Last month, Dazed teamed up with global arts and culture platform Circa to launch the Class of 2021 – a new initiative which invited young video artists from around the world to submit a short film in response to the theme ‘Communion’. After receiving 2,000 applications, 700 submitted artworks, and over 30 hours of video footage, 30 emerging artists were selected to make up the acclaimed Class of 2021, having their work displayed in London, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Now – in honour of its one-year anniversary – Circa is dedicating its digital platform to a month-long public investigation of the question: Where do we go from now?
So far, key responders have included Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, performance artist Marina Abramović, visual artist Nikita Gale, architect Indy Johar, and philosopher and writer Tom Whyman. However, the platform has also opened up a public call for responses on its website, in an effort to connect public art with public debate.
One lucky winner who answers the question will be chosen at random to have their response displayed on London’s Piccadilly lights, and will receive a free, signed 51st edition Weiwei print. The print – which is worth £5,000 – was created last October as part of the #CIRCAECONOMY initiative, where established artists create original prints to help fund the next generation of artistic talent.
According to Circa, the project also leads up to the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place in November. The brand explained in a statement: “‘Where do we go from now?’ harnesses today’s global moment of unpredictable flux to propose routes toward more inclusive, more creative, and fairer societies, placing a focus on the shared “now” of this unique post-crisis moment, rather than the divided “here” of our individual circumstances.”
Leading up to the conference, Circa will release its first-ever print publication – a “roadmap to the future” – which will feature responses to its investigation throughout. The magazine will be distributed during the Frieze Art Fair in London and at events before COP26 takes place in Glasgow.
The ‘Where do we go from now?’ winner will be chosen on October 30. Send your response to the question here.