Dancers rehearsing in the dance studio of 101. Three dancers are captured all holding a similar pose with arms raised to shoulder height and both hands pointing in the same direction. The dancer in the center is in focus and has an excited facial expression-Looking in the same direction as their pointed fingers and with eyebrows raised and mouth opened.

Seedbed Residencies

Seedbed: /ˈsiːdbɛd/ noun: A bed of fine soil in which seedlings are germinated

Seedbed is 101's funded programme of R & D residencies inviting artists to push the boundaries of work for the outdoors and in public spaces.

Curated by 101, Seedbed nurtures experienced artists who want to explore new ideas at an early stage. Seedbed residents sometimes choose to work with new creative collaborators, or people from other fields (such as science or fine art); develop work for new audiences; or explore new techniques and technologies.

Seedbed Prioritises:

Projects focussing on early stage R & D.
Strong ideas extending outdoor arts practice in new directions.
New creative collaborations.
Projects to develop outdoor art work for new audiences.
Work which uses innovative techniques and technologies.
Ideas which could be of interest to possible future commissioning partners.
Projects that engage new partners in the development of outdoor work.
Seedbed was launched in 2017 and is funded by Arts Council England.

What does a Seedbed Residency look like?

A residency may take the form of an intensive visit to 101 for a week to three weeks, or sometimes multiple visits over several months. Each residency is bespoke, planned collaboratively through discussions between Seedbed artists and the 101 team.

How we select artists for Seedbed:

Our network of partner 'nominating organisations' put forward artists for the scheme.
We invite a selection of the nominated artists to make proposals.
An meeting (onsite or video) further establishes what the artist wants to explore, and we talk practical details.

“101 masterminded all the logistics of travel, transport and support… they completely oiled the wheels, inspired us and helped the project to evolve from the indoor to the outdoor."

Melanie Wilson

Nominating organisations have included: Pervasive Media Studio at Watershed Bristol; Artsadmin; Crying Out Loud, Fuel, Manchester International Festival and Oval House.

Nominating organisations don't have to take a producing involvement in the residency, but we do ask them to attend end of project sharings and discussions.