Week 1, 31st May – 6th June 2025, Oban – Oban, £895
Week 2, 7th – 13th June 2025, 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 is led by writer and photographer, Hannah Close (week 1), and poet and naturalist, Anna Selby (week 2) and runs across two weeks of our programme. You are welcome to apply for one or both weeks.
Week 1
The first week with Hannah Close will explore the archipelagic landscape around Mull and its surrounding islands. 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 cluster 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.
Hannah Bio:
Hannah is a writer, photographer, cultural curator living on a storm-battered Hebridean island with her dog Rune. She is part of the Dark Mountain Project team and has published creative nonfiction both there and with the Centre for Humans and Nature. Her photography has been published in the Guardian, Telegraph, and Times. She is also making a documentary called Islandness and is working on her first book steeped in island imagination. More at hannahlclose.com
Week 2
The second week led by Anna Selby will focus on ways of nourishing our practice and how making work in place can support us through creative blocks. We’ll find inspiration in working live and in-situ in response to what we see and experience, as well as reading international writing from oceans, edges and islands: from Romantic and activist, Olaudah Equianoin in the 18th-Century, to contemporary poet and writer, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and will explore multi-species storytelling and collaborations with the more-than-human. 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!
Anna Bio:
Anna Selby (she/her) is a poet, naturalist and researcher. Her most recent publication, Field Notes, written in and under the Atlantic Ocean (using waterproof notebooks), was a bestseller for two years with the London Review of Books, was an Irish Times Book of the Year and was featured on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row. Anna is doing a practice-based PhD on Empathy, Kincentric Ecology and Plein Air Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University; and is a lecturer at Schumacher College on the Engaged Ecology Masters. Her teaching focuses on inclusive and transformative education, Intersectional Environmentalism, embodied practices and place-based learning; and her research draws on animism, phenomenology and pleasure activism. She was one of the judges for the 2021 Ginkgo Prize, the world’s largest ecopoetry prize, and was commissioning editor of Hazel Press, an independent, environmental publisher, focusing on the arts, feminism and the realities of climate change. annamariaselby.co.uk @TheNatureTable
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:
Applicants should submit a proposal no longer than 500 words detailing what they hope to explore/create during the week, and no more than 5 images (or other supporting documentation such as video, sound, or writing etc.) which outlines their practice, as a PDF (which can include links).
Applications should be sent to info@sailbritain.org, subject – Creative Ecology Residency Application + [your name]
Please state clearly which week you are applying for, and/or whether you are available for either.
The deadline for applications for both weeks is Sunday 16th February 2025, however applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Week 1 will begin in Oban at 3pm on Saturday 31st May and finish at 12 noon on Friday 6th June
Week 2 will begin in Oban at 3pm on Saturday 7th June and finish in Mallaig at 12 noon on Friday 13th 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