of the design, and its analysis are integral parts of the submission materials.

Call Timeline:

Deadline for registration and submission of works: December 16

Announcement of the first stage accepted candidates: December 21

Editing and placement sessions for the proposals: January 1 and 2

Exact start date for artists: January 3

• The deadline for submission of works and the dates for placement sessions are non-extendable. Artists who do not conduct site visits to the introduced locations and finalize the placement of their proposals within the specified times will be removed from the list of accepted works and artists in this call.

Secretariat:

Address: Shahid Haqqani Highway (south to north), beginning of Kavian Street, Behesht-e Madaran Park.

Contact Phone: 02122881116