#47 Sebastian Dahlqvist, Acme & IASPIS Mind the Gap restorative residency
50 opportunities for 50 years
Developing from conversations between Acme and IASPIS about whether current artist residencies and artist mobility supports remain relevant and ‘fit for purpose’ in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic and climate crisis world, a flexible four-week restorative residency pilot was conceived. At its core was an understanding of the precarity of artists’ freelance practice, their need to juggle multiple roles and the pressure to neglect rest as they struggle in a ‘no work, no pay’ cycle.
This outcome-free residency was created for an artist wearing multiple hats, with the four-week period being split up as dictated by the artists’ need and scheduling limitations. The residency was connected to the Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone conference, particularly its themes of care and burn-out.
Alongside his practice, recipient artist Sebastian Dahlqvist teaches, works as Artistic and Executive Director for Hägerstensåsens medborgarhus and coordinates a national network for self-organised cultural houses in Sweden, The collective brain. He participated in the 2023 Res Artis conference panel discussion Wider Residency Networks: Creating opportunities and working with purpose.