Sarah Wigglesworth Architects (SWA) celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2019 and we wish to mark this occasion by sponsoring a visual artist in residence. We invite applications from visual artists to use the space offered by this residency in order to create work in response to our practice, its outputs and/or its ethos and context.

We occupy a building designed by the practice, which stands for its values. We have space (2.7m wide x 7m long) with daylight and views out, on the second storey of the building available for an artist to work in. It is on a separate floor from our office but within the same volume and aural space, so is not self-contained. IT connections and wifi are available, plus ample desk space and access to a computer if necessary (please see a photo of the space at the end of this invitation).

The space is not a suitable venue for making heavy, messy or noisy work; rather it offers space to think, research, engage with our work and develop ongoing fields of enquiry pertinent to the artist’s practice. We would like the artist to build a positive working relationship with us, integrating themself with our office culture. We welcome that they talk to us, shadow us in our work, visit our projects (subject to client approval) or attend meetings with us (subject to confidentiality). 

Applicants should have an emerging or established background in their respective field.The work produced by this residency is expected to engage with SWA and its work. We aim to host an exhibition or event in October 2019 and expect the artist to produce work for this as part of SWA’s other celebrations. 

We anticipate that the artist spend an average of 2 days a week in our practice space, which is available weekdays during the hours of 08.30 to 19.00h (some weekends by special arrangement). We use part of the space on an occasional basis. During the residency we will expect to meet monthly to review progress and discuss emerging output(s). 

Sarah Wigglesworth Architects is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community, where everyone can be themselves in a supportive environment. Therefore, we welcome applications from a range of artists with different backgrounds and circumstances. Please note that, unfortunately, our office is not easily accessible to anyone with walking impairments and we do not have a lift.

In addition to the space we make available we will provide a stipend of £2500 to the selected artist for the duration of a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months, to include the production of the final work. This is intended to cover time, materials and travel, so the recipient must be within reach of London so as to physically engage with our practice. 

We also offer the opportunity to showcase the work resulting from this residency in a culminating exhibition or event that is part of the broader celebrations for this practice milestone taking place in autumn 2019 in a public venue yet to be determined. We further aim to record the year’s events, including the work of the artist, in a future publication, part of the legacy of this milestone. 

We are currently seeking applications for the residency, to start in early March 2019. 

Note that your submission should take the form of a single PDF document containing all the material mentioned below in a file no larger than 5MB in size. 

• A 2-page (max) CV with contact details (email and telephone number) of two referees 
• Examples of four (4) projects of your own work (with explanation no longer than 150 words each), illustrated with a maximum of twelve (12) images covering all four projects
• A short proposal outlining how you would approach the residency (no longer than 500 words) stating such details as your intended medium, whether this is a one-off piece of work or part of a series and so forth
• A text telling us why a residency period at SWA is a timely opportunity for your practice, what you will bring to our practice and how your work relates to the larger themes that occupy us (max 300 words)

Applications close: Monday 28 January 2019, 17:00

The selectors will be:   

Nina Pope, Artist (Somewhere); Alex Schady, Programme Director, Art Programme (Central St Martins School of Art); Rachel Stanley, Residency Administrator and Artist (SWA); Sarah Wigglesworth, Director (SWA).

Interviews with shortlisted applicants will take place on 12 February 2019 so please keep this date free. You will not be considered for this award if you cannot attend in person.

The residency will commence on 1 March 2019 and it is a condition of the offer that the successful candidate will be available from that date. 

Our website is http://www.swarch.co.uk, our Instagram is @sw_arch and our Twitter is @sw_architects.