Artist in Residence Programme.
IOU has created a rolling 6 month opportunity for artists to live, work and develop their creative practice at the IOU Creation Centre Hostel, Hebden Bridge
IOU Artist in Residence
IOU has created a rolling 6 month opportunity for artists to live, work and develop their creative practice at the IOU Creation Centre Hostel, Hebden Bridge
The Artist in Residency opportunity is open to artists specialising in any art form interested in IOU’s approach. The residency includes living rent and bill free in a self contained artist apartment to develop their practice and create an art project in response to time spent living at the Hostel.
During their residency artists have the opportunity to lead a workshop at the Hostel or the IOU studio and to hold a final exhibition of their work
Please see our social media or join our mailing list to find out when applications are open.
Current IOU Artist in Residence – esK Stewart Knights
esK (Stewart Knights) is a multi-disciplinary artist from Little Hulton, Greater Manchester, whose practice includes painting, spoken-word poetry and sculpture. Using these mediums he explores local history and contemporary culture through semi-abstracted scenes, poems and structures which he shares at exhibitions and online.
“Wintering in Hebden Bridge during the first part of my residency has been enchanting. I came to the Calder valley at the tail end of summer with the intention of creating interactive sculptures. What these would be, exactly, was yet to be decided at that time. Luckily, Hebden Bridge is one of those unusual places where if you ask it something, it will answer – and I was answered by the people I met, the places I would go, and the things I would see as I plodded along, twisting through woods and across moors, my path marked by those most ancient sculptures – cairns.
“Cuiridh mi clach air do chàrn” – an ancient Gaelic blessing saying I’ll put a stone on your cairn. (I’ve got a fiver for anyone who can help me pronounce this correctly). Cairns as navigational tools, cairns as memorials, mysterious rock formations which look like they must have been shaped by human hands, rocks that seem to ooze stories – the Calder valley has them all and I have become fascinated by all.
“
And there was my answer. For my project with IOU I would make interactive, cairn-like structures out of found-objects to be placed around Hebden Bridge; memorials and compasses pointing towards the mishmash of ideas and histories that I have come to know whilst here.
The story of Churn Milk Joan, Gaelic Tree Language, Elmet, the Bridestones, Ghanaian Kokoo Tea Ceremony, the legend of the hunt, Chris who stands in solidarity with Palestinians every day in the town square, Hebden mill, Tom Bell’s cave, who does the best pizza in Hebden?, Happy Valley, and so much more. My challenge is to stack these stories together whilst inviting passers-by to share their own stories, too, continuing to build these cairns together”
The final exhibition of multi media artist esK (Stewart Knight) as IOU Artist in Residence, is a playful take on the stone cairns that feature on the South Pennine hills
A series of interactive structures constructed from founded and gifted objects, his work explores how cairns could form in urban contexts using everyday materials.
Artist in Residence Exhibition
esK : ‘Cuiridh mi clach air do chárn -I’ll Put A Stone On Your Cairn’
From 13 March 2025
Monday-Friday: 8am-8pm
Saturday-Sunday: 9am-5pm
IOU Creation Centre, Dean Clough
Free Entry
Free Parking at Weekends
Georgia D'Silva - 2024
Georgia creates small-scale dioramas, dealing with notions of memory and place. Her final project as Artist in Residence is a interdisciplinary installation featuring six dioramas of homes in Hebden Bridge " The six incredible months I spent living & working with IOU Creation Centre was exactly the opportunity I needed after graduation- a period when I felt a new sense of freedom but also lacked direction. During my residency, I led workshops, gave artist talks, assisted in an IOU production, exhibited alongside other artists in the Culturedale artist showcase, and even held a solo exhibition. These are experiences I could never have imagined myself having a year ago!'
Beth Cockcroft - 2023
'I saw the residency as an opportunity to devote my time to creating without so many external pressures, and reconnect with and reflect on what inspires me. I also saw it as an opportunity to reconnect with the local area- a place I grew up in before moving around the country- as I truly think Calderdale has its own unique culture and sense of community.'
Alicja Mrozowska 2022 -2023
"Working with IOU as Artist in Residence has been an amazing experience that has progressed my work and my confidence as an artist. Acquainting myself with Hebden Bridge and Halifax has prompted me to reflect on who I am as an artist, what the essence of my work is and observe things from the perspective of the audience through meeting guests, studio visitors and people in the community. The studio and hostel spaces are unique ecosystems with a great team, that have inspired me and encouraged new ideas to form and grow'
Charlotte Mellor Meacham 2022
Charlotte is a freelance multi-disciplinary artist, based between Hebden Bridge and Portugal. Within her art practice, she likes to use a variety of mediums. These range from more traditional approaches, such as analogue photography and printing, making and sculpture or sewing and illustration, through to more digital work for her visuals, animation or her posters and design work. Alongside this, she also makes and sells her own designs of handmade headdresses and through the summer, while working as the IOU Hebden Bridge Hostel artist in residence, she customised a series of headphones for a sound/art project, with the idea that the guests of the Hostel could use them for ‘silent discos’
Artists in Residence Final Work
Georgia D’Silva
No.182 Exhibition
An interdisciplinary installation encapsulating Georgia’s experience as Artist in Residence at IOU Creation Centre Hostel, giving audiences an immersive journey into the heart of a community.
Titled No.182, reflects the number of days Georgia has lived in the Calder Valley community. It was exhibited in the Hostel’s Snug, against the stunning backdrop of Nutclough Woods, and featured a collection of six new dioramas depicting local domestic spaces.
Created from reclaimed cardboard, clays and acrylics, each diorama is a replica of a home in Hebden Bridge.
Our first Artist in Residence, Charlotte Meller Meecham, completed her art and sound project at the IOU Hebden Bridge Hostel and the result are these beautiful customised headphones that our Hostel guests can use for their own exclusive silent disco.
“I love to make things that balance both function and form, plus I have years of experience making headdresses for festivals and events, so I was thrilled to be able to harness these interests and complete a project that will hopefully stay a unique feature of the IOU Hostel for years to come.”
To complete her time as Artist in Residence Alicja produced a stunning painting that is now displayed in the Hostel reception. She is also developing a programme of work to exhibit at IOU Walkway Gallery for the Calderdale Year of Culture 2024
“I feel that the hostel reception piece is an example of my confidence growing. I have elevated my painting technique to a larger scale, incorporated new ways of working with paper, used found materials and simplified the subject matter, content with saying less. Moving forward I’m excited for new challenges, continuing to learn and working with IOU in the future”
Launched in April 2022 the Hostel is a unique way for IOU to engage with local residents and visitors to Calderdale and to support artists, creatives and the cultural ecology of the region.
With 14 bedrooms, sleeping up to 40 the independent vegetarian Hostel is set in stunning woodland and gardens in the vibrant town of Hebden Bridge, with excellent transport links to Leeds and Manchester. The hostel welcomes solo travellers and groups all year round and is available for exclusive hire for retreats, workshops, meetings and team building events.
The Hostel is not for profit, with surplus reinvested into the IOU artist community and hostel programme.
