Spectroscope is inviting one deaf, disabled or neurodivergent artist living in South West England to take part in a self directed residency at East Quay.

Spectroscope is an artist collective based in Bristol and Somerset.

This year, we are piloting a series of South West Disabled Artist Gatherings, creating new spaces for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists to reconnect with their creative practice and each other.

Spectroscope's pilot residency at East Quay offers time and space to step away from day-to-day pressures. To breathe, experiment and make.

A chance to return to the core of your practice and explore ideas that feel ambitious, playful or still forming.

During your residency, you will have time and space to focus on your practice, alongside opportunities to connect with the East Quay team.

You will also receive mentoring from curators within the Spectroscope collective, offering practical support, feedback and connections.

This residency is an opportunity to explore and develop new ideas, rather than deliver a finished outcome.

We are particularly interested in proposals that respond to the time, space and setting of East Quay, and that use the residency as a space for experimentation.

About East Quay

East Quay was built as an example of holistic community regeneration, showing how communities can come together to shape their own future. It is a social enterprise with connection, imagination and culture at its heart.

Located on the harbourside in Watchet, a picturesque coastal town in Somerset, East Quay looks out across the surrounding coastline and countryside, nestled between Exmoor National Park and the Quantock Hills.

A contemporary cultural venue, it has been described by Olly Wainwright in The Guardian as “a piratical beacon of culture”.

Its distinctive architecture houses two galleries presenting national and international artists, exploring identity and belonging, community and place, and climate and change.

East Quay offers a unique setting to develop ideas in dialogue with landscape, community and context.

The residency includes:

Two one-week stays in one of East Quay’s distinctive artist pods:

• Monday 12 to Sunday 18 October 2026
• Monday 9 to Sunday 15 November 2026
   

Fee and support

• Artist fee: £1,500 
• Plus Travel and Subsistence Bursary of  £500

Sharing the work

There is an opportunity to share your process, test ideas or present work in progress through a light touch, reflective exhibition in Studio 10

Studio 10 Project Space Sharing:

• Monday 8 February to Sunday 7 March 2027
  (including install and deinstall as required)

Exhibition materials budget: £600

The Studio 10 exhibition is intended as a place to share work in progress, test approaches and reflect on your process. It is not intended for presenting completed or previously established work.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to artists who:

• Are aged 21 or over
• Are a practising artist at any stage of their career
• Are deaf, disabled and neurodivergent, including those with long-term health conditions
• Are currently living in the South West of England

This includes:

• Bristol
• Bath & North East Somerset 
• North Somerset
• South Gloucestershire 
• Gloucestershire
• Wiltshire 
• Somerset
• Dorset
• Devon 
• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

We welcome artists working in any medium.