Unseen Futures, launching our radical new artist fellowship

We’re delighted to announce that we have selected four international artists to take part in Unseen Futures, our inaugural fellowship programme.

Centred on dialogue, access and shared experience, Unseen Futures will encourage our fellows to take creative risks and support their innovative approaches to new art, cinema and sound.

Selected artists for Unseen Futures are Uma Breakdown (UK), Julieta Gil (MX), Eternal Engine (PL) and Liz Mputu (US), chosen from an application pool of 30. Applicants were nominated by an internationally diverse group of practitioners, curators, writers and producers outside our current networks, as we sought to prioritise marginalised practices and voices within the first cohort.

The fellowship will be fluid and artist-led. Each participant will receive an unrestricted fee of £3000, plus workshops, industry access, advisory sessions, production strategy support, and structured meetings with key peers, facilitated by us.

By focusing on artistic support rather than artistic outcomes, Unseen Futures will create a space to think, share, develop, challenge and be challenged. 

Artistic collaboration and developing new ways of working is integral to our work. The fellowship will build on our organisation’s existing practices and offer new insights into how cultural organisations can tangibly support marginalised practices and artists.  

“Abandon Normal Devices are thinking differently about artistic support and the role of institutional models in supporting new art forms. We want to make sure our approach is accessible and artist-led, and Unseen Futures will be crucial in helping shape our thinking for future collaborations.”
Ruth McCullough, Director

Unseen Futures is a radical new artist fellowship developed and produced by Abandon Normal Devices and supported with public funds from Arts Council England.

The fellowship structure was developed with support from a group of nominators and a selection panel from across the globe and artistic disciplines, including Taylor LeMelle (NL), Gosia Plysa (PL), Doreen Rios (MX), Hoor Al Qasimi (UEA), Amar Ediwirira (UK), Dillon S Phiri (SA), Eva Jager (UK), Lukas Brasiskis (US), John Eng Kiet Bloomfield (UK), Avinash Kumar (IN), Laura Lotti (DE), Abhijan Toto (DE) and Mark Amerika (US).