Produced in partnership with DaDa and Lucid Games, we are delighted to announce four new residencies for artists creating digital works that explore the intersection of game culture and visual arts. 

Since 2020, our annual digital commissioning residencies have supported early-career artists based in the North of England. Awarded artists have worked to produce a number of digitally-led projects, including podcasts, live streams, games, animations, performances, short films, interactive artworks, and workshops.

With the launch of Studio/Lab, our new experimental artist production space on the top floor of FACT, we are reimagining these residencies to foster more collaboration and provide residency holders with a new space to experiment and create!

This opportunity is available in BSL. Watch the video on YouTube or scroll down to view. 

DEADLINE: Tuesday 10 September 2024, 23:59.

Starting in October this year, four artists will be selected to produce digital works. The four artworks will be displayed on our website and form part of a new exhibition Art Plays Games. Artists who apply should focus on the intersection of game culture and visual art, considering expanded notions of screen culture and worldbuilding. Outcomes may include immersive or interactive works, playable pieces, or projects shaped using game engines.

We're delighted to share that one residency place is hosted in partnership with DaDa. The selected artist will also have the opportunity to showcase their work as part of DaDaFest International, the UK's longest-running disability arts festival, in March 2025. DaDa creates opportunities for Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent people to perform and access the arts, including training, development, collaboration, and festival programmes. The theme for DaDaFest 2025 is RAGE, and applicants for this residency should consider this theme when applying.

Another residency place is offered in partnership with local Liverpool game developer, Lucid Games. Lucid Games is eager to support artists exploring new ideas around gaming and interactive mediums. The studio will offer additional support from their award-winning team, with expertise in game engines, photogrammetry, audio design, VFX, and more. While creativity and artistic pursuit are core to game development, Lucid is excited to see what themes and ideas might be explored as gaming and art become even more intertwined.

The four residencies are designed to support early-career artists with a critical digital practice whose work aligns with the themes of video game production, gameplay and culture, and game aesthetics.

For DaDa proposals, the artwork produced must be created by an artist who identifies as Disabled, include an embedded layer of access (e.g. subtitles, audio description, BSL, creative captioning), and respond to DaDaFest's 2025 theme, RAGE. Lucid Games is keen to support artists whose proposals engage with game engines, game design, character design, or interactive and playable artwork.

Artists who are eligible to apply for any of the four residencies must:

• Be based in the North of England
• Have a critical digital arts practice
• Be interested in exploring world-building, game engines, XR and immersive media, or accessible digital worlds
• Be an early-career artist. You may be getting started in your career, have taken a break from your art practice, or starting to shift your art practice in a digital direction and need support. Please note, we will not accept applications from current full-time students including those within postgraduate study, but will consider part-time postgraduate candidates. 

Successful artists will receive an individual fee of £2,500, a production budget of £1,500, and three months of support. Residencies also offer access to Studio/Lab, including both the digital production space and creative technical resources.

To apply, please submit an Expression of Interest by Tuesday 10 September 2024, 23:59. 

APPLY HERE

Your proposal (300 words max) should include a brief description of your practice, your reasons for wanting to participate in this residency, and a summary of what you intend to create. Applications can include existing projects. Additionally, please submit your portfolio or links to examples that showcase your work.

Application Checklist

• Portfolio: A website, PDF, or link to your social media profile if that best represents your practice.
• Proposal: A short written proposal of no more than 300 words, or an audio or video clip of no more than 2 minutes.
• Partnership Residencies: If you are applying for the DaDa or Lucid Games residency place, please state this clearly in your application. 
• Accessibility: If you have any accessibility requirements, please inform us in your application. 

If you have any questions about eligibility, the application process, accessibility, or specific working requirements, please contact studiolab@fact.co.uk.