Organizer Information
This open call is presented by CASA, a London-based interdisciplinary arts organisation founded in 2007 to address the underrepresentation of Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean artists in the UK cultural sector. Over time, CASA has evolved from a theatre-focused festival platform into a multi-disciplinary commissioning and curatorial organisation embedded within broader UK and international contemporary art discourse.
The residency is developed within CASA’s Lines of Flight programme at Brixton House, a major London venue known for supporting socially engaged, diasporic, and experimental performance practices. The programme is curated by Gabriela Román González and brings together artists working across live art, visual culture, moving image, and research-led practices.
Key collaborators include Performance Art Video (PAV), an international platform supporting performance-based co-creation and digital dissemination; Live Art Development Agency (LADA), a leading UK institution supporting live art research and infrastructure; and IKLECTIK, a grassroots organisation dedicated to experimental sound, interdisciplinary art, and socially engaged cultural production. Together, these organisations form a multi-layered support structure combining research, mentoring, production, and public presentation.
Title & Description
Systems in Question Live Art Residency – Open Call (2026)
This residency supports London-based Latin American/Latinx, Caribbean, and diasporic artists or collectives working in live art and hybrid performance practices. It is part of CASA’s Lines of Flight programme and focuses on developing a new work-in-progress for public presentation in Theatre 2 at Brixton House.
The central curatorial theme, “Systems in Question,” invites artists to critically examine how systems—social, political, institutional, and bodily—shape lived experience. Artists are encouraged to explore how power operates through regulation, visibility, movement, access, and control, and how these structures are embodied, resisted, or reimagined through performance.
The residency supports both conceptual and practice-led approaches, from large-scale performative actions to intimate, body-based or relational works. Projects may engage with public space, surveillance, institutional frameworks, or everyday behavioural systems, while also addressing personal, affective, and embodied experiences of constraint and freedom.
The programme culminates in a public work-in-progress presentation, offering artists the opportunity to test ideas in front of an audience within a professional theatre environment.
Categories
- Live Art
- Performance Art
- Hybrid / Interdisciplinary Practice
- Moving Image (performance-led)
- Participatory / Social Practice
- Experimental Theatre
- Research-based Performance
Eligibility
- Open to artists and collectives based in London
- Specifically for artists of Latin American, Latinx, Caribbean, or related diasporic heritage
- Applicants may be at any career stage (emerging, mid-career, or established)
- Both individual artists and collectives are eligible
- Applicants must be working in live or hybrid performance practices
Program Benefits & Awards
- Artist fee: £1,000
- Production support: up to £800 (for materials, development, and presentation costs)
- Studio and research access across three phases
- Access to LADA’s Live Art Research Collection and desk space (Weeks 1–2)
- Mentoring session with IKLECTIK (Dyana Gravina)
- Development time at Brixton House studios (Weeks 3–4)
- Technical support for a low-to-medium scale performance in Theatre 2
- Public presentation opportunity in a professional venue setting
- Curatorial, advisory, and production support throughout the residency
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- A project proposal (300–500 words)
- A short biography (max 150 words)
- Up to three links to previous work (video, portfolio, documentation, etc.)
- A draft budget (up to £800) outlining how production funds would be used
- A one-page technical outline (detailing space, staging, and technical needs)
Alternative formats are accepted:
- Written application
- Video application (max 5 minutes)
- Audio application (max 5 minutes)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 2 May 2026
- Shortlist Conversations: First week of May 2026
- Final Decision: Second week of May 2026
- Residency Period: 1 June – 4 July 2026
- Public Presentation: 4 July 2026
Location
London, United Kingdom
Additional Details
The residency is structured across three phases:
- Research Phase (Weeks 1–2): Access to LADA resources, desk space, and mentoring support
- Development Phase (Weeks 3–4): Studio-based experimentation and rehearsal at Brixton House
- Public Presentation: A work-in-progress showing in a professional theatre setting
Technical requirements are limited to low-to-medium scale setups (basic PA, house lighting, handheld microphone). Projects requiring large-scale installation, heavy rigging, or complex AV systems may not be feasible.
Accessibility support is available within venue capacities, though additional access costs must be discussed within the production budget framework.