Artist Call-Out: Site-Specific Installation for Ilam Park (National Trust)

We are seeking an installation that celebrates 200 years of Ilam Hall. This site-specific installation will illuminate the estate’s layered heritage from its dramatic geological origins to its Iron Age and Roman-era past, through centuries of agricultural use and the many evolutions of Ilam Hall, to the present-day landscape enjoyed by local and visiting communities alike.

We seek work that helps people feel these histories: something playful, tactile, memorable, and emotionally engaging. The installation should make Ilam Park’s long story accessible and meaningful to all ages, including families, school groups, and visitors with varied access requirements. In this commission, we are interested in creative responses that:

• Engage families and visitors of all ages, encouraging curiosity, play, and shared discovery.
• Are fully accessible, thoughtfully designed for people with physical mobility needs, sensory sensitivities, neurodiversity, and mental health considerations.
• Focus on sustainability, using low-impact or reclaimed materials, and demonstrating responsible environmental thinking.
• Bring to life the multiple histories within Ilam Park, some of which may be new to local communities and visitors, including, but not limited to, its geological past (limestone landscapes, rivers, deep time); the settlement histories connected to the region; and present use.
• Respond to contemporary themes relating to agriculture, land stewardship, connection to nature and heritage, and the tourist landscape.

We are especially keen on proposals that connect these layers with themes of care for land, community belonging, and wellbeing; and on proposals that inform different ways of working in the future.

Deadline: Midnight on 30/3/26

Scoring 9th April
Commission Fee: £10,000
Location: National Trust Ilam Park, Staffordshire