Fierce Jams is a new, ongoing, and nomadic performance series that indulges in small-scale experiments in contemporary performance and live art. It is an excuse for Birmingham’s performance community to gather and to develop their practice in conversation with each other. Each edition features 4 local artists – selected through a mixture of invitations and an open call – plus a guest national or international artist. With a keen desire for new collaborations across the city, Fierce Jams is an attempt to refute the models of scarcity imposed upon our present artistic ecology while insisting on experimentation as an essential ingredient to artistic practice.
The first edition of Fierce Jams will be on Saturday, 11 April 2026 and will be set in a public swimming pool, with further dates/spaces throughout the year to be announced. A host of Birmingham arts organisations will be playing host to future Fierce Jams in their venues, and supporting artists who are taking part.
Expression of Interest
We are now seeking expressions of interest from Birmingham-based live artists and contemporary performance makers for Fierce Jams for Spring/Summer 2026. This will be a rolling application. Please apply by Monday 2 March 2025, 9.30 am for consideration for the first edition of Fierce Jams (Saturday, 11 April 2026).
Fierce Jams will function as a series of scratch performances – jams. We are open to what exactly these small-scale experiments will entail. They can take the form of an action or an intervention; they can be sound-, movement- or text-based; they can be relational or discursive; they could be short or long. These experiments are an opportunity to be site-responsive and make work for new, perhaps unfamiliar contexts. The jams should be conceived as low- to no- tech, with limited access to the space on the day of the performance.
We’re not expecting fully finished performances and, indeed, privilege the opposite. We will gather as a community of artists and art-lovers and to watch folks do something.
While we imagine each edition will last between 1 to 2 hours, the length of individual jams will be determined in relation to the other selected artists and in conversation with the Fierce team. Fierce Jams will centre artists and will re-shape itself based on their artistic impulses and desires.
Eligibility
This open call is only for artists based in Birmingham who work in contemporary performance or live art.
Application Process
Proposals should be no longer than 300 words (or a 3-minute video or voice note) plus a link to your artist website or a CV or some examples of your work. The process is kept intentionally simple: we want to know who you are and the kind of work you’ve made and/or are generally interested in making. As this is a rolling application, we do not need to know what you intend to do at this stage.
Selection Process
The selection process will prioritise artists working in contemporary performance or live art and will be based around our desire to represent a wide range of forms, content, and performance strategies; intentionally presenting emerging and experienced practitioners side-by-side.
Fee: Fierce will provide each artist with a £300 fee, plus up to £50 in materials. As this open call is specifically for artists based in Birmingham, we do not offer travel or accommodation costs for the local artists.
Deadline: Monday 2 March 2025, 9.30am for the first edition of Fierce Jams on 11 April (we won’t penalise applications a few minutes late but please respect your peers by not sending applications hours or days late).
We will notify selected artists for the first edition by Friday 6 March 2025 to confirm their involvement and will work closely with them to discuss the parameters of the performance in relation to the other artists and to the performance space.
Rolling Application Process
As this is an ongoing series, you will have the opportunity to opt-in to be considered for future iterations of Fierce Jam during the application process. We will reach out for clarification if we do not believe you meet the minimum eligibility requirements (based in Birmingham and working in contemporary performance/live art). We will be as communicative and transparent as possible throughout this process.
If you have any questions about the application process, or participating in Fierce Jams, contact Clayton Lee, Artistic Director via clayton@wearefierce.org.