Dates: Monday 28 October – Friday 01 November 2024, 5 days (Autumn Half Term)
Times: 10.00-16.00
Location: Somerset House, Strand, London
Cost: FREE (travel expenses of up to £15 per day will be covered and lunch will be provided)
Application Deadline: Monday 16 September 2024, 9am
Each Future Artists Programme is delivered by a different artist who shares their distinct practice. This makes each programme unique and means that no two programmes are the same. The Future Artists Programme – October 2024 will be led by Raheel Khan.
The Future Artists Programme is a five-day experimental, educational and open-ended proposal for creative questioning and exploration. Using Imran Perretta’s A Riot in Three Acts as the creative source, the group will explore themes of youth and resistance, urban rebellion and the perception of ‘anti-social’ behaviour through sound, music and spoken word.
Guided by Raheel Khan, the group will explore the sound of our physical environment, both as object and subject, experiment with different ways of capturing sound and start building a small archive of field recordings. Towards the end of the week, the group will devise a sharing to be performed in the exhibition space.
During the 5 days, you will;
Each day will follow a set structure with time for rest breaks. On each day, there will be a 1-hour lunch break with lunch provided.
This programme is for young people with an interest in sound and electronic music. You should be happy to contribute to creative discussions and work with others, open to trying new things with a desire to explore your own creative process. We don’t ask for any prior experience, but when applying, it’s important that you can demonstrate an interest in exploring creativity through sound and music.
This opportunity is for young people ages 16-19 who are interested in spoken word, sound and music who haven’t studied an art subject at university level. This programme will prioritise people from underrepresented backgrounds* particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please ready the guidance below.
Please note, it is important that you can attend all 5 days of the project. Applicants must be able to travel to Somerset House in Central London daily. Please look at the ‘what does attendance cost’ tab below for details about how we can support your travel within London.
*The Inclusive Talent Engagement team at Somerset House acknowledges that particular people are underrepresented in the creative sector. Particularly those who identify as:
We also acknowledge that people face barriers in many ways not mentioned above, including:
**Fair access to working in the arts remains one of the most urgent issues facing the sector today, with those from lower socio-economic backgrounds still vastly underrepresented amongst the artists and employees of UK theatres, festivals, galleries and arts organisations of all kinds. Our team has drawn from Jerwood Arts’ ‘SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE ARTS A TOOLKIT FOR EMPLOYERS’ to define how to determine who falls into this category. We acknowledge this needs work and often, things aren’t always black and white, for now this is the framework we are using to determine this;
Some questions that might help define lower socio-economic background:
The Future Artists Programme offers a unique opportunity to explore an Artist’s process, studio practice and day-to-day working world. You will be guided by artists and creators who have established themselves in the arts world and gain an understanding of how you could pursue a career as an artist. The programme will encourage curiosity, inviting participants to develop new ways of thinking, and amplify their unique artistic voice.
If you’re unsure if this programme is for you, ask yourself these questions:
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it’s likely that this is the programme for you – we'd encourage you to apply!
If you answered no to all questions, it’s unlikely that you’d benefit the most from this programme.
The week is free of charge to participants. Reasonable travel expenses of up to £15 per day will be covered and lunch will be provided. These are the ways that we can support your travel to and from Somerset House:
In most cases, we are not able to reimburse travel costs and can only buy tickets in advance on your behalf.
Upgrade Yourself is Somerset House's creative skills programme aimed at deepening and widening engagement. Managed by the Inclusive Talent Engagement team, the Upgrade Yourself programme exists to break down barriers and build confidence for underrepresented, aspiring creatives aged 16-30.
Using the creative community at Somerset House and beyond as a resource, our programmes provide emerging talent access to skills, experiences and progression routes to pursue careers in the creative sector.
The Future Artists Programme will take place in the River Rooms at Somerset House. The space is on the ground floor and accessible to wheelchair users. There is an accessible toilet close by. Full details about accessibility at Somerset House are here.
If you require additional support to take part in this programme, please let us know in your application.
To apply for this opportunity, please submit an application via this form:
We are happy to accept applications in a format that suits you. If you would prefer to submit your application as a video (max. 5 minutes) or voice note (max. 5 minutes), please submit your recording to engagement@somersethouse.org.uk or via whatsapp to Sophie @ +44 (0) 7774 048 882.
