A rolling programme of one to three months immersive residencies from January to April 2020 open to national and international creative practitioners across all art forms (artists, designers, writers, curators, etc.) to realise a project, undertake research, develop and expand their practice in Folkestone. ‘Contra Culture’ will be the focus of our 2020 arts programme. Successful candidates whose proposals imaginatively respond to the theme may benefit from our on-going research, and with the potential to be part of a group show developed by the HOP Projects team.

About the International Art Residency 

HOP Project’s International Artist Residency provides an open, supportive and stimulating environment to national and international creative practitioners across all art forms to realise a project, undertake research, develop and expand their practice in Folkestone.

The residency, normally completed between one month to three months, will focus on production, experimentation, critical discourse, networking, and local participation. Staying at HOP Projects, participants will become part of a thriving artistic community with an active exhibition and event program will easily and swiftly become well-acquainted with creative professionals working at the cutting edge of cultural productions.

Residents will be provided with high quality live/work accommodation centrally located within the Creative Quarter in Folkestone, with access to the public-facing project space at HOP Projects HQ. Through the residency HOP hopes that artists can use the time to explore new paths within their practice through engaging with Folkestone’s thriving contemporary art scene. 

Selected artists will work towards an outcome of their work during or concluding their stay, either as a solo show, public talk, performance, publication and film.‘Contra Culture’ will be the main focus of our 2020’s arts programme, and successful candidates whose work responds to the theme would benefit from our on-going research with the potential to be part of a group show developed by the HOP Projects team.

The documentation of this process is essential and will become an important contribution towards HOP Projects’ archive, to be made available to future residents.

Dates and Duration of the Residency:

The residency is of between one to three months from January to April 2020.

Inquiries for specific residency periods are welcome and residents will be accepted on a rolling basis. HOP Projects will work with the selected artists to ensure that both the dates and duration of their residencies are as beneficial as possible for the artists. 

Requirements:

• ability to work independently
• clearly conceived concept
• highly motivated, self-directed individuals
• at least two previous exhibitions (individually or as part of a team)
• 1-2 years of study in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience

Examples of presentations by past resident artists:

June 2019: Amalia Pascal (Chile)

October 2018: Alexander James Pollard (UK), solo exhibition Paleo Fauvism’ accompanied by two painting workshops ‘The Clairvoyance of Painting’.

October 2017: JAŠA (Slovenia): At the Dawn of Yet Another Age of Absurdity, Composition no.2

About HOP Project CT20

HOP Projects CT20 (C.I.C) is an independent, cross-disciplinary and experimental platform for the production, exchange and distribution of installation art, architecture and Performance. Established in September 2017, it is a non-profit organisation based in the heart of the Creative Quarter in Folkestone, UK. HOP Projects CT20 was launched as part of the 2017 Folkestone Triennial Fringe. Its vision is to extend, sustain and promote high-quality art and creativity output beyond and in between the duration of the festivals.

It is committed to a unified vision of bringing together the visual arts with theatre, performance, spatial installations, sound and technology that prioritises the development of ideas above pre-defined genres or disciplines. It believes in the urgency in new modes of expressions and pioneering practices that can tear down the barriers between the audience and the ‘white walls’, making contemporary art relevant and far-reaching to a wider audience.

Through its core programme of projects, residencies and exchange, HOP Projects provides the space, atmosphere and support for national and international artists, who often work in between or at the fringes of their respective disciplines, to develop within a stimulating environment built upon trust, and outside the pressures of commercial forces. It delivers a highly efficient and professional service, with uncompromising commitment to artistic visions and the quality of output.

HPCT20 has close working relationships with cultural institutions such as the Creative Foundation, as well as a network of independent organisations working at the cutting edge of cultural production: Casement Arts, Pavement Pounders, Venice Agendas, Screen South, Performance Space, Club Shepway, B&B Project Space, Brewery Tap, Strange Cargo, Strangelove Festival, DARC (Manuel Vasson), Ernst Fisher amongst many more. 

HOP Press is currently under development which would soon to be the publishing and printing arm of HPCT20, which aims to make available to the public research and projects that are relevant and important from its past archives. 

About Folkestone

Folkestone is a town on the English Channel in the South East coast of England. It has dramatically transformed itself from economic decline to a thriving cultural frontier. Folkestone Triennial has established itself as a significant event in the international calendar of recurring art exhibitions since its inception in 2008 (Andrea Schlieker was the curator). Each Triennial invites artists to engage with the rich cultural history commissions a series of public artworks (some permanent) that collectively create a spirit of place, bringing changes in the thinking of the communities with which they work. The next Folkestone Triennial will take place between September and November 2020.

FACILITIES OFFERED:

•  Self-catering accommodation.
• Project Space (36 sqm/390 sqft) is available outside our annual programme of public events as studio, workshop, or exhibition space if required.
• Audio-visual equipments including a PA system, mixer, monitors, a film projector etc. that is capable in facilitating a multi-media production;
• Logistic and production support from director and curator to ensure individual research and projects are realised to its full potential.
• Publically accessible archive that holds a record of past projects, publications and on-going research. 

Costs:  £950 month (self-funded) unless by invitation.

Interested artists/curators/researchers are advised to seek funding well in advance from sponsors/subsidising organisations. If selected for a residency, we can provide you with an official declaration of admittance as supporting document.

Deadline: 

The application is open until 15th October 2019. Early submission is encouraged.