logo

SSW x Counterflows Caregivers Residency : FAQs

If you have questions that aren’t covered here, or would like to discuss your specific circumstances prior to application, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via jenny@ssw.org.uk or 01464 861372.

These questions are available as an audio version via this link.

How do you define who is a caregiver?

Caregiving can be self-defined by the artist. It could include (but is not limited to), artists with children, artists who support someone with a disability, artists who care for relatives, friends or chosen family on a regular basis, artists who offer care within a professional capacity such as medical, mental health or spiritual care, artists who are caregivers to a wider community such as movement organisers, or artists who care for other kin, among many other definitions of caregiving.

Can I apply collaboratively with another artist?

Yes, we welcome collaborative applications of up to 2 people. At least one artist in the collaboration must have caregiving responsibilities. In this instance we will offer each collaborator 50% of the fee and reduce the residency duration by 50% to account for the difference in pay i.e a 2 week residency. Please note that the access costs remain at £1000 in this instance. Collaborators should be able and willing to form one household at SSW for the duration of the residency – this may require self isolation beforehand depending on the government guidelines at the time.

What can I use the access budget for?

The access budget of £1000 is available to support the selected artist to participate in the residency. Everyone will have different needs based on their individual circumstances so we will work with the artist to find best use for this money. In the past this has been used to pay another caregiver, e.g. a partner or friend, to take on some of your caregiving responsibility during the residency, or to pay someone to come with you and the person you care for to SSW, to support your caregiving while you are working. It has been used to pay for taxis and childcare for an artist’s family to make it possible for the artist to come on residency. It could be used to pay for professional support to cover your caregiving responsibilities, e.g. a befriender or cleaner for an elderly relative, or someone to take over some admin of your community caregiving role. It is also available for anyone with additional access needs, to support you to attend the residency.

The access budget is not enough to cover my access needs – is there more available?

From feedback last year we understand that £1000 isn’t enough money to cover costs for some specialist care and respite support, depending on your caregiving responsibilities / access needs. If this is the case we welcome feedback as it will support our case for increasing this budget in future funding applications.

SSW’s access budgets are benchmarked across our funded residencies and we will be seeking to increase this in line with our funding cycles. We don’t currently have any additional funds available to increase this budget line. As such, we are open to requests for caregiver’s residency that are shorter in duration (min. 2 weeks), in order to reduce access costs and make your participation in residency more possible. Although this isn’t the ideal solution, we hope it might make residency in some form possible for you at this time, if you have increased access costs.

Through this year’s research project we are seeking links and partnerships within our community here in Lumsden, which we hope will enable a wider diversity of caregiving needs to be supported while the artist is here on residency.

I applied last year, can I apply again?

Yes, you are welcome to apply again.

I am the primary caregiver for a child, disabled person or someone else, can I bring them with me on residency? Can I bring my family (biological or chosen)?

Yes you can. You would have sole access to a rented house and they are welcome to stay.

If you are bringing the person you care for, we would encourage you to use the access budget to pay for someone else to come with you and enable you to participate in the residency, have time for yourself and your practice, but if this isn’t possible we can try to find other methods of support for you. We understand that everyone has different responsibilities and needs, but also want everyone to be safe on site.

We should add that unfortunately the house has some access barriers, including a step at the entrance, stairs to the bathroom/toilet, and narrow doorways. We are happy to discuss specifics if this is helpful for you or answer any questions about the facilities – please get in touch.

Can I participate in the residency remotely?

No. We believe that being here, on site at SSW, is the key offer of the residency, and believe in the importance of embodied learning in our workshops. The respite, retreat and facilitation offered by the residency for you and your practice, from the pressures of everyday life are also important in relation to this specific residency.

What about COVID-19?

SSW is COVID secure. You can read our guidelines and procedures online to see what we are doing towards this. If there is another lockdown or travel restrictions are introduced at the planned time of the residency we will seek to reschedule your visit.

Do I need to have a bank account or legal right to work in the UK?

The artist(s) must be able to invoice for the fee and supporting budgets and accept payment by bank transfer. This does not need to be a UK bank account, however, if there are fees associated with this, they would be deducted from the full fee or transfer amount.

The artist must be able to receive payment in some form. We understand that this can be complicated for artists who are undocumented or receiving disability allowance for example, and are open to trying to find ways to provide support that do not interfere with essential payments or legal requirements. This could take the form of an invoice from a trusted organisation for example, who can then provide compensation to the artist in another form. Access care support costs can be invoiced directly by the service provider rather than the artist.

I am a student, am I eligible to apply?

This residency is not open to applications from students. It’s a difficult time to be a student, particularly if you have caregiving responsibilities and the residency is another commitment on top of this. We have also found curriculum schedules quite challenging to work within in previous experience.

How do you define an artist?

Like caregiving, being an artist can be self-defined by the applicant. We do not ask for qualifications or lots of previous exhibitions or performances, and do not ask for a CV either. Rather we want to hear about your practice in your words, and see/hear some things you have made previously with sound and performance. We want to see experimentation in this, and understand how participating in the residency will benefit your practice.

Where is Scottish Sculpture Workshop and how do I get there?

Scottish Sculpture Workshop is in Lumsden, rural Aberdeenshire. There is information about how to get here available on our website at www.ssw.org.uk/contact/. If required the access budget can also be used to support travel here, for example if an artist cannot take public transport, needs priority boarding, an overnight stop to rest, extra baggage or to bring a travel buddy. 

I am shielding, or the person I give care to is shielding, can I still apply?

We have put significant safety measures in place to protect everyone at SSW from the risk of Coronavirus. Despite this, we cannot guarantee individual safety. If you are unsure about visiting, please see the information packs on our website which should help you decide if you should apply based on your personal circumstances.

  • Share