Latitude festival caravan art competition returns

After a riotous debut in 2019, Latitude Festival’s Art Caravan competition returns for 2020.

Latitude has once again teamed up with Will Hardie, the master craftsman behind Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces and Shed of the Year, to offer several madcap designers grants of up £2,000 to build and showcase a conceptual caravan, camper or vehicle creation at this year’s festival, planned to take place from 16-19 July, 2020, in Henham Park, Suffolk.

The concept was a standout success at last year’s festival so promoters are upping the ante for 2020 with 14 grants of up to £2,000 for the boldest creators around. The concept is simple — turn a caravan, vehicle or trailer into something implausibly wonderful and Latitude will give it a home from home in Trailer Park, a haven of comical caravans, converted campers and magical mobile homes.

The hope is that Trailer Park will become a creative greenhouse for artists to present large-scale installations. Artists, architects, theatre-makers, performance groups and creators of all sorts, with an appetite for what makes a festival really sing, are being invited to submit their designs. 

A judging panel led by Will Hardie and Trailer Park directors, Roz and Hugo Jellett, will choose the best ideas (or the best sounding creators) and work with them to bring the wacky designs into being. Winners will be invited with a team of friends to host the creation at Latitude.

Will Hardie commented: “I’m so delighted to be involved for the second year in this competition — I love how Trailer Park supports the creative visions of people who would otherwise never have a chance to join the world of festivals, and the concept of harnessing the public’s passion for Latitude’s artistic values.

"The idea of transforming the humble caravan into so many wonderful and wacky creations is part of the story — but to then be given the opportunity to unveil your work at the most artistically respected festival in the UK is pure genius. From my television work, I have come to understand that Britain is home to so many alternative thinkers who demonstrate incredible vision, ingenuity and skill in the projects they build at home, and this competition coaxes them into the public eye.”

Some of the incredible ideas that materialised at Latitude 2019 included:

• Caravan-o-slide-o-saurus: A caravan turned into a slide coming out of a dinosaur's mouth
• Spiderman: The caravan was the spider's body and its huge legs spans around it
• Caravanaoke: Squash people into an old caravan to sing their favourite songs while the whole thing bounces on springs
• Sensorium: An interactive experimentation included smoke guns and slime
• Pop Up Potts: A pottery maker caravan
• Promo Oddity: A celebration of space cabaret, Birmingham style
• Keep Calm and Caravan: This looked ahead to year 2040 and the post Brexit landscape of high-rise caravans 
• Fire Garden: A pyro-technic installation based out of a horsebox.

Designers were asked to submit their ideas by 21 March, and we can't wait to see the creations unveiled!