residency Archives

We Are Here – A Residency by Ian Mood

Over two months Ian Mood observed and sketched in independent pubs and cafes across Newcastle-under-Lyme. Those sketches have now been turned into We Are Here – paintings capturing, not only the people who worked and socialised there, but also the spirit, the feel, and the hustle and bustle. Or what Ian calls: “the vibrant new spaces and faces of our town.”

Ian’s previous residency for Appetite at Newcastle Common called Open Up was in 2021 at a time when the world look very different.

The paintings that emerged from that residency were paintings of scared figures – with an unsure future – as seen on Newcastle High Street. Ian says:

“Now to me the town feels very different; I’m hopeful for our future and I see people around me who feel the same. So I’m spending time painting in a few of my favourite venues including Mellards, Anasma (Greek Bakery), and Piccoloco.”

You can see the paintings on display at each location throughout March. Go in, say hi, enjoy the artwork, and support local independent businesses. It’s a win all round.

*What is an artist’s residency?

A residency is when an artist spends time in a different place for an amount of time. The place, people and organisations they come into contact with usually feed into the work that they create. This allows them to develop new ideas and talk to different kinds of people to get inspiration for new work. Sometimes they use a residency to try something really different that they haven’t done before.

Restricted and Repetitive – A Residency by Cat McGill

In her first artist’s residency* for Appetite, Autistic musician Cat McGill confronts the concept of ‘restricted and repetitive’ behaviours – one of the criteria for gaining a diagnosis of autism – and asks what it would mean to reframe these behaviours as ’regulating and relaxing’.

Cat invites you to view the world through her eyes – and ears – as she explores how her brain experiences the sounds of the world around us, and shares how her ‘restricted and repetitive’ behaviours are a source of great comfort and joy.

To showcase the project, Cat is creating an interactive and immersive sound installation that will allow other people to experience the sensory-seeking, pattern loving, musical, autistic world inside her head.

The installation will make use of different objects and textures, as well as a combination of music technologies to trigger sounds and replicate the multi-sensory aspect of hearing and feeling music. Each person interacting with the installation will experience it in a different way, meaning that – as a piece of music – it’s different every time it is played.

In this video you can see Cat’s process as she explains making the ”ominous thud’ and how she reacts to it. You can read posts and see more videos following Cat’s creative journey, including what she describes as ‘the boring bits’ (which are still incredibly fascinating) over on her blog page.

See Restricted and Repetitive at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Friday 28 February – Sunday 2 March. Admission is free.

Why this residency?

Cat’s residency forms part of FRONLTINEdance‘s FRONTLINE Arts Festival 2025. Showcasing the talent of UK d/DEAF, disabled and neurodivergent artists, #FAF2025 event will include a range of performances, arts and sound installations, including spoken word, dance, music, poetry, film, sculptures, photographs, drawings and paintings. It will premiere two FRONTLINEdance commissions alongside Cat McGill’s.

The will be an arts symposium day at on Friday 28 February at Potteries Museum & Art Gallery to celebrate and advocate for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. It’s set to be an exciting day of performances, panel discussions, and connecting. You can book your tickets on Eventbrite.