Week 1, 23rd – 29th May 2026, Oban – Oban, £895
Week 2, 30th May – 5th June 2026, Oban – Mallaig, £895
This residency explores the role of creativity as an ‘ecological power’ and as a way for us to connect with oceans, islands and marine life. The two week-long residencies will offer two interdisciplinary groups the space to explore themes related to ecology, creativity, and our imaginative relationship with the more-than-human world. We’ll explore questions like:
How do creative encounters connect us with the Earth?
How does creativity allow new forms of ecological storytelling to emerge?
How can we come to view our creativity as a lifeform in and of itself?
How can ‘creative ecology’ inspire more Earth-friendly behaviour?
The Creative Ecology Residency runs across two weeks of our programme. You are welcome to apply for one or both weeks, and creatives from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.
Week 1 – On becoming fluid: The liminal zone
This week is inviting you into a fluid world – a voyage where we move between land and sea until we stop perceiving a binary. The sailing boat is our magical vessel that allows us to take a ride into this ever-changing world of the tidal zone: There are barely any ecosystems with such a creative understanding of life and as humans we can learn a lot by simply slowing down, changing our rhythms with the tides, starting to move like algae – dancing in the water – resting on the surface surrounded by air.
In rhythm with the tides that suggest another temporality, challenging day and night structures, you will be invited to observe, listen, feel and slowly approach one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on this planet – a multi-species habitat that carries the story of walking, drifting and swimming organisms. Within a weeks’ timeframe we will become fluid – and when we leave, the sea will follow us back; in the form of rain, in our cups of tea, in the plants we eat as food, within our bodies as the space between cells.
Together we will slow down, attune and immerse ourselves by:
– working on creative projects and exchanging ideas and thoughts from a fluid perspective
– encountering and engaging with the multi species landscape
– enjoying the abundance of spring; eating wild plants we find within the tidal zone and tasting the fluid foodscape around us
This week also has a strong focus on community and invites all participants to open up their practice to the human and more than human beings we may encounter. Though we are aiming for an empowering outcome we also want to find time and space to reflect on environmental challenges and not to look away from what is harming this unique ecology. How can we become fluid allies and members of the tidal community?
Seraina Bio,:
Week 1 will be facilitated by Seraina Grupp (*1998, CH), a trans-disciplinary artist with a social practice in art and food, focusing on current struggles and crisis through the social lens of food and environments. Her projects aim to queer our thinking and foster relationships beyond imagination, valuing details and small narratives within complex realities.
They hold a master in conceptual and contextual practice from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and an alternative master in food and art from the Gramounce Institute. She is part of local and cross-cultural collectives and founded TRANSFER in 2024 saving an abandoned restaurant garden in Copenhagen from erasure. Seraina is conducting research on taste, edibility, decay, biodiversity and multispecies communities by co-creating empowering imaginaries towards a regenerative food system. Current projects include “Taste Library” 2025, “The Garden of Decay” 2025, “Unstable Tables” 2024, “Edible City Landscape” 2023 and various growing projects with Holtabacken Nature&Culture Association on the island of Ven, Sweden.
Week 2
The second week will explore the archipelagic landscape as we sail North from Oban to Mallaig. Home to some of the world’s most rare and ancient geology, a diverse ecology, and a rich and varied cultural history (and present), this seascape of islands has inspired artists, scientists and mariners alike for centuries. This week will delve into the liminal space between land and sea, exploring geopoetic perspectives ‘on the Atlantic edge’ and elements of ‘islandness’. We will spend time on shore as well as on the ocean, reflecting with the horizons, confluences and creatures that make up the Hebridean archipelago. Creatives from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.
The days are usually spent sailing out on the ocean and between islands, with frequent forays ashore in the evenings. You’ll also learn how to sail the boat, and have time for working on personal projects, discussing creative approaches, and generally watching the watery world and marine mammals go by!
There are 6 places for each week.
Applicants should have an interest in working within a strong team environment in collaboration with other artists, including a willingness to discuss and share ideas, to work together as a crew to sail the ship, prepare meals and share the space with others. The resident artists should bring any materials or equipment required for their research if applicable, but please be aware space onboard is very limited and emphasis on packing light is strongly encouraged!
Application Process:
We ask applicants to submit a brief introduction to their work and their motivation for applying for the residency, including relevant themes in their work and how taking part will be beneficial for their practice. Please include up to 5 images or other supporting documentation such as video, sound, links etc. as an emailed PDF. This is so that we can learn a bit about you, and to ensure that applicants will get as much as possible out of the programme. Please also specify for which week (or both) you are applying.
Applications should be sent to info@sailbritain.org, subject – ‘Creative Ecology Residency Application + [your name]’
The deadline for applications is Saturday 31st January 2026, but applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Funding
This is a self-funded residency, as Sail Britain has no external support, but we have a good record of applicants making successful external funding applications to support their places, and we are very happy to write in support of these once we have received your application. Please let us know if this would be helpful, and see this page for suggestions on funding your place
Also have a look at our FAQs page for an insight into life onboard
For any questions about the programme, please send us an email – info@sailbritain.org
Practical information:
Week 1 will begin in Oban at 6pm on Saturday 23rd May and finish at 12 noon on Friday 29th May
Week 2 will begin in Oban at 6pm on Saturday 30th May and finish in Mallaig at 12 noon on Friday 5th June. The crew will be in touch to let you know where to find yacht Merlin on the day of arrival.
What’s included:
- Fully equipped yacht and professional crew
- 6 nights accommodation onboard
- All meals for the week
- All safety equipment and training
What’s not included
- Your travel to and from the start/end points of the voyage
- Travel insurance
- Any expenses ashore, although these tend to be very limited out in the wilds!
- Materials for your practice / research
For more info have a look at our FAQs page for an insight into life onboard.
Please see this page for suggestions on funding your place.
For any questions about the programme, please send us an email – info@sailbritain.org
Photos by Oliver Beardon (top) and Hannah Close from the 2023 residency