Magnetic Residency 2024
Violaine Barrois

Cove Park’s fourth residency through the partnership programme Magnetic Residencies has been awarded to the Marseille-based artist Violaine Barrois.

Violaine's practice explores the relationship between humans and nature. Educated at the École Supérieure de Design de Marseille (ESDM), and at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Barrois combines her academic background and experiences from numerous residencies to critically reflect on ecology and its implications.

Cove Park is the Scottish residency taking part in Magnetic, a Franco-UK network bringing together five organisations from France and five from the UK to create a programme of funded residencies for visual artists based in both countries. In 2024, the participating venues are: Bétonsalon – Centre for Art and Research, CAPC in Bordeaux, Frac Bretagne, FRAC Grand Large in Dunkerque, Villa Arson in Nice, and five in the United Kingdom for French based artists – Gasworks London and Wysing Arts Centre in England,  Flax Art Studios in Northern Ireland, Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Wales, and Cove Park. Now in its third year, Magnetic is building an expanding network of partner institutions with shared commitments and values.

Magnetic is a programme of Fluxus Art Projects, which is supported by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, the Institut français, French Ministry of Culture, French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales/Wales International, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the British Council, and its private patrons and friends.

The former Magnetic residents at Cove Park are Carla Adra, David Douard, and Laure Vigna.

Image: Violaine Barrois (courtesy of Tobiáš Nevřiva).

Sculpting Futures: Ecologies in the Making 2025
Harriina Räinä

The Finnish artist Harriina Räinä, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, has been selected for the Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures residency in 2025. 

This residency is the fourth in a four year programme developed by the Academy of Fine Arts Uniarts Helsinki, Cove Park and Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW). Each resident has the opportunity to work at Cove Park for 8 weeks before travelling to Aberdeenshire for a further 8-week residency at SSW.

Sculpting Futures: Ecologies in the Making focuses upon making practices at a time of climate breakdown and are aimed at MFA alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts, particularly those working with sculptural methods or material processes. The programme supports research and the development of new work, and we are grateful to our partners and to the Saastamoinen Foundation for their support.

More information on this year’s jury and the 2024 award is available here.

Image: Harriina Räinä, Oyster Bed (Nursery), installation view, 2023, Titanik Gallery, 2023 (photography, Johanna Naukkarinen).

Loch Long Crime Writing Residency
Callum McSorley

We are delighted to announce that the second Loch Long Crime Writing Residency has been awarded to Callum McSorley. Callum is a writer based in Glasgow whose short stories have appeared in Gutter Magazine, Monstrous Regiment, and New Writing Scotland.

His debut novel Squeaky Clean (2023) - inspired by his years working at a car wash in Glasgow's East End – garnered praise from the likes of Chris Brookmyre, Peter James and Kevin Bridges, and featured in 2023 'best of the year' lists in The Guardian, The Scotsman and The Times. With it, Callum became the youngest ever author to win the prestigious McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. His second novel, Paperboy, will be published in 2025.

Launched in March 2024, the Loch Long Crime Writing Residency is a funded residency for Scotland-based writers developing new work in crime fiction. The first Loch Long Crime Writing Residency was awarded to Caro Carver. We are grateful to our Argyll Patron for their generous support and making this residency possible.

Image: Callum McSorley (photography, Colin Mearns) .

We, the Landscape Residency

'We, the Landscape Research & Residency Project', is a new programme from Live Performance Bazaar (Prague, Czech Republic). It brings together artists, arts managers, producers, and scientists with the aim of inspiring creativity and innovation to protect and restore nature, and to connect artistic and scientific communities through conversations across Central Europe and beyond.

This year's programme began with the '(Re)Wilding Waters Residency', which took place in Finland and introduced participants to events such as the ANTI Contemporary Art Festival, Kuopio, and the Wild Trippers programme, with its focus upon the restoration of original landscapes and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems.

The 'Soil Re-imagined Residency', in collaboration with the Czech Centre Cairo and the Fayoum Art Center in Egypt, focused upon the artistic use of soil and mud, highlighting the connections between ceramics as a craft, sustainability, and architecture.

Finally, the residency at Cove Park will bring together artists and scientists to explore the intersections of food ecology and artistic food practices. Participants will explore the performative aspects of food, with a focus upon working with local ingredients and ecological practices. The artists will engage in hands-on activities, including sessions led by former residents Suraia Abud and Heidi Hornáčková.

Image: Courtesy of Tobiáš Nevřiva.

Bernat Klein Fellowships 2025
Call for Applications

In partnership with the Bernat Klein Foundation and Konstfack University of the Arts, Craft, and Design, Stockholm, we are delighted to launch a new Fellowship programme for textile designers and textile artists.

In 2025, two Fellowships will be awarded to established textile designers / textile artists based in Scotland and in Sweden. The Fellowships are fully funded and include residencies, the opportunity for supported research including access to the national Bernat Klein archive collections in Scotland, and the support required for the development of new work. 

Both Fellows will receive a four-week residency at Cove Park from 24 February - 23 March 2025 and a fee of £2,600. The Scotland-based Fellow will also receive a two-week residency in Stockholm with a fee of £1,300 and the opportunity to connect with Konstfack during this time (to take place before the end of May 2025). 

To read more about the Fellowships, the project partners, and how to apply, please see Programme Information & Application Guidelines. The deadline for applications is Friday 22 November 2024.

This programme is funded by The William Grant Foundation and The Embassy of Sweden in London.

Images: above, Bernat Klein colour board (detail), 1960 -73; hardboard, paper, and space-dyed mohair yarns (copyright National Museums Scotland: K.2010.95.493.9); below, Konstfack University of the Arts, Craft & Design.

Creative Kernow Residency
Call for Applications

Creative Kernow Residency is a new two-week residency for a Cornwall-based creative working in literature, visual arts, sound, music, performance and theatre making, design, craft, or architecture.

Developed by Creative Kernow in partnership with Cove Park, this fully funded residency offers time for self-directed work and the development of new ideas and projects. There is no anticipated outcome of the residency other than delivering a talk about your residency experience upon returning to Cornwall.

This opportunity is exclusive to Creative Kernow Associates. Although you don’t need to be a member of Creative Kernow Associates to apply, you will be required to join the membership if you are selected.

The residency will run from 10 - 23 March 2025. Further information is available here. The deadline for applications is Monday 4 November 2024.

Image: Cove Park Studio (photography, Tracey Bloxham).

Subsidised Winter Residencies 2025
Call for Applications now Live

We are pleased to announce details of our popular annual programme of Subsidised Winter Residencies for 2025.

Cove Park offers residencies for individuals, groups, and organisations with their own funding to take part in our annual programme. We welcome artists, cultural practitioners, writers, and researchers - from every creative and academic discipline - able to fund a residency via the direct support of their own academic institutions or through awards from public funders or foundations.

Cove Park's Subsidised Winter Residencies will take place during January, February, and March 2024. During this time we are pleased to offer a reduction on the cost of individual and collaborative residencies. Applications for these residencies can be submitted on a rolling basis until 4 March 2024, in the hope that those interested will have the time required to request funding from their own organisations or external funding agencies. Further information and details of how to apply for a subsidised residency is available here.

Image: Cove Park in the winter (photography, Alex Marrs).

Saturday Studio Workshop, 26 October 2024
Invasive Species

October's Saturday Studios workshop focuses upon one of Scotland's most challenging botanical invasive species: rhododendron ponticum. This plant threatens rainforests, ancient woodlands, and wild habitats by crowding out smaller plants and spreading a fungus-like pathogen.

Join Paul Cookson from Green Aspirations to learn more about rhododendron ponticum and other invasive plant species as he demonstrates how to chop and prepare rhododendron wood before heating it to create charcoal. Participants can then use the charcoal for drawing, or turn it into ink and paint.

The day will be split into two sessions:

• From 10am - 12pm: making charcoal. 
• From 1pm-3pm: charcoal drawings. Participants may also turn the charcoal into inks and paints. This will be an experimental session to discover the potential of homemade charcoal.

This workshop is free and open to children aged eight and over. Children between eight and ten years of age should be accompanied by an adult. Feel free to bring a packed lunch and book to take part in both sessions. Register via our Ticket Tailor page. 

If you have questions about workshop accessibility, please get in touch with Emma Henderson (Curator of Engagement).

Saturday Studios is supported by Argyll & Bute Council: Supporting Communities Fund.

Image: Saturday Studios at Cove Park (photography, Emma Henderson).

Springboard Local Assembly for
Creative Climate Action
Invasive Species, Friday 1 November

We are delighted to host Creative Carbon Scotland's Springboard Local Assembly for Creative Climate Action for Argyll & Bute on Friday 1 November, from 4-8pm. 

This free event will focus on invasive species across the Helensburgh and Lomond area of Argyll and Bute, the work being done to act on them, and how culture and creativity can support this. 

The evening will open with a performance from cellist and former resident Jessica Kerr, and we will hear from our partner ACT: Argyll & the Isles Coast & Countryside Trust who will share the history of invasive species, their impact and why we need to act on them.

We will hear from a range of speakers working across the environmental sector in Argyll and Bute, introduce the green mapping tool and share funding opportunities. Finally we will collectively discuss how we take forward this work in creative ways.

SPRINGBOARD brings together artists, cultural and sustainability organisations, climate workers, activists, local businesses, third-sector organisations and anyone interested in collaborating to form powerful local networks for creative climate action. Local assemblies are an opportunity to connect with other practitioners in your region to address climate change collectively. The assemblies are for anyone working or volunteering in the climate or environmental sector, the arts, screen, creative industries, museums, heritage and libraries.

Register via Creative Carbon Scotland's Eventbrite page. If you have questions about workshop accessibility, please get in touch with Emma Henderson (Curator of Engagement).

Image: Saturday Studios at Cove Park (photography, Emma Henderson).

Space Hire 2024

Space Hire was launched in 2023 to welcome other arts organisations, companies, and community groups to Cove Park for meetings and away days. In the programme's first year we were pleased to host The Common Guild, Comhairle nan Leabhraichean / The Gaelic Books Council, Glasgow International, The Mount Stuart Trust, Scottish Opera, and the University of Glasgow (Contemporary Art & Curation).

In 2024 we will continue to offer beautiful spaces with outstanding views at very competitive rates throughout the year. Please submit an enquiry form or contact Nicola Jamieson directly for more information and to discuss your specific requirements. 

Rhubaba's POC Emerging Writers Group had a brilliant visit to Cove Park. We're thankful for the hospitality of the team in welcoming us into their unique creative space. The group enjoyed walking the grounds and exploring Cove Park... having space to breathe and explore as artists is invaluable to connection. 
Rhubaba Committee, September 2024

Image: The Jacobs Building, Cove Park (photography, Alan Dimmick).