A new €4.4m European arts commissioning fund, Meta, is to be based in Glasgow and run by the festivals and events charity UZ Arts. The fund has been established by In-Situ, the pan-European network of festivals, with cash from In-Situ’s 19 partners and this has been match-funded by European Union Culture Funds. UZ Arts will be the commissioning agent for Meta in the UK and Ireland. It will be commissioning work over five years, from 2011 until 2016, building links across 19 cultural organisations from 14 European countries, particularly Central Europe. The focus will be on the creation of new work for urban public spaces. Neil Butler, UZ Arts and UK and Ireland representative of In-Situ, described the fund as being “committed to supporting work that crosses borders, styles and genres and inspires local communities to engage with the arts”. The commissioning will link to three major themes: European metamorphoses, or how large-scale artistic offerings can renew public spaces; Walk in progress, urban walks, strolls and city tours; and Shared cities, in which the artistic creations draw inspiration from the territories and their inhabitants. In-Situ has in the past been the catalyst for a number of productions that premiered in Scotland and then toured Europe’s major festivals. Each production has been a pan-European collaboration, bringing together artists from all over Europe. Guidelines for artists and organisations interested in a Meta commission are on the In-Situ website.
