Margaret Tait Residency 2023 | Open Call for Applications

Part of Margaret Tait Residency

Please note that the deadline was 7 November 2022 and has now passed

A black and white image shows a 16mm Bolex camera set up on a tripod facing towards the side of a van with a piece of paper tacked to the side. The paper reads ‘A Portrait of Ga’, the title card for Margaret Tait’s film of the same name. In the background a hilly rural landscape and bright sky.
Image courtesy of Orkney Library and Archive.

Applications are open for the Margaret Tait Residency 2023 – the deadline is Monday 7 November, 5pm. This opportunity is for Scotland-based emerging artists working with film and moving image to develop their practice, delivered in partnership with the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney, and backed by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland. The selected artist will be provided with time, space, freedom and support to concentrate upon the development of their work without the demand for public presentation.

Deadline for applications is Monday 7 November, 5pm.

The Margaret Tait Residency builds upon the legacy of the residency delivered by Glasgow Film in 2012 – 2014. Aimed at emerging artists working in film and moving image with up to 5 years professional experience, the residency provides time and support for developing work and practice without the demands of deadlines or public presentation. The residency will take place at the Pier Arts Centre’s newly renovated facility Linkshouse – Orkney Arts Residency for up to 6 weeks with an artists’ fee and accompanying travel and access support funds. The residency will take place between October 2023 and March 2024. Applicants should take these dates into consideration when applying.

The residency supports artists wishing to focus upon specific projects as well as those keen to develop new ideas without the demands of deadlines or public presentation. The selected artist will have a tailored package of support from LUX Scotland and the Pier Arts Centre, with the option of presenting outcomes of the residency with Glasgow Film. This package includes a budget for mentoring and training.

Eligible artists are invited to apply through an open call process. Shortlisted artists are then asked to present a proposal for the residency and paid a fee for their time.

The selection panel for the Margaret Tait Residency is comprised of Sarah Forrest, Glasgow based artist and previous Margaret Tait Residency recipient; Jesse Mpango, curator and co-founder of Ajabu Ajabu Audio Visual House, Tanzania; Kari Adams, Curatorial Assistant at the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney; Eve Smith, Learning Programme Manager at LUX Scotland;and Sarah Smyth, Screen Officer at Creative Scotland.

The selected artist will be announced at Glasgow Film Festival 2023.

The recipient of the Margaret Tait Residency 2022 was Matthew Cosslett and previous residents include Florrie James and Sarah Forrest, who undertook the previous iteration of the Margaret Tait Residency in 2012 – 2014.

Who can apply?

  • Artists who are based in Scotland.
  • Artists who have been developing film and moving image work as part of their practice over the past 0 – 5 years and who would benefit from this dedicated period of time and support. 0 – 5 years does not have to be consecutive years of practice and can begin from a point in an artist’s career that is deemed to be the beginning of their working practice.

  • There is no age restriction.

  • Artists do not have to have been in formal education, attended art school or university.

  • Collectives, groups and collaborations are eligible as long as there is demonstration of working collectively over a sustained amount of time. Please note, the artists’ fee would remain the same in this instance.

  • We regret that we cannot accept applications of artists who are currently students.

  • Artists cannot be nominated for the Margaret Tait Award and apply for the Margaret Tait Residency. If artists are nominated for the award and have already applied for the residency, we will ask artists which opportunity they would prefer to pursue.

How to apply?

To apply, please send the following information:

  • Up to 200 words on your work and how the residency would impact your practice.
  • A link to one online example of your work. Please include passwords if applicable.
  • A completed equal opportunities form. This will be kept separately from the application and remain anonymous.

Applications should be sent by email only to email hidden; JavaScript is required. Please include the information required in the body of the email.

Applications are assessed by a panel of artists and professionals from across the fields of the visual arts and film. Shortlisted artists are then asked to present proposals for the residency, with an accompanying artists’ fee.

Deadline for applications is Monday 7 November, 5pm. The shortlist will be notified in December 2022. The recipient of the Margaret Tait Residency will be announced at Glasgow Film Festival in March 2023.

The visual arts sector in the UK currently does not reflect the communities in which it works. LUX Scotland is committed to addressing this through all aspects of its work and we particularly welcome applications from artists from Black and other global majority backgrounds, from low income backgrounds and disabled people.

Access and support

Support in making an application:

Video or voice recordings are welcome in place of a written application. Please send the following:

  • Up to 2 minutes of video/​voice recording on your work and how the residency would impact your practice. Please send this as an attachment or link.

  • A link to one online example of your work. Please include passwords if applicable.

  • A completed equal opportunities form. This will be kept separately from the application and remain anonymous.


Applications should be sent by email only to email hidden; JavaScript is required.

If you have any questions or require support, please contact Annie Crabtree, Project Manager, on email hidden; JavaScript is required or by telephone /​text on 07394 042450.

Shortlisted artists have the following support available:

  • The presentations for shortlisted artists will take place on Zoom individually.

  • BSL interpretation and live captioning is available.

  • Funds for mobile data and /​or support for internet connection is available.

  • Questions from the panel will be provided in advance of the meeting.

  • Artists will be contacted individually to submit their presentations and the LUX Scotland team will work with you to devise the best way for you to present your proposal. This can include, but is not limited to, presenting a pre-recorded video, a slide show presentation, or providing links to example works.

  • Shortlisted artists will be paid a fee of £302.80 for their time in making and presenting their proposal for the residency. This fee is calculated at Scottish Artists Union rates.

  • Upon notification, shortlisted artists will be asked if they have any access requirements to partake in the selection process, and we welcome shortlisted artists to submit access riders if they have them.

The selected artist will have the following support:

The residency comes with an artist fee of £152.21 per day (based on SAU new graduate residency salary for 2021/​22).

The residency comes with tailored access support and travel funds for the recipient, which will be discussed individually with the selected artist. The 6 week residency can be divided into separate smaller stays or a 6 week consecutive residency to suit the needs and requirements of the artist.

Information sessions

We are offering information sessions to discuss any aspect of the nomination and application processes. These 15 minute one-to-one meetings with a member of the LUX Scotland team are aimed at artists interested in applying for the Margaret Tait Residency 2023.

Further information and booking for our information sessions can be found here.

Booking for our BSL interpreted Information sessions can be found here.

Residency Facilities

Orkney Arts Residency is located at Linkshouse, a large detached property which is located in the rural parish of Birsay, on the North West coast of Mainland Orkney. Managed by the Pier Arts Centre, Linkshouse has recently been refurbished to a high standard.

The property includes space for 5 working artists to stay on a self-catering basis. Rooms are either double or twin, each having their own bathroom, one of which is on the ground floor with accessible en-suite facilities. There are three studio spaces which are allocated on a case by case basis. All guests have access to the communal living, kitchen, and outside spaces. Additional rooms may be available if required for an extra charge, depending on availability.

We recommend artists organise their own transport whilst on the island. However, Linkshouse is accessible by an infrequent public bus service from Kirkwall. The journey by bus takes approximately an hour, followed by a short ten minute walk. There is a small village shop a short walk from Linkshouse. Supermarkets, shops and restaurants can be found in Kirkwall and Stromness, with the Pier Arts Centre located in Stromness. There is on-site parking for residents with cars. Travel to Orkney from the mainland is either by plane or ferry. It is recommended that transport to Orkney and onward travel to Linkshouse is organised in advance.

The Pier Arts Centre’s staff are available throughout to assist, however, there are no on-site staff at the residency centre. Residents are always welcome at the Pier Arts Centre during opening hours.

Weather on Orkney is notoriously changeable, and the location of Linkshouse near the sea means weather conditions can be dangerous and changeable, as such residents should be flexible and come prepared for all weather conditions. There is WiFi at the property, however due to its rural location service can be intermittent. It is also recommended that guests check with their mobile phone provider regarding signal coverage in Birsay.

You can find more information about Linkshouse Residency Centre here.

If you have any questions or require support, please contact Annie Crabtree, Project Manager, on email hidden; JavaScript is required or by telephone /​text on 07394 042450.

Margaret Tait Residency Selection Panel

Sarah Forrest

Sarah Forrest is an artist based in Glasgow who works across film, installation, text and sound. Solo exhibitions include: The Unit’, Glasgow International (2021); The Unreliable Narrator’, Hospitalfield, Arbroath (2019); April’, LUX, London (2018); Again, it objects’, Kunstraum Dusseldorf, Germany (2016); I Left it on Page 32, Supplement’, London (2014); Two Solo Shows: Sarah Forrest and Mounira Al Sohl’, CCA, Glasgow (2013). Recent group exhibitions include: Who has seen the wind?’, Chelsea Space, London (2022), Untitled’, curated by James Hutchinson, The Tetley, Leeds (2019), Maintenant et Encore’ (with Linda Sanchez), 3 Bis F, Aix-en-Provence, France; Against Time’, co-curated by Paula Zambrano and Sarah Strang for Glasgow International, Civic Room, Glasgow (all 2018). Sarah was recipient of the Margaret Tait Award 2017 and has recently received her PhD from Glasgow School of Art titled, What is Seen, What is Said to be Seen: Exploring doubt as a critical tool within artists’ moving image practice’.

Jesse Gerard Mpango

Jesse Gerard Mpango is a storyteller from Kasulu, Tanzania, currently working as a writer and curator in Dar es Salaam. He is a founding member of Ajabu Ajabu — a collective of practitioners whose work engages the preservation, production and presentation of audio visual forms. Their current focus is building avenues of communal experience for underrepresented narratives and strengthening networks of amateur and experimental practice, in Tanzania and abroad. He has also curated extensively at Nafasi Art Space, a multidisciplinary art centre in Dar Es Salaam and his writing has been featured in journals such as Art Monthly, Nairobi Contemporary and OFFTO Magazine.

Kari Adams

Kari Adams lives and works in Stromness, Orkney, where she is the Curatorial Assistant at the Pier Arts Centre. Kari studied painting at Edinburgh College of Art (2011), and then obtained a masters in Art History with Contemporary Curation at the University of Edinburgh (2015). Over the last 10 years, she has gained experience working with artists and galleries across Scotland, and since joining the Pier Arts Centre in 2016, has been actively involved in various aspects of programming, collaboration and contemporary collecting. Kari is a recipient of an Art Fund New Collecting Award (2021) and is currently researching moving image to develop the Centre’s collection of artists’ films.

Eve Smith

Eve Smith is Learning Programme Manager at LUX Scotland and is currently based in Glasgow. She is responsible for LUX Scotland’s Learning Programme that supports artists across the country.

Eve is a researcher and exhibition organiser. She has fifteen years of experience working with publicly funded galleries and small-scale visual arts organisations in the UK. Eve studied History of Art as part of her undergraduate Fine Art degree and later completed an MA in Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art.

Previously, Eve organised the exhibitions and events programme at The Showroom, London (2012 – 16) where she worked on new commissions with artists including Beatrice Gibson, Rana Hamadeh, Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Uriel Orlow, Ciara Phillips, Sarah Pierce and Falke Pisano.

Image description: A black and white image shows a 16mm Bolex camera set up on a tripod facing towards the side of a van with a piece of paper tacked to the side. The paper reads A Portrait of Ga’, the title card for Margaret Tait’s film of the same name. In the background a hilly rural landscape and bright sky.



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British Sign Language (BSL) Version

Part of Margaret Tait Residency

The Margaret Tait Residency provides an opportunity for artists working with film and moving image to develop their practice, in partnership with the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney.

Learn more