Call for exhibition – DNA – Espace Solidor Museum

To be eligible for jurying, you must first pay the application fee. PayPal will then e-mail you a payment confirmation code which you will need to put in the appropriate field of the application form. Your submission will not be accepted until your PayPal payment is received :

To be eligible for jurying, you must pay the application fee first and use the confirmation payment code that will be emailed to you by Paypal in the appropriate field in the application form. Your submission will not be accepted until your payment is received. You can pay the application fee in the section 2, above.

(*) Mandatory Field (**) Madatory Field if you submit a 2nd piece.

Once the form has been submitted, you will receive an email with a copy of your application. Please check your spam or junk mail folder if you do not receive a message within 30 minutes of your submission. If there are any errors in your form, the incorrect fileds will be highlighted in red and stated below each incorrect field. Please check, correct and resend. 

If your application does not send, this means that something has gone wrong with your data input. Here’s what could have gone wrong: You may have missed out on a mandatory field; Your images are too large (Please check the requirements in the FAQ & TIPS section); You may not have ticked the final mandatory field confirming the Terms & Conditions. Please take the time to thoroughly read this whole page before submitting your application.

Who can participate ?

Any artist who makes contemporary art jewellery may apply, whether you have years of experience or a degree in art or not.

I’m a newbie, can I send my application ?

Of course you can! This exhibition is open to all; newly established makers, students, graduates and established makers alike. We based our final selection on the quality of the work submitted, but on your experience or CV. 

I’m student, can I send my application ?

Of course you can! We accept applications from students at any level.

Are group or brand applications are allowed ?

Unfortunately we are not able to accept group applications. Additionally we will not be able to accept applications from branded organisations. This exhibition is open to individual applications only.

I would like to submit one piece composed by several parts. They all are connected and it is important that the pieces be seen together. Is it possible to submit this group of multiple parts as one piece ?

Yes, you may submit a piece composed of different elements as one piece as long as each part is fully realised.

Can I sell my work?

This Museum exhibition is only to show Contemporary Jewelry to the visitors, the works are not for sale.

If I am selected, when and how will my work be returned to me ? Will I have to wait a long time ?

All pieces will be returned to their artist once the exhibitions are finished at museum’s charge. When the exhibition will be finished, the museum will return the pieces to Alliages, and Allliages will send the pieces to each artist. This is a long task, packaging and shipping may take several weeks. We will use a basic and simple postage, with tracking, not insured or declared value, so should you require something more secure, please do let us know once the exhibitions are finished and we will be happy to help with your request. Please note however that this will need to be arranged by the artist and will be at your own expense.

If I need my work back for another exhibition or event, can I remove it from this exhibition at any point and have it returned ?

Unfortunately you can’t. Once you submit your work for this application and if selected, you have the choice to decline your acceptance. The application fee will not be reimboursed.

Can I send my application other format ? For example, could it be emailed, sent via WeTransfer, Dropbox or similar ?

Sadly not; the only way to apply for this exhibition is by using the application form on the Alliages website. This guarantees that we have all necessary information that we need in order to fully consider your application. Please don’t forget to carefully read the instructions about submitting images: format, size, caption, statement, etc … If these instructions are not followed, sadly your application will not be taken into consideration.

I made a mistake on my first application and need to amend it; can I apply again ?

Sadly not; we will only accept the first application received from each artist. This is why we suggest that you read through all of the Terms & Conditions and FAQ & Tips before submitting your application.

I want to submit 2 pieces. Can I do several applications? 

We will only accept one application per artist, the first done.

I’m not sure I will be able to finish the piece in time before the submission date; can I send a draft or work-in-progress ?

Unfortunately not; on this occasion we are only accepting finished piece for this submission.

What do you mean by « Statement for this exhibition » ? Why does my text to be in English ? And why this text is limited to 500 characters ?

In asking you for a “Statement for this exhibition” we asking for you to write a statement that relates the piece(s) you are submitting to the chosen theme of the exhibition. Your text must be written in English, as the show will be presented to an international audience, both online and in physical spaces, where English will most likely be the common language. Having all texts in English for this exhibition allows us to present the show as a whole and respect each artist’s concept more honestly. The limitation of characters in your text allows for more consistency amongst all submitted texts and for catalog purposes.

Is all information in the image « captions » mandatory ? Why do I have to follow the instructions (line 1, line 2, etc …) ? What happens if I don’t do it this way ? And can I caption my images on my way ?

All captions indicated in the application form are mandatory; we ask that you detail them in the below way :

line 1 : jewel type, title, year
line 2 : materials used, dimensions (in mm)
line 3 : techniques/preocesses used
line 4 : name of photographer/© picture (if applicable)

Only the 4th line is optional, subject to whether the image has a copyright or was taken by anyone other than you. You do not need to write the « line # », only the data.

We ask that all artists present this information in this way, so as to ensure that everything is clearly communicated to the selection committee/ jury and is easy to share with an international audience. If the requested information is not sent this way and in this order, your application may not be considered.

Why do I have to rename my images in a specific name ? What happens if I name them differently ?

All images must be labelled in the same way; this allows us to manage your images better and more easily. We ask that you rename your image files in the following way: 

your-name_title_number-of-view (either 1, 2 or 3)

To separate words, please use a dash (-) and to separate lines, please use an underscore (_)

Please do not use any spaces in the filename; you may use dash (-) or underscore (_) instead.

If your image files are not labelled in this way, we will have to discard your application, as we will not be able to find the images on the database.

What does the « Consent » condition mean ?

The first sentence of this condition means that you allow us to use your submitted images and texts to promote this exhibition at any point in our future communications.

The second sentence (“Assignment of the right of media reproduction granted by the ARTIST is non-exclusive, non-transferable, unlimited territory for the distribution of reproductions.”) means that the ARTIST remains the owner of their images at all times (non-transferable) but that they allow us to use it for communication & promotional purposes (non-exclusive).

How to know if the quality of my images is good enough or not ?

Here is some advice of how to take an acceptable photo of your work:

We request that your work be photographed against a white background with good lighting; avoid using a flash as this may alter the natural colours of your work when photographed. Natural daylight can most often be the best and truest way to light an object in order to reflect the true colours in a representational image. Be sure to choose the correct lighting mode on your photographic device, for the same reasons stated above.  The white backgroud is requested for ad and catalog purposes.

Most cameras or photo editing software (such as Photoshop, Gimp, etc) will let you know the size of your image as well as the number of pixels (dpi); you can usually find this information in the image properties. 

For your image files to be accepted, a definition of 75 dpi and a photo size of 2000x2000px is largely enough for the low resolution ones. If, despite making these adjustments, your image is still too heavy (more than 700 kb), you should be able to easily reduce it’s weight by using your usual photo editing software or a simple program like Paint, Gimp, Photoshop, etc.

For the high resolution images, a definition of 300dpi and a jpeg compression of 95% is mandatory.

Why must I pay an application fee ? Is there an additional fee to pay if I’m selected ?

Alliages receive no funding or support from any state or private organisation; we work as a collective. This guarantees our freedom of choices in any and all decisions but also means that we don’t have a reserve of funding for shows and exhibitions. The founders of Alliages volunteer their time and experience without any financial gain, so when it comes to putting on a show or event, we ask for a modest application fee which enables us to finance it. This is why we ask for an application fee.

There is no fee to pay once the artist is selected.

How do I pay the application fee ? And why do I pay this fee before submitting my application ?

We ask that all artists wishing to apply for this exhibition use our online application form found on this page. You will be directed to a PayPal page, where you will be able to pay with your PayPal account or any credit card. 

Paying your fee first allows us to better match the application with the payment. This is also why we ask you to put your PayPal payment reference in a specific field on the application form.

Do I need to pay the application fee on the same day that I sublit my application ?

We recommend that you do, this helps us to better match the payment and the application. 

How should I package up my work to send ? Can I send my pieces by regular post ? Where do I have to send my works if I’m selected ?

You are welcome to send your work to us in any way that suits you best. Please do bear in mind though that regular postage will not always ensure that your work arrives safely or undamaged. When sending your work by mail or by carrier, we suggest that you take some precautions and send it as securely as you can. This way your items will arrive in perfect condition, ready to be exhibited. 

Cardboard boxes are always a safe bet when shipping work and ideally we suggest wrapping your pieces up in several layers of bubble wrap (or similar). If using a cardboard box, it’s also a good idea to pad out the box, so that your work doesn’t move about in the box during shipping.

All pieces must be sent to the Alliages Gallery in Lille, France. More details will follow for those that are selected.

Do I need to have my own insurance ?

All the transportations (artist to gallery, gallery to museum, museum to gallery & gallery to artist) are not covered by the insurances. This said, we recommend that you arrange some form of insurance for when your work is in transit (Alliages’s and museum’s insurances do NOT cover transportation).

What happens if my work is selected but once received by it does not fit the selection criteria ?

It is possible that your work could be selected but once received, it does not fit with our selection criteria. This rarely happens but on the occasion that it has, it has been due to technical or construction issues. In these cases, your work will not be exhibited and will be returned to you at your own expense.

What happens if the piece sent is not the same than sent as the one submitted in my application ?

If you are selected for this exhibition, it will have been based on the images of the work you submitted. Should you send us anything other than what you submitted your work will not be shown and will be returned to you at your own expense. The application fee will not be refunded.

IMAGE TIPS

Format

• You can send images in the following formats: either 1:1 (squared) or 4/3. However, if the work allows, we prefer a 1:1 format. 
• We request that your work be photographed against a white background with good lighting; avoid using a flash as this may alter the natural colours of your work when photographed. 
• Natural daylight can most often be the best and truest way to light an object in order to reflect the true colours in a representational image. 
• Be sure to choose the correct lighting mode on your photographic device, for the same reasons stated above. 
• Be sure work is well centred in the image.
• Ensure that your piece is completely in focus in your image and not blurry.

Size / Resolution / Extension

• Low resolution pictures : A good size for your image would be 2000x2000px per side with a resolution of 75dpi with a .jpg | .jpeg file, with 85% quality.
• Hig resoution picture for catalog purposes : A good size is 4000px per side with a resolution of 300 with a .jpg | .jpeg file, with 95% quality. 
• If your low resolution files do not fit the size requirements, you can decrease the number of pixels, dpi or jpeg quality in order to fit to the required size.

Views

For every piece submitted, we require one alternative view (up/down or front/back) and where possible a view of the piece being worn. This helps us better contextualise your piece and see as much of it as we can in order to make our final selection.

The main view must be sent also in a High Resolution format.

Naming

Image files must be named in this way:

your-name_title_number-of-view (either 1, 2 or 3) 

Example:
– Your name is “Jane Doe”
– The title of the piece is “Black Hole”
– You send 2 views

The image files for this piece should be labelled as follows:

Jane-Doe_Black-Hole_1.jpg & Jane-Doe_Black-Hole_2.jpg

To separate words, please use a dash (-) and to separate lines, please use an underscore (_)

Please do not use any spaces in the filename; you may use dash (-) or underscore (_) instead.

Captions

Captions must follow the below format:
line 1 : jewel type, title, year
line 2 : materials used, dimensions (in mm)
line 3 : techniques/ processes used
line 4 : name of photographer/© picture (if applicable)

Only the 4th line is optional, subject to whether the image has a copyright or was taken by anyone other than you.