Since 2014 over 150 creators have been given grants to help them realise their wildest ideas, and become part of one of the strangest design communities in the country. We are pleased to announce that the 2022 search is underway, and this might just be the creative circus that you always wanted to run away with!
We are looking for jaw-dropping and bewildering caravan-based ideas to join Trailer Park – we seek fresh designers, artists, engineers, technicians, builders, architects, and dreamers and ask them to emerge from their cerebral laboratories with some preposterous inventions.
We will offer up to thirty cash grants to help you make your own caravan projects come to life at Electric Picnic, ranging from €500 to €4000, if an exceptional idea is proposed. These bursaries are not for your labour; they are for materials or skills you do not have. We are looking for projects that stand on their own as installations, independent of performances or activities, although these may well accompany and complete the installation. They do not need to be roadworthy, but it would definitely help if they were. They do need to be safe.
The key word to consider is that these caravans need to be INTERACTIVE.
They need to be about the design of the exterior as well as the interior, and applicants should think about lighting as the area of Electric Picnic operates at night-time as well as daytime.
Be realistic: this project will require a significant time investment, and the ability to adhere to firm deadlines, and is going to need to be fuelled by both artistic and practical passion.
The number of crew passes required to host your venue for the three full days of the festival will be assessed on an individual basis; the maximum number of passes that will be provided to a single project for this purpose will be 9.
Likely questions:
How many grants are awarded?
Up to 30, including some proposals which may be selected but not funded if deemed deliverable without our help.
When may I apply for a grant?
The deadline for emailed grant proposals is 18th May, at 11:59 AM. No exceptions. If you are reading this, the application process is now open for 2022.
When will I know if I’ve been awarded a grant?
Most final decisions will be made by 6th June, and you will be notified on or before 16th June if you are or are not successful.
What if I have an idea, but not a caravan?
We have access to a very limited number of caravans, livestock boxes and other vehicles that can be made available, but these will remain the property of Trailer Park after the festival. We thoroughly advise that you go in search of your own caravan or horsebox or trailer – the country is full of them, often people will be delighted for you to take them away, and we prefer to see older caravans being remodelled, rather than modern ones. Those who provide their own caravan/vehicle will retain ownership of their caravan project at the conclusion of the event. If storage after the festival is going to be an issue, do please talk to us.
Should I be awarded a grant, how much will I receive?
This varies from project to project, but grants normally pay for only a portion of production costs – predominantly to cover material costs, but not for your own labour or time. Designers should be ready to provide other methods and sources of funding if they are going to be needed, and illustrate an effort to encourage collaboration and co-operation with other practitioners in Ireland. You are more likely to be awarded a grant if you are asking for an amount that is on the lower end of the range—but equally do not shy from thinking on a big scale.
When and how will I receive money?
A schedule of payment is developed for each project, agreeable to you, to ensure delivery of the final work. Usually 50% right away and the rest on completion, but we can do whatever is needed to facilitate you.
When does the complete piece need to be delivered or collected?
Your caravan must be in position by the 27th August at Stradbally Hall. Further work on the caravan can be completed onsite, but the caravan itself MUST be available for positioning onsite on that date.
Who is responsible for keeping my installation safe?
Festival Security will be responsible for anti-vandalism measures in the weeks running up to the event, but you should make sure your caravan is lockable and safe. During the Festival, you are wholly responsible. Trailer Park will provide infrastructure to stop festival-goers from going where they shouldn’t.
Ensuring your creation does not physically harm anyone is a key responsibility of the designer.
Are residential caravans (creations which provide bedding) eligible?
No. This competition promotes interactivity and artwork, although caravans can have the functional aspects of sleeping areas included etc.
What are your criteria for awarding grant?
– Whether we like it.
– Interactivity with festival-goers. Interactive design brings people together around it, provoking reactions and creating roles and transforming voyeurs into active contributors. (Sometimes, the mere act of encounter (such as a mobile sculpture) is sufficient, but most of the time more is needed).
– The thoroughness of your proposal, including a detailed budget, a construction schedule, and at least one drawing. Make it easy for us to choose you.
– Response to the theme of ‘Trailer Park’.
Does ownership of the caravan/vehicle remain with the designer/maker?
If the designer/maker owns the caravan or vehicle, yes. It should be noted that photographs and video of the caravan will be taken and used to promote the area by the organisers.
What happens to these installations after the Festival?
The creators must leave the site ‘greenfield’. ALL building materials and rubbish must be removed prior to the festival, and the site must be left without trace after the structure is removed.
A note from the Artistic Director, Roz Jellett:
“In Trailer Park we really do just set out to make people laugh, inspire and engage – with project that marry creativity, participation and style. This competition loves a good host, so if you have a gang of friends who like to make people around you have fun, simply think of how you might do that in the most unusual way, and either inside or in front of a room on wheels.”
Past submissions have included:
1. To Let – A team of real estate agents try to sell a decrepid caravan to passers-by
2. Caravan Club Extravanaganza – the front side folds down to become a stage for bands
3. Garda check-point – a police van checking passers-by for inebriation
4. Crappervan – yes one of them
5. Narnia – into a caravan and out the back is a snowy kingdom
6. Tow Ho Ho – a caravan full of Christmas cheer, carols, drunk Santa.
7. Trailer Tower – a viewing platform in a caravan that is craned into the sky
We have had Undertakers, Sound Studios, Redneck Theatres, Karaoke, Crazy Golf, Hot tubs, Seaweed baths, Pantimimes, Graffiti shops, Ceile sessions, Alpine snow scenes…..
