We are pleased to be supporting a new commissioning opportunity for UK-based disabled artists. Apply now to create new work responding to urban barriers faced by disabled people, to be exhibited at UCL East.
Deadline for applications: 9am GMT 16 February 2026
UCL supported by Shape Arts are looking to commission a UK-based artist to create an artwork to bring recent urban accessibility research to life. To make these issues visible and tangible; sparking dialogue with the public, challenging assumptions, and influencing policymakers to take meaningful action.
There is a £3000 commissioning fee for an original piece of art, inclusive of additional access and travel expenses.
Background
Over the past year, the National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT) has conducted pioneering research into the barriers disabled people face when navigating UK streets. This research highlights not just physical obstacles, but the deep emotional and social impacts of inaccessibility.
This exhibition aims to showcase kinetic, engaging, and accessible artworks that respond to lived experiences of disabled people in the UK. The exhibit will be anchored by a central focal piece, to which the other pieces of the exhibit will contribute to.
The exhibition will be held at UCL, London, with work also photographed for inclusion in the exhibit report and strategic vision. The exhibition will be attended by policymakers, advocacy groups, and members of the public, ensuring that your work has visibility at the highest levels.
Our goal is to grow the exhibit into a continuous programme of collaborations between disabled artists and academic researchers. Selected artists will continue to be part of this evolving network.Explore NCAT’s research
About the research
Building on the research we have conducted into streetscape barriers, our chosen artist is invited to respond to one or more of the following streetscape themes that emerged from the research:
- Feeling invisible
- Burdened with adjusting to society
- Exhaustion
- Unpredictability
What we’re looking for
The piece should be a tactile and spatial installation that communicates the reality of navigating inaccessible streets. Your piece will form the centrepiece of the exhibit.
We particularly encourage pieces that are participatory, using materials and structure to evoke restriction, barriers and the daily reality of the four themes above.
In addition we are looking for:
- Disabled artists working in any medium, that invite reflection rather than instruction. We welcome film/moving image works too.
- Draw from materials, objects or textures that are found in the streetscape.
- Commitment to making the exhibition accessible for all who engage with it, supported by UCL and Shape Arts.
- A willingness to engage with our academic research (including lived experience data) as source material.
- Consideration of both in-person and digital/online forms of display.
- Artists open to contributing to a collective process and future programme development.
While the commission must be based on the NCAT research which will be shared with you, you as the artist will have full control over your creative vision.
What’s on offer
- £3000 artist fee (inclusive of all costs and materials).
- Exhibition at UCL, London in June 2026
- Permanent display following the exhibit at the National Centre for Accessible Transport headquarters at Coventry University.
- Inclusion in the exhibit report and strategic vision document, published and circulated to policymakers and advocacy groups.
- Exhibit will be displayed at the high profile UCL East Atrium space (as pictured)
- Headphones will be available for visitors to experience auditory elements
- Digitisation of artworks for online dissemination.
- Profile raising through Coventry University’s networks, Shape Arts, Policy Connect, and partner organisations.
- Long-term opportunities as we expand the exhibit into a national programme.
How to apply
Please send the following to Dr. Arun Ulahannan, Assistant Professor at Coventry University and NCAT – Arun.Ulahannan@coventry.ac.uk
- A short statement (max 100 words) outlining your practice and interest in the commission.
- A short proposal (max 500 words) on how you would respond to the themes; you should provide an indication of size/scale of work and its type, media or main material, and how you envisage people encountering and interacting with it. One or two sketches can be attached as long as they support what is written in the proposal.
- Up to 5 images or links to previous work, particularly work interacting with its environment/spot commission work (or other formats if more accessible).
- A short access statement, outlining how we can best support you.
Please note: we do not require a completely worked through submission, an outline of your ideas is sufficient.
Deadline: 9am on 16th February 2026
Got questions? Email Dr Ulahannan
The underpinning research for this commission was conducted as part of the National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT). NCAT is delivered by a consortium of organisations that includes Coventry University, Policy Connect, The Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC), Designability, Connected Places Catapult, and WSP. It is funded for the period 2023-2030 by Motability Foundation. www.ncat.uk
Support for this commission has been provided by Coventry University’s ESRC-funded Impact Acceleration Account (FOF304)
