NEWS RELEASES
BERLIN EMBASSY INTEGRATED ART SELECTION PROCESS BEGINS
April 17, 2001
BERLIN EMBASSY INTEGRATED ART
SELECTION PROCESS BEGINS
Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley today called on Canadian professional artists to take part
in a three-stage selection process commissioning integrated fine art and design for Canada's
newest embassy.
"Promoting Canadian values and culture abroad is an important pillar of our foreign policy," said
Mr. Manley. "The new Canadian Embassy in Berlin will provide an excellent international stage
to showcase our vibrant, engaging and diverse culture in the heart of Europe. We are committed
to a fair and transparent process to identify qualified candidates for the Embassy's integrated art.
That is why we are today inviting professional artists to take part in this exciting process."
The Embassy is scheduled to open in 2004. It will be the first Canadian Embassy to be
constructed in a G-8 capital since those built in Washington in 1989 and Tokyo in 1991. The
prominent site at the junction of Leipziger Platz and Potsdamer Platz was purchased by Canada in
1998.
In stage one, artists are asked to submit their credentials, slides, a statement of interest and a
completed Agreement to Propose and Consent Form to the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade. In stage two, site-specific concepts for public artworks will be requested. In
stage three, commissioned artists will work with members of the project design team to develop
and refine the concepts, materials, fabrication and implementation plans for the art.
Integrated fine art and design may be fabricated as discrete units, installed over or applied in
place of finished surfaces, or constructed as part of the actual architectural finishes or
embellishments (e.g., as patterns and designs in walls, floors, glazing, lighting or other
architectural elements).
Selected artists or artist teams will become members of the mission design team, collaborating
with the Department, the architects and the public art manager to develop integrated public art
and design concepts for specific locations in the Embassy.
The Call to Artists information package is available on-line at
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/Art-Berlin or by contacting:
Call to Artists
Fax: (613) 941-2568
E-mail: srmz@dfait-maeci.gc.ca (Mark Call to Artists in the subject line.)
Submissions must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. EDT on May 24, 2001.
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Sanjeev Chowdhury
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
|