- Membership
Researchers from across the university with interest in our research remit can apply to be a member of SHL Digital. Membership is open to current Sussex staff at all levels of seniority regardless of contract type (fixed term, open ended, permanent), and PGR students. As a member you will be expected to contribute to our annual programme of events including participating and/or leading seminars, workshops and working groups, and actively take part in our research bid development activity. In return you will be welcomed into a nurturing and supportive interdisciplinary research environment, and will have access to the Centre's expert support, space, and technology to help develop your research in DH++. Apply to be a member of SHL Digital: Membership application form for Faculty Member Membership application form PGR Member - Artist in Residence Call 2024 CLOSED - deadline 21 Feb 12pm
Sussex Digital Humanities Lab & The Living Coast Artist Residency 2024 - Multispecies flourishing
In collaboration with The Living Coast and galleries ONCA and Fabrica, we invite regional artists to develop new work that explores Multispecies Flourishing within The Living Coast.
The Living Coast is the UK’s only urban UNESCO Biosphere. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves are sites of experimentation that aim to foster harmony between people and nature.
The Living Coast recognises that nature loss threatens the world as we know it and supports the COP15 30 by 30 pledge which promises to conserve at least 30% of land, freshwater and oceans for nature by 2030. Achieving this goal will mean a radical shift in land use within urban as well as rural areas. We believe artists have a critical role to play in inspiring the shift in mindset that is needed to achieve this and to create cities where humans flourish as one of many species. How do our parks, gardens and farmlands look, sound and feel when our local environments are not just for human well-being, but for all species? How can digital technologies be used to challenge traditional conceptions of beauty and aesthetics in gardens and parks and inspire new ideas of ‘ecocultural beauty’ for Multispecies Flourishing?
Applicants should be based in the South East of England and have an existing or emerging practice which uses digital tools - this might include audio, video, VR, AR, mapping, creative coding etc. etc. The residency will take place during spring 2024 and should result in a small-scale exhibition or social intervention with an online presence in June 2024.
Partners and Environment
The Sussex Digital Humanities Lab (SHL Digital) is a Centre of Excellence at University of Sussex. Our aim is to support research that investigates the interactions between digital technology, culture, society, and environment in order to imagine and create more sustainable and equitable futures for all. We recognise that this can only be achieved by working across disciplines within academia, with partners across sectors and with local and global communities.
Our research ranges from community archives to AI, media theory to conservation, critical heritage to intersectional feminism, digital humanities to experimental music technology.
The Living Coast is the UK’s only urban UNESCO World Biosphere Region. Biosphere Reserves are designated as areas to innovative approaches and demonstrate the best examples of people working in harmony with nature for the benefit of all. The Living Coast aims to be a place where people can connect with nature and live well together, enjoying, celebrating and reinvigorating the natural wonders of our shared home. It embraces a wonderfully biodiverse stretch of the chalky South Downs and Sussex coast between the River Adur at Shoreham-by-Sea and the River Ouse at Newhaven.
O N C A is a Brighton based arts charity that bridges social and environmental justice issues with creativity.
Fabrica is a Brighton-based arts organisation that supports artists to make new work and provides a year-round programme of film screenings, events and creative engagement activities for a broad audience.
What we’re offering
The opportunity to engage with members of Sussex Digital Humanities Lab, The Living Coast and ONCA to expand your practice through the development and exhibition of new work. Specifically:
- Opportunities to engage with key Living Coast projects including B-banks, Greening the Cities, Changing Chalk, wilding Waterhall
- Mentoring sessions with up to three mentors of your choice
- Access to facilities at ONCA and SHL
- Exhibition Space and event promotion at ONCA gallery in central Brighton
- A space in the 2024 Earth Day Cultural Assembly to develop your ideas (April 22)
- Free access to doctoral training workshop in ecological sound art, evaluation creative practice and social transformation (March 22)
The residency will be supported by Susuana Amoah, curator and co-director at ONCA, SHL co-director Alice Eldridge and programme manager Elena Dennison.
A fee £3,000 which includes the artist fee, travel costs and any materials required. Depending on requirements, ONCA or SHL Digital may be able to supply equipment.
What we expect
- A residency outcome that is available for public viewing both in a physical presentation and online.
- Weekly check-ins with ONCA for mentoring/support.
- Regular visits to SHL to attend events of relevance or engage with research
- Blog posts or podcasts to share your work in development
- A concluding short report/exit interview that will help us to reflect on the process and shape future residencies.
Who can apply
This opportunity is open to early career artists and creative practitioners who work with digital tools (sound artists, composers, film makers, creative coders, etc.) and are based in South-East England, excluding London.
We particularly welcome proposals from artists that are currently underrepresented both in the arts and in the development of digital technology by which we mean people of colour, LGBTQIA+, neuro-diverse and disabled people.
How to apply
Please submit a PDF containing:
- An expression of interest
- Your contact details
Your expression of interest should include a short statement (1000 words max) which:
- introduces yourself and your artistic practice
- outlines a proposal that responds to the call theme
- expresses how this work resonates with the vision of SHL
- gives any initial thoughts on your approach
- articulates the value of the residency to your practice
- details your track record in delivering work and undertaking other residencies if applicable
- outlines the number of days you would plan to devote to the residency
- outlines expected costs
- includes links to your website and any past works or residencies where relevant
Your completed application should be sent by the deadline to shl@sussex.ac.uk including ‘SHL-TLC artist residency’ in the subject line. Queries can be addressed to the same email.
KEY DATES
Deadline: 12 noon 21 February
Interviews: w/b 28 February
Notification: 4 March
Residency start: 14 March
Exhibition at ONCA: 19-28 June (including presentation at SHL week)
Final report/ feedback: mid July 2024
- Short Research Visits
We welcome short visits to collaborate with our team. Visits may be anything from a few days, up to a maximum of two weeks. A member of the Lab must sponsor your visit, and a clear plan for joint activity must be identified in advance. Although normally self-funded, in exceptional circumstances we may be able to contribute towards the cost. Bench fees are not applicable to short visits.
Contact shl@sussex.ac.uk for further information.
- Research Visiting Fellows
SHL Digital is open to national and international visitors to engage with our core research activities and the intellectual life of our interdisciplinary research community. Visiting Fellows participate in core lab activities, sharing knowledge and ideas in an interdisciplinary space. Visitors must be sponsored by an existing member of SHL. This relationship should be developed before making an application. Visitor and Sponsor should agree a programme of activities and outputs in advance of the visit. These may include giving seminars or guest lectures, production of a working paper, and/or writing a research proposal. Visitors generally fall into one of the following broad categories: - Senior Academics: to engage with the intellectual life of the Lab, usually through a substantial research engagement that they bring with them.
- Researchers: to engage with developing projects within the context of SHL’s research remit. These visits may also be linked to specific research proposals currently under development within SHL.
- Practitioner/Artist: to share specialist skills and practice that connect or align with our emerging programmes of research.
Visiting applications incur bench fees as per host school rules. The lab may be able to offer some funding that will reflect the individual circumstances of the visitor. It may cover travel, some accommodation and/or joint research expenses. We prioritise self-funded visits. Applications are reviewed by SHL programme management team and approved by the Dean/Head of the relevant host School. If you have any questions, please contact shl@sussex.ac.uk in the first instance. - Doctoral Research
We welcome applications for doctoral study aligned to the Sussex Humanities Lab interests. Formal applications are made through the postgraduate application system. Prospective doctoral students are advised to start with informal enquiries. You can explore our Directory of Members for more information on potential supervisors, and drop us a line at shl@sussex.ac.uk.
- SHL Network
An important part of our mission is to develop links with researchers, research centres, and non-academic partners working in similar areas across the world. We are known worldwide and has been instrumental in many successful international consortia projects. We are uniquely placed to participate in international consortium bids and projects. We are open to collaboration with partners across academia, industry, policy, non-profit organisations, grassroots communities, and others.
Working with the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab
We cultivate an inclusive, collaborative, generative and supportive research environment to help nurture the next generation of researchers, while also supporting colleagues to gain new digital skills and engage with cutting edge research.
