The Welcoming Campus Commissions

Deadline: 1 December 2025

A render of a cream university building surrounded by people and green spaces.

Render of North East Quadrant. Courtesy of Shepard Robson Architects

UP Projects have been appointed to commission three new public artworks for the North East Quadrant (NEQ) development at the University of Southampton’s Highfield campus. UP Projects in partnership with John Hansard Gallery are currently seeking expressions of interest from artists who wish to be considered for one of these commissions currently titled Play the Campus.

All three commissions will respond to the themes laid out in The Welcoming Campus: Art People and Nature in Dialogues - the public art strategy for NEQ also developed by UP Projects. It is envisaged that the public art offer for the NEQ will activate the designs for the public realm and support the University’s broader ambitions to create a welcoming, inclusive and sustainable place for students, staff and neighbouring communities to enjoy. 

Public art is envisaged to be developed through meaningful engagement with University communities, local partners, and the wider city, encouraging shared ownership and the exchange of knowledge. As the NEQ evolves, it is hoped that public art will serve as a unifying thread between the campus’s green and blue spaces.

Key Principles 

  1. Connecting Communities: The new commissions will encourage collaboration and dialogue between the campus, local partners, and the wider city. 
  2. Reflecting Diversity: The new commissions should be accessible, engaging, and inclusive; and enable people from all backgrounds to see themselves reflected in the public realm. 
  3. Responding to Nature: The new commissions will be integrated into the landscape to celebrate ecological systems and respect natural materials. 
  4. Supporting Environmental Sustainability: The new commissions will prioritise environmental sustainability from the outset. 

Themes:  

  1. Knowledge Exchange: Promote non-hierarchical dialogue and sharing ideas between the University, city, and its wider communities. 
  2. Wellbeing: Enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of the campus community, offering moments of pause and calm in the busy academic setting. 
  3. Play: Putting play at the centre of the campus experience, inviting intergenerational users to be creative in their interaction with their surroundings. 

All artists commissioned to work on commissions at NEQ will be expected to respond to the public art strategy aligning with the principles and themes. To download the full public art strategy please click here.

Play the Campus: Open Call

UP Projects in partnership with John Hansard Gallery are seeking expressions of interest from artists who wish to be considered for Play the Campus, an exciting new commissioning opportunity that looks to realise a series of playful interventions across NEQ.  

This opportunity is aimed at a socially engaged artist with experience of producing high quality work in the public realm. We particularly encourage expressions of interest from artists who have a connection to or existing knowledge of Southampton.  

Please refer to the eligibility criteria below and if you are able to demonstrate that you align with this criteria please do consider applying:

  • Demonstrable experience of producing high quality permanent work in the public realm.
  • Experience of the complexities of working in the public realm and on projects with multiple stakeholders.
  • Demonstrable experience of inspiring playful engagement through public art .
  • Demonstrable experience of sensitively engaging communities in the creation of creative/public art projects. 
  • A commitment to championing diverse voices and narratives in the public realm .
  • A commitment to environmental responsibility and considering the environment when conceiving projects.

How to Apply 

Please download the full open call document by clicking on the button on the right.

If you would like to respond to this Open Call, please send an expression of interest by 12pm, Monday 1 December 2025 to info@upprojects.com. This should be sent as a single PDF document of no more than 10Mb that includes: 

  • Cover note of one A4 page outlining why you are interested in this opportunity
  • Artist biography, including contact details
  • Up to four case studies of previous work that are relevant to this opportunity and respond to the criteria outlined in the Eligibility section (Max 4 pages)
  • Confirmation of your availability in 2026 to accommodate this project alongside other commitments (1/2 page)
  • Details of your connection to Southampton or the surrounding area if/as applicable (1/2 page)