Group Residency Programme, Orkney - Air, Sea and Soil: SOUNDINGS and SURROUNDINGS
Sat 27 June – Sat 04 July 2026
SOUNDINGS and SURROUNDINGS has been devised around the relationships of ‘Air, Sea and Soil’, encompassing the Orkney Islands’ remarkable natural environment. Residents will be welcomed to the Birsay area of Orkney, where the bespoke programme will take place in 5-star self-catering accommodation (single rooms) and studio facilities, and through visits to Neolithic Orkney’s World Heritage Sites.
The Group Residency will be led by Tracy Mackenna (she/her), artist, educator and curator of The Museum of Loss and Renewal and facilitated by Tracy and programme contributors. Subject-specific contributions will be delivered by a range of multidisciplinary Orkney-based experts who have in common site-specific, participatory and socially engaged practices revolving around sound and environment. Their diverse skills, expertise and modes of working are activated to investigate lost futures, intersectional histories, ecological and personal landscapes, experimental identities, ruin memory, trauma mapping, site recording, material and immaterial realms, deep time, marginalised communities and hidden lives.
The Group Residency is offered for creative practitioners working in all creative disciplines and for those who have a strong interest in the investigation of the Group Residency themes in relation to space, sound and visuals. The group will comprise of approx. eight international participants.
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
The Group Residency is offered for practitioners and researchers working in all creative disciplines and for those who have a strong interest in the investigation of the Group Residency themes in relation to space, sound and visuals. The group will comprise approx. eight international participants.
The Residency Programme is operated on a non-commercial cost-covering basis, and is financially supported by The Museum of Loss and Renewal in order to keep fees low. The residency fee is £1350 GBP, paid by the resident. It includes the residency programme, 5-star self-catering accommodation (single rooms) and work spaces, collection/return to nearest airport/ferry point.
A deposit of 50% is payable within three weeks of being offered a place on the residency programme (non-refundable). The remaining balance is payable eight weeks in advance of the residency start date. In the event that cancellation is required, residents may cancel up to a minimum of six weeks prior to their residency start date. If a resident has to end the residency early due to personal circumstances, a refund cannot not be issued.
You will be responsible for funding and organising your own travel, your own insurances and any visa requirements particular to your country of origin. Travel information will be supplied (Kirkwall Airport and Orkney Ferries), and collection/drop-off at the beginning and end of the Group Residency will be arranged.
We do not have external funding for this project, so regret that we are unable to offer assistance with fees, travel, production costs or other subsistence. Typically, successful applicants source funding by applying to their national arts funding bodies, personal fundraising, or through academic institutional support. Formal Letters of Invitation can be provided to assist in this process.