Image: artist Kelly Bryant and the making of her installation Screen Future Memoir in The Paignton Picture House (Oct 2023). Credit: Jim Wileman
Wide Open is pleased to announce MAKING SPACE, a new residency programme in Torbay, South Devon providing space and time for artists to develop their creative practice with tailored producer support.
What is Making Space?
MAKING SPACE is a rolling, monthly residency programme for artists at any stage of their career that supports artistic practice across diverse art forms including and not limited to: live performance/arts, film / photography, digital media, visual arts and combined arts. Applications are invited from local, national and international artists, or arts collectives, who will be given space-based creation time to develop their work or new ways of working alongside producer and mentoring support as requested. There are no fees or monetary payments with this residency offer. A modest bursary can be applied for to assist with access costs where the residency would not be possible without it.
Producer and mentoring support
Making Space can offer tailored producer and mentoring support during the month long residency from within our network of local artists, producers, cultural, community and enterprise organisations. This could be to develop your practice, for guidance with funding or producer support to try out public facing activities such as workshops, developing networks or public events and sharings as part of our high-profile Community Development funded programme.
About Paignton and the residency space
Paignton town sits in the middle of the beautiful, UNESCO-protected coastline of Torbay, alongside the famous seaside resort of Torquay and fishing port of Brixham. Popular in the high seasons, especially with holidaying families drawn to its red sandy beaches and gentle tides, the town has however been subject to the same economic decline seen in coastal towns across the UK in recent years. Despite the challenges, Paignton retains a vibrant community-led creative scene, and looks forward to the reopening of a new cultural hub, the Paignton Picture House, in 2025.
Each month the artist(s) in residence will have access to the Projection Room, a newly converted, white-boxed space in central Paignton close to, and linked with, the Paignton Picture House which is currently undergoing restoration ahead of reopening as a cinema. Street view of the Projection Room, here shown with the number 21 on the windows.
The Projection Room is a shop space with large windows on two sides that the public can see into, in fact, we want people to see vibrant activity going on inside. There is no obligation for the focus of the residency to be about working with the public, but you will be visible through the windows. The windows offer a creative opportunity but there’s no expectation for you to use them. It is a multi-use space with separate zones and you would have your own zone. Please note that there will be times when the other zone is in use by the Picture House and open to the public. This could work well for ‘open door’ moments within the residency.
The space would work well for artists exploring work within a town centre setting, reaching communities or place based work in Paignton, or similar coastal and rural towns. Additional making spaces and platforms in Paignton can potentially be identified for each unique residency, with opportunities to share culminating work.
The Projection Room is at ground floor level, it has two entrances. The shop entrance has one step, the residency entrance goes directly into the space (wheelchair accessible, no steps). There is an accessible toilet at the venue, and it’s very close to cafes, shops and the train and bus station. Parking is in nearby paying car parks or limited on street parking.
Contact us if you would like further details on the space and surrounding area. Scroll down to see the floor plan.
How long is the residency?
The total residency period is up to 8 days within 1 month. On application we will ask you to tell us how many days you would like and your preferred pattern of working, eg: consecutive days/ set days over a month / 4 days one week and 4 days the next. The Projection Room is a multi-use space that won’t be available everyday, however Filament has access to another empty space nearby, with the option that the residency could occupy more than one space.
Themes
The Projection Room programme follows monthly themes relating to Paignton’s locality, the Picture House and events by our project partners. We are seeking a different artist or group each month whose work can creatively connect with our themes for June, July, August and September. We will host one residency per month as part of a rolling programme and will ask you which month and theme you are applying for. The main activity for each monthly residency will take place during the 2nd and 3rd week of each month.
June: ‘This is Us’. A celebration of the Picture House, cultural and community groups in Paignton to mark the opening of the Projection Room. (This theme could suit artists with local knowledge or people who want to try out, or example, ways of celebrating people and place.)
July: ‘The Tide’. Ebb and flow, here and there, themes of migration and global connectivity.
August: ‘Made in Paignton’. Producing alternative souvenirs, objects inspired by Torbay art or crafts, summer seaside stories, exploring ideas and practices of trade & exchange.
September: ‘Deep Time’. Rock, water, earth, memory. Paignton’s natural heritage and traces of human and more than human memory across aeons.
What you get
Up to 8 days use of the space
Up to 2 days tailored producer support
Up to 4 hours mentoring
Publicity through our Wide Open Paignton social media channels
The residency offers an opportunity to develop funding applications, or form part of an application. Filament can offer guidance to develop an application and in kind support where appropriate.
There are no fees or monetary payments with this residency offer. A modest bursary can be applied for to assist with access costs where the residency would not be possible without it.
What you give
Artists are expected to share a minimum of 1 public facing activity: a workshop, work-in-progress sharing, an exhibition, talk or social event for example. This could be a light touch try out, a ‘meet the artist’ or artist talk if the work does not directly involve the public, or the culmination of more developed work.
Professional standard reflective documentation that Wide Open can share, eg: a written blog, photo journal or film.
Artists will be responsible for their own travel, food, accommodation and we can help with recommendations.
Artists cover any fees for their time or that of their collaborators.
Artists provide their own materials and equipment.
Artists liaise with Filament’s communications team ahead of any public sharing of the residency (e.g. via artist websites, social media etc) to ensure correct crediting and information.
Filament CIC is commissioning the residency, they are a creative producing house that grew out of Torbay’s Great Place Scheme. At the heart of what they do is supporting the process of producers and artists, giving them the opportunity and time and space to grow. The artists we work with have gone on to make and share exceptional work that opens up perspectives about people and place. www.filament.org.uk
Filament is leading on the Creative & Cultural Programme strand of Torbay’s Community Development Funded (CDF) restoration of the Paignton Picture House 2023-25 (funded by the department for culture, media and sport, administered by Arts Council England).This is an ambitious programme working with diverse partners across culture, community and enterprise to animate and grow pride of place in Paignton town centre. The Making Space residency programme will support the objectives of the CDF fund through providing opportunities for artists to develop skills and encouraging engagement with local communities through meaningful creative and cultural experiences accessible on our high streets and in the public realm.
What we’re looking for
We want to give artists at any stage of their career the opportunity to develop their practice and know that time, space and support can go a long way to doing that. The residency is suitable for any art form, and artists will need to demonstrate the benefit of taking a residency in the Projection Room, Paignton and identify the development opportunities within this residency offer. We are keen to address local issues of access, diversity and inclusion and will prioritise applications from underrepresented artists in our region.
How To Apply
HERE is the link to the application form.
Complete the google form. If you would like to please email up to 3 examples of work that demonstrate your practice up to 5MB. This is not expected, but we recognise that you may wish to.
OR:
send a film max 3 minutes via wetransfer or private link
send a PDF with text answering the questions on the form with up to 3 examples of your work on no more than 5 x A4 pages
Please send any application content to sara@filament.org.uk and feel free to get in touch with questions. There is no interview process.
Deadline for submissions. Please note the different deadlines.
June and July residencies - midnight on 25th April 2024
August and September residencies - midnight on 17th May 2024
Decisions by
7th May for the June and July residencies
30th May for August and September residencies
Further information
Please contact Sara Hurley at sara@filament.org.uk
MAKING SPACE is part of Wide Open, a new creative and cultural programme in Paignton, Torbay. Part of Torbay’s Cultural Development – Paignton Picture House, a collaboration between Torbay Council, Paignton Picture House Trust, South Devon College, Torbay Culture and the Agatha Christie Festival Limited. Supported by the Cultural Development Fund, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) fund administered by Arts Council England.