Factory International Open New Opportunities For Northern Creatives, Musicians And More

• Applications are now open for the 2025 Factory International Fellowship, offering six artists in the North the opportunity to learn alongside international creatives by working on a production at Aviva Studios and the upcoming Manchester International Festival.
• South Asian artist collectives based in the North, ready to scale-up their practise are invited to submit proposals for the latest Artist Takeover in Aviva Studio’s vast warehouse space, from 21 October.
• Opening on 4 November, Factory Sounds is a talent development programme offering a range of support for people working in the music sector across Greater Manchester.

Factory International announces its latest round of artist development opportunities as it looks to support the next generation of creatives. Focused on artists from the North of England, particularly those most underrepresented in the sector, Factory International initiatives support the many creative communities in Manchester and the North with opportunities at the world-renowned Manchester International Festival and year-round at Factory International’s new home, Aviva Studios.

The fellowship is open to independent artists and creative practitioners based in the North…

Reflecting its commitment to developing the next generation of creative talent, particularly those most underrepresented in the sector, Factory International’s opening year has seen over 100 artists from all stages of their careers given opportunities to develop and learn through programmes such as the annual Factory International Fellowship, Factory Sounds, and Artist Takeovers. Further to this, networking and collaboration events such as Artist Socials, Artist Drop-Ins and Global Creatives have provided platforms for more than 500 creatives to connect this year alone.

FACTORY INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

Applications are now open for the Factory International Fellowship 2025 – a nine-month scheme which sees six artists with a variety of artistic practices, invited to go behind-the-scenes during the creation of some of the large-scale productions taking place at Aviva Studios and Manchester International Festival. The fellowship is open to independent artists and creative practitioners based in the North, who are at a pivotal point in their career, to develop new knowledge, experience, skills and networks.

In 2024 Elkanah Wilder, Flematu Sessay, Gemma Lees, Maya Chowdry, Seren Marimba, and Tommy Ryoma Hannaway have had exclusive access to Factory International commissions and creative teams and have developed their practice through mentoring, observational placements, and peer-to-peer learning.

Factory International has previously offered Creative Fellowships for Greater Manchester-based artists every two years since Manchester International Festival 2017, with the 2017 and 2019 cohort of Fellows supported by Jerwood Arts. The beneficiaries, who work as comedians, theatre-makers, dancers, musicians, photographers and more, have gone on to exhibit and perform across the UK, take up artist residencies overseas, be featured in national press, and secure artistic commissions from major funders including Sky Arts, BBC Arts, BFI, Arts Council England, British Council and the Princes’ Trust.

Flematu Sessay, Cultural and Creative Producer and Factory Fellow 2024, says: “I’ve been shadowing the Sweet Dreams production. Following the show, working with the team, and seeing just the practicalities of putting on something of that scale has been incredible.”

Watch a video about Flematu’s experience as a Factory International Fellow HERE.

ARTIST TAKEOVER

The Spring 2025 Artist Takeover applications will open on 21 October 2024 for groups and collectives of South Asian artists from any discipline based in the North of England, who have a minimum of five years of professional practice. In May 2025, Factory International will hand over the keys to the vast Warehouse space at Aviva Studios for use by a South Asian artist group or collective who want to experiment, play and create work at an epic scale that is not possible elsewhere. Artists will be offered financial support of up to £10,000 to explore and realise their idea as well as dedicated guidance from industry experts within the Factory International team.

Factory International’s first ever Artist Takeover at Aviva Studios was led by three artists: Jennifer Jackson, Rosie Elnile and Craig McCorquodale. The trio invited 100 professional and non-professional performers including babies, a brass band and a local cheerleading group into the space to experiment and play with malleable materials.

Following this, 54: Manchester used archive film materials, sound and material design to turn the South Warehouse into an immersive audio-visual installation, investigating the Black British experience in the North West.

The third Artist Takeover in September was led by Studio Tonto, formed by co-founders of the Liverpool-based Invisible Wind Factory. Studio Tonto used a combination of tactile interfaces, projections and sound to create an enchanted garden.

Jennifer Jackson, Artist Takeover co-lead artist Summer 2024, said: “It’s not often you are invited to experiment without the pressure of delivering a final product to a building, so it felt like there was an immense freedom to play.”

54: Manchester, Artist Takeover collective Summer 2024, said: “The experience was invigorating in every aspect—empowering for us as artists and incredibly enjoyable. It exceeded all our expectations.”

FACTORY SOUNDS

Factory Sounds is a development programme for those involved in Manchester’s music scene. Applications for the 2025 cohort open on 4 November 2024. Successful applicants are offered £1,000 of financial support towards the creation of a new project, peer-to-peer support, networking opportunities and a series of regular masterclasses in artist management, promotion, and fundraising.

For 2024, this programme supported the artist and producer RenzNiro, community station STEAM Radio MCR, the soulful R&B performer Rumbi Tauro, Reggae rap artist and spoken word poet J.Chambers, electronic producer and vocalist Caitlin LM, DIY rapper and producer Algernon Cornelius, the drone band Thraa, DJ and Radio host CHARMS, singer-songwriter Saint Harmony, artist, producer, composer Danny H, and queer electronic night FLUFF.

ARTIST SOCIALS

Factory International hosts monthly meet-ups for local creatives. The monthly Artist Drop-Ins are a chance for artists to come together and share ideas. These casual get-togethers are a chance to get to know Factory International staff including Artistic Director & Chief Executive John McGrath and Creative Director Low Kee Hong. The next Artist Drop-In will be taking place in the evening of 30 October.

Artists from outside the UK are also invited to the Social for Global Creatives. The next Global Creatives social is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday 2 November and will be a chance to enjoy conversations in a relaxed environment – facilitated by Stella Barnes (the ex-Creative Director of Community Arts North) and Mahboobeh Rajabi.

Kee Hong Low, Artistic Director at Factory International, said: “Our Artist Development opportunities at Factory International are designed to provide a platform for emerging talent to grow, realise their artistic visions, and to venture boldly into collaborations and artistic conversations not possible elsewhere. It’s essential for us to nurture the next generation of artists, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, and create a supportive environment where they can thrive. I can’t wait to see what the talented individuals who progress through our programmes will achieve.”

Punam Ramchurn, Talent Development Manager at Factory International, said: “I’m excited to launch three new Artist Development Schemes this Autumn. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is offering opportunities that embrace our uniqueness in scale, representation and international reach. Now that we’ve had the keys to Aviva Studios for over 12 months, we can truly give artists space to think, explore, and be ambitious. Who knows where that journey will take them…”

OPPORTUNITIES:

• Factory International Fellowship – Applications Open: 11 October 2024. Deadline: 9 December 2024.
• Artist Takeover – Applications Open: 21 October 2024. Deadline: 16 December 2024.
• Factory Sounds – Applications open 4 November 2024. Deadline 15 Jan 2025.
• Artist Drop-In – 30 October, 6-7pm.
• Global Creatives meet-up – 2 November and 7 December, 2:30-4pm.

Find out more about Factory International’s artist development opportunities and how to apply HERE.