Dissonant Laws Exhibition Open Call

About the Open Call

Dissonance: a lack of harmony, between notes in a given scale, or people in a given society. The word points to a breakdown of ‘common’ sense, a dissolution of the common agreements that provide structure. Agreements, in a democratic context, are bound up in legislation: laws that are followed - or broken - by members of the community. Dissonant Laws seeks to unpick the relationship between citizens, authority, and rebellious invention. How do laws create or engender artistic resistance? And how do those forms of creative dissent in turn infer new forms of legality? What examples of artistic protest have emerged in response to legislative change? We may question what we mean by aesthetic resistance, as each and any rebellious act requires agency, inspiration and organisation. It may be as clear as performance art, as flash mobs, murals, and event art movements that had a specific intention to break the law. As part of a new exhibition taking place at The Foundry, Vauxhall, early 2026, we invite artists, musicians, lawyers, advocacy groups, and agitators of all kinds, to send their submissions that respond to the theme of _Dissonant Laws_. This may include reflections on historic examples (such as rave culture and the ensuing CJA 1994), or new forms of creative resistance and dissonance that engage with current legislation and legality. The exhibition takes place in collaboration with MEANS magazine (www.meansmagazine.com) and LORE (Legal Origins Rights Education & Art). The January issue of the magazine will be based on the theme of Dissonant Law, and submissions will be eligible to be presented in the physical magazine alongside the exhibition.

What is Offered

Selected submissions will be presented in a physical exhibition at The Foundry, Vauxhall, in early 2026. Submissions will also be eligible for presentation in the January issue of MEANS magazine, which will be based on the theme of Dissonant Law.

Requirements

We are seeking work in the following formats: two dimensional works (prints, paintings, drawings, flyers, zines, posters, video works, etc.); Sound works that can be included in the space (on headphone) or uploaded to an accompanying online gallery; Text works (essays, articles, scores, manifestos, etc). The call is open to artists, musicians, lawyers, advocacy groups, and agitators of all kinds.

How to Apply

Please send artworks or outlines of proposed works to be completed by 15 November to info@lore.org.uk, with DISSONANT LAWS SUBMISSION and YOUR NAME in the subject line of the email.