Question 1

What is EASE?

Accepted Answer

EASE (Entrepreneurship, Art & Science for Environmental Sustainability) is a 24-month UKRI-funded research programme led by De Montfort University, running July 2026 – July 2028. It works across the UK and Crete with eleven partners, developing a new methodology — Creative Assemblage Methodology (CAM) — that treats artistic practice, scientific enquiry and community knowledge as equal partners in addressing climate and environmental questions.

Question 2

Should I register for the Picturing Climate network as part of my application?

Accepted Answer

Registering for the Picturing Climate Network and putting your practice/research on the map is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. The network website is a tool for collaboration, and putting your research on the map will increase the visibility of your practice, increasing your chances of finding exciting collaborative partners.

If accepted for the project, you will be expected to utilise the network page to provide updates on your work and experience, and your work will be featured on the site.

Question 3

What is an Artist Venturing Lab (AVL)?

Accepted Answer

A week-long interdisciplinary residency in Crete. Five UK artists and Greek participants work alongside scientists, archaeologists and local partners across a set of field sites linked by a single theme. Each day typically moves from morning fieldwork → afternoon Assemblage Mapping and discussion → evening presentations and reflection. There are five labs in total, covering five distinct landscapes and themes.

Question 4

Do I need to attend all 5 labs?

Accepted Answer

No. Each selected artist attends one lab. Five artists per lab × five labs = 25 UK places total. You'll indicate your availability on the application form, and we'll place you on a lab that fits both your practice and your schedule.

Question 5

Can I express a preference for a particular lab?

Accepted Answer

The application form asks for availability rather than preference — tick every lab week you can commit to. The panel will match selected artists to labs based on those availabilities and on the fit between practice and theme. If one lab particularly speaks to your work, say so in your written proposal; it will be considered alongside your availability.

Question 6

What are the dates and locations?

Question 7

Who can apply?

Accepted Answer

Professional artists based in the UK with at least two years of practice, working in any medium. We are actively seeking diversity of practice — photography, sound, moving image, installation, performance, sculpture, writing, archive, hybrid and cross-disciplinary work are all welcome. You don't need an academic background, a degree, gallery representation, or prior experience of interdisciplinary or scientific collaboration.

Question 8

What does "UK-based" mean?

Accepted Answer

You must be resident in the UK and have the right to work in the UK. The 25 UK places are a UKRI grant condition. Greek-based artists are being recruited separately by our Cretan partners (details on picturingclimate.org)(http://picturingclimate.org).

Question 9

I'm a professional artist but I don't live in the UK or Greece. Can I apply?

Accepted Answer

We regret we cannot consider applicants outside these two routes for this call.

Question 10

Can I apply as part of a duo or collective?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Duos and small collectives may apply together. Please note: a joint application, if successful, takes two (or more) of the 25 UK slots — one per participating artist — and each collaborator's travel, accommodation and stipend is costed accordingly. Submit one application as a group, clearly naming all collaborators, with a single combined proposal and portfolio. All named collaborators must be UK-based and meet the eligibility criteria individually.

Question 11

Are current students eligible?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The call is open to professional artists with at least two years of practice; current students at any level may apply on that basis. Postgraduate-level experience or equivalent is recommended given the interdisciplinary nature of the work, but it is not a hard requirement.

Question 12

Is there an age limit?

Accepted Answer

No.

Question 13

Do I need prior experience of working with scientists?

Accepted Answer

No. That collaboration is part of what EASE is offering.

Question 14

Do I need prior experience of entrepreneurship or prototyping?

Accepted Answer

No. The "E" in EASE describes what the programme builds with artists through the later Work Package 2 sprints — not a prerequisite for entering the labs.

Question 15

During the week on site, what does a day look like?

Accepted Answer

Mornings are fieldwork — visits to active research sites, caves, archaeological sites, scientific monitoring locations. Afternoons combine Assemblage Mapping (the core CAM practice — a structured, collaborative way of making sense of what you've encountered) with interdisciplinary discussion. Evenings are typically presentations from the team's scientists or partners, or peer sharing. There is usually one rest day at the end of the week.

Question 16

How physically demanding is it?

Accepted Answer

Honestly — it varies by lab, but some sites are demanding. Expect cave visits, walking on uneven terrain, full-day fieldwork in variable weather, and in some cases hikes of up to an hour to reach sites. Lab 3 (January in eastern Crete) can be cold and wet. Most labs includes cave environments with moisture and low light. Lab 1 includes a full mountain day.

Each lab will have a detailed accessibility and participant brief issued before travel, covering the physical character of each site, access routes, and clothing/equipment requirements. We're committed to making labs as accessible as possible and will discuss reasonable adjustments with any selected artist. Please don't self-exclude — if you have specific access requirements, raise them with us at any stage of the process and we'll work through what's possible together.

Question 17

What's the working language?

Accepted Answer

English is the primary working language across all labs. Interpretation will be arranged where needed to support conversation with Greek partners, participants and hosts — you don't need to speak Greek to take part.

Question 18

What do I bring? What's provided?

Accepted Answer

Your own practice equipment (cameras, recorders, notebooks, sketch materials) is your responsibility — the project cannot insure or replace personal professional kit. Shared project equipment (LiDAR, drone, audio/video kit) is available by arrangement with the team. Appropriate outdoor clothing, walking boots and weather layers are your responsibility. Cave-specific equipment (hard hats, head torches) is provided where needed; the pre-lab brief will be specific about what you need to pack.

Question 19

Is travel insurance provided?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Selected artists are covered by De Montfort University's travel insurance as project participants for the duration of the lab. Full policy details will be shared with you on acceptance. You remain responsible for appropriate personal health and possessions cover as you see fit.

Question 20

Is this paid?

Accepted Answer

Yes. £1,000 stipend per artist for the week on site. Separately, all travel (UK–Crete return), accommodation, meals and on-the-ground costs during the lab are booked and paid for directly by the project — you do not pay upfront and claim back. Further arrangements can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.

Question 21

How is the stipend paid?

Accepted Answer

Either to you as an individual or by invoice from a CIC, limited company or equivalent business entity — whichever works best for your circumstances. You'll confirm your preferred method at contracting stage.

Question 22

How much time beyond the lab week is expected?

Accepted Answer

The £1,000 stipend covers the lab week. Participation in the wider EASE programme beyond that week is invited and warmly encouraged, but not contractually required. That wider programme includes:
•     Pre-lab online briefing sessions (2–3 sessions before your lab)
•     Monthly CAM sessions (online, around 90 minutes, optional)
•     Contribution to picturingclimate.org a(http://picturingclimate.org)s the research progresses
•     Invitation to the DMU and Oxford symposiums/conferences and Photoworks/Everything is Connected workshops 
•     Opportunity to develop creative prototypes (MVPs) through Work Package 2 sprints in 2027

Question 23

What are the creative prototypes / MVPs?

Accepted Answer

In 2027, EASE will develop five creative MVPs — one per lab theme — through a funded development phase (£4,000 development contract each). Selection of MVP directions will happen after the labs, based on ideas that have emerged from the work. Participation in this next phase is by invitation and mutual agreement, not automatic for lab artists, and the £4,000 is separate from the £1,000 lab stipend.

Question 24

How will Minimum Viable Prototype (MVP) be created?

Accepted Answer

Each cohort of the programme of research will begin their work together with an intensive and embedded experience within the sites of climate research. Together, artists, scientists and the research team will co-imagine and propose—with the support of NTU's CBIT venture building mechanisms—five "minimum viable prototypes" which will then be assessed by Triple Bottom Line mechanisms that we are co-developing for creative outputs. This will help us understand which ideas will be most viable, sustainable, and most importantly, exciting for audiences to engage with. A single MVP will then be chosen to develop as a concept, which will be tested by controlled exhibition opportunities.

Question 25

Do I have to make or exhibit a final work?

Accepted Answer

No. You are not contracted to produce a specific deliverable. The lab is a space for enquiry and collaborative research, not commissioned output. Work that emerges may be shared through picturingclimate.org,(http://picturingclimate.org) Photoworks platforms, and the project's touring exhibition — all by agreement with you.

Question 26

Who owns the work I make?

Accepted Answer

The project operates a two-tier IP framework. The CAM methodology and toolkit produced by the project as research outputs will be released as open-access under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA. Creative works you produce during or after the lab remain yours.

Where a direction is developed further as a funded MVP through Work Package 2, co-ownership and usage agreements will be issued before that development work begins — not retrospectively. Nothing about participating in the lab itself assigns your IP to the project. However, EASE is investigating this very terrain, and aims to consider and recommend new frameworks for collaborative IP, and your participation would help shape the future of creative practice!

Question 27

Where do I apply?

Accepted Answer

Through the Photoworks application portal: [URL to come]. All applicants use the same portal, regardless of how they heard about the call — including artists nominated or encouraged by members of the project team.

Question 28

What do I submit?

Accepted Answer

•     Short written proposal (max 500 words): why this project, how it connects to your practice
•     Short bio (max 200 words)
•     Up to 3 relevant previous project examples
•     A single PDF (max 5 pages): 2 pages for proposal + bio, up to 3 pages for portfolio
•     Links to portfolio / website (supplementary)
•     Moving image or audio work: provide links (self-hosted on Vimeo, SoundCloud, YouTube or your own site); max 3 minutes per piece in line with Arts Council convention
•     Availability per lab week (tick every week you can fully commit to)

Question 29

Can I send more than 5 pages?

Accepted Answer

No. The 5-page limit is firm. It's there so the panel can give every applicant a fair read. The panel will only consider the first 5 pages of any application.

Question 30

Do you accept physical portfolios or work samples by post?

Accepted Answer

No — digital submission only.

Question 31

I don't have a website. Is that a problem?

Accepted Answer

No. The PDF and any links you provide are what matters.

Question 32

Can I apply for more than one lab?

Accepted Answer

You submit one application. The availability section of the form lets you indicate all the lab weeks you can commit to — tick as many as genuinely work for you. It is unlikely that you will be invited to more than one workshop.

Question 33

What if I'm selected but only for a week I can't do?

Accepted Answer

We'll only offer you a place on a week you've confirmed availability for on your application. Please be accurate — changing availability late in the process makes the logistics very difficult.

Question 34

Can I reapply if unsuccessful?

Accepted Answer

Not within this call. There is one round.

Question 35

Will you give feedback to unsuccessful applicants?

Accepted Answer

We regret that, given the expected volume of applications, we are not able to provide individual feedback. We'll notify every applicant of the outcome before 20 July 2026.

Question 36

Who is on the selection panel?

Accepted Answer

Mark Kasumovic (Principal Investigator, De Montfort University), Michael Pinsky (Art Lead), Louise Fedotov-Clements and Debbie Cooper (Photoworks), together with project research staff who support initial triage and shortlisting.

Question 37

What are the selection criteria?

Accepted Answer

•     Relevance and ambition of the proposal in relation to the project's themes
•     Strength and coherence of your practice, on the evidence of your portfolio
•     What you would bring to an interdisciplinary cohort
•     Availability for one or more lab weeks

Question 38

Is the process blind or anonymous?

Accepted Answer

No. Names and portfolios are part of the assessment — a practice's public history and context matter to how the panel reads a proposal.

Question 39

What does the selection process look like?

Accepted Answer

Three stages:
•     Initial triage by project research staff to confirm eligibility
•     Independent shortlisting by each panel member; panel meets on 6 July 2026 to agree an interview list
•     Short online interviews on 13 July 2026; final decisions confirmed 14 July 2026; all applicants notified before 20 July 2026

Question 40

If I'm shortlisted, what happens at interview?

Accepted Answer

A short online interview (10 minutes) on 13 July 2026, with two or three panel members. It is not an examination — it's a conversation to help the panel understand how you'd work in the cohort, and to give you space to ask us questions.

Question 41

Is there a live information session?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a live online Q&A will be held in May 2026. Date to be announced on picturingclimate.org (http://picturingclimate.org)and Photoworks channels.

Question 42

Can I email you?

Accepted Answer

We are running a rolling public Q&A throughout the call rather than individual email threads — this keeps things fair and means all applicants see the same information. Submit your question via the form below and, if it is of general relevance, it will be added to this page, anonymised.

EASE

The Project

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