We are delighted to announce that applications are open for the 2022 ATLAS | Tobar an Dualchais residency this summer.
Supported with a £6,500 fee, the selected artist will be invited to undertake a two month period (which can be taken across a five-month period) of public research in the Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches (TAD) digital archive. Open to creative practitioners including visual and sound artists with an interest in oral history, archives, sound and/or Gaelic culture and tradition, this residency aims to foster meaningful engagement with Gaelic culture and heritage and build critical and imaginative responses to the complexities of Gaelic history and cultural identity.
TAD is Scotland’s online resource dedicated to the presentation and promotion of audio recordings of Scotland’s cultural heritage. Its principal content is songs, music, history, poetry, traditions and stories recorded from the 1930s onwards. The recordings cover a range of subjects, such as accounts of traditional craftwork, rhythmic work songs and ancient tales of the warrior Fionn MacCumhail, hero of the Fenian Cycle.
The residency includes a fee waiver for TAD’s Creative Connections Short Course (26 – 28 July 2022) delivered through Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, which gives an introduction to the many important tradition bearers whose recordings populate the archives, offering tools to explore the material with greater care and understanding. Course leaders will help participants explore the potential of the online resource through various lenses, including local creativity, cultural ecology and environmental awareness.
The selected artist is invited to attend this course as part of the residency and to work with ATLAS and TAD to develop an initial public response or sharing thereafter.
You can find more information on Tobar an Dualchais here (opens in a new tab).
Project timeline
Deadline for notes of interest: Monday 6 June 2022, 10am
Selected artist informed: Friday 10 June 2022
TAD’s Creative Connections online course: 26–28 July 2022
Residency dates: two months between July and November 2022
Remuneration
A £6500 fee and a production/travel budget of £750 is offered for the research residency, resulting in a public sharing. The form of this sharing is open but may take the form of an online event, creative writing, a sound work or another appropriate format.
Eligibility
Availability to attend course
A degree of proficiency in Gaelic language and/or proximity to Gaelic culture.*
*Please note much of the TAD archive is in Gaelic with a limited number of English translations. While we understand that Gaelic culture is not restrictive to language, for practical reasons it is preferable that the selected artist will have some Gaelic language skills (understand spoken Gaelic; speak, read or write Gaelic) so that they can engage in the materials fairly independently.
How to apply
Please email a short statement of interest of no more than one side of A4, outlining:
Your interest in the Tobar an Dualchais archive
A description of your creative practice, approach and research interests.
Your ability to attend TAD’s three day course via Zoom on 26–28 July
You may also include links to existing supporting material (website/social media/ past projects).
ALTERNATIVE FORMATS – instead of a written submission, you may instead submit a short video proposal or audio recording of no more than five minutes.
Email statements to: admin@atlasarts.org.uk by 10am Monday 6 of June 2022.
If we can make it easier for you to apply or if you have any further queries about the application process, please contact Katharine (Programme and Admin Assistant) at katharine@atlasarts.org.uk or call her on 01478 611143 to discuss this.
