Blast Theory and Brighton Digital Festival are pleased to announce an opportunity for an artist to undertake a 6-week residency at 20 Wellington Road in the run up to and during the festival from August – October 2018.

This unique Residency Programme is initiated and run by the three founding artists of Blast Theory, with the support of Brighton Digital Festival. It aims to provide a space and uninterrupted time for residents to research and develop their work in a supportive and creative environment. The residency will offer the artist an opportunity to engage with the critical thinking and artistic landscape of the Brighton Digital Festival and to engage with other artists presenting at the festival.

Blast Theory encourages debate and exchange with residents throughout the residency. We can offer the following and take our lead from the needs of each resident:

• Scheduled mentoring session with a Blast Theory artist
• Professional advice and networking
• Insights into the company’s history, practice, research & development activities, working methods, business structure and artistic structure – through inclusion in creative and business meetings as and when appropriate
• Access to equipment and resources
• Accommodation for the duration of the residency
• Opportunity to present a talk, lecture or showing of a work in progress

All support can be tailored and focused on the individual needs of the artist. In the past this has included running game tests, works in progress, talks and installations. We strive to provide a warm, welcoming and creative environment.

Blast Theory artists will look to assist the resident with their specific requirements and will meet with the resident at the outset in order to establish how to optimise their time in the studio.

We are interested in artists who would most benefit from a residency with Blast Theory and who are working on an original artwork or a significant development of an earlier piece.

Blast Theory and BDF are inviting applications from digital artists working in the following fields, though this is not an exhaustive list:

• New forms of interactive art
• Location based and site specific work
• Game design and theory
• Narrative design and all forms of digital storytelling
• Video streaming
• The use of mobile and portable devices in cultural and artistic practice

We are particularly interested in work that explores the social, political and cultural implications and impacts of technology.

The selected artist will be asked to contribute to the festival’s blog site – in the form of writing, drawings, short films or any other suitable medium – as part of their residency.

We actively seek residents that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and so we particularly encourage applications from people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Blast Theory is an equal opportunities employer and committed to encouraging applications from diverse candidates. Please outline the support you may need on your application and we’ll do what we can to meet your needs.

A budget of £100 per week will be paid to the resident to cover living expenses.

About the studio and 20 Wellington Road

20 Wellington Road is a renovated Victorian icehouse in Portslade, overlooking Shoreham Harbour in Brighton, United Kingdom. The building provides studios and offices for the company as well studio spaces for artists and other creative industries.

The studio space is 3.1m x 4.6m with a large south facing window opening onto the wharf. A small bedsit is also provided which is suitable for one person or a couple, with a window opening onto an internal corridor. Residents have use of the communal project room to try out larger work, the communal shower room, the communal kitchen, outdoor terraces and a bicycle.

Timeline

• 3 April – Call Opens
• 28 May noon – Application Deadline
• w/c 11 June – Artist Confirmed
• 27 August – Residency Begins
• 12 September – Brighton Digital Festival launch
• 5 October residency ends

Application Process

Please submit a short description of your work identifying how it meets the brief and would benefit from this residency. Proposals should be one page of A4 text with links to other relevant works. This should be supported by no more than 4 supporting drawings, images or videos, plus a CV and short biography.

Please send all proposals to dan at blasttheory.co.uk

For more information contact Dan Lamont on dan at blasttheory.co.uk or Laurence Hill on laurence at brightondigitalfestival.co.uk.

About Brighton Digital Festival

14 September – 13 October 2017

BDF is an annual month-long exploration of digital culture and the creativity that makes Brighton unique, its innovative digital economy and top-level arts scene. We are the fastest growing digital festival in the UK, with an audience of more than 40,000 in 2017 for 130+ events and a far-reaching reputation. The festival is a platform that supports and encourages people across the city to experience and explore digital technology and culture. We run an open programming model that is supported by a curated arts and education strand.