Artist Residencies
Myths and Sages of West India (part of the artistic research project Ghost Island conducted in part at the CCA residency in conjunction with Tilting Axis). Courtesy of Lisandro Suriel.
We are committed to supporting artists to develop new work. We offer a programme of residencies in our Creative Lab and other spaces at CCA, as well as the use of our Artist Flat.
Artist residencies in Creative Lab began in 2003. We choose artists to join the residency programme through an open selection process. We also work directly with partners to offer artists working in different fields a focussed space to develop their practice.
In selecting artists, we prioritise those with need for a period of research and development. We do not ask for a tangible outcome: the residencies are not linked to exhibitions or geared towards showing finished pieces. Artists are free to devise new work, to experiment, to collaborate with others in areas outside their usual practice, or simply to think, in a space distanced from everyday work or social constraints.
Toward the end of any residency, there is an opportunity to open the doors to the public. Artists sometimes use this moment to discuss their activity or share practice. Screenings, workshops and critiques can take place throughout the residency. CCA offers marketing and technical support for these events.
Artists are welcome to use our equipment where available, including our dance floor, projectors, sound kit and lights. Our staff can also offer feedback on work when invited to do so. CCA benefits immensely from the regular presence of artists in the building.
CCA has an artist’s flat on the third floor overlooking Scott Street. It is a small space but allows us to host residencies with minimal accommodation costs. Creative Lab residents coming from further afield can often use this space. At other times, the artist's flat hosts longer-term residents.
In the past, the flat has hosted Lisandro Suriel who came to CCA on a month-long residency in October 2019 as part of the Tilting Axis Fellowship. Another artist, hosted through a Quebec artist exchange organised her residency from the artist’s flat in 2015. She created illustrated responses to the personal messages received from strangers via Tumblr, under the pseudonym Ambivalently Yours. Radiophrenia also broadcast from the flat during their annual festival.
To keep up to date on the work of our artists in residence visit our What's On page and for information on applications to upcoming residencies, visit our Opportunities page.