Organizer Information
Creative Folkestone is a leading arts and cultural organization based in Folkestone, Kent, United Kingdom. Through commissions, exhibitions, residencies, public art projects, and artist development initiatives, the organization supports contemporary creative practice while strengthening connections between artists and communities. Creative Folkestone manages and preserves Prospect Cottage, the former home of renowned filmmaker, artist, writer, gardener, and activist Derek Jarman, following a successful public fundraising campaign supported by Art Fund and numerous cultural partners. The residency programme is designed to honor Jarman’s legacy by ensuring Prospect Cottage remains a living space for artistic reflection, experimentation, and creative development rather than a static heritage site.
Title & Description
Prospect Cottage Residency Programme 2027–2028
The Prospect Cottage Residency Programme offers artists, writers, and creatives the rare opportunity to spend two weeks living and working in Derek Jarman’s iconic cottage in Dungeness, England. The residency is intended as a period of focused reflection, research, and creative development without the pressure of producing a final project or exhibition.
Located within the distinctive coastal landscape of Dungeness, Prospect Cottage has become an internationally recognized site of artistic inspiration. The programme encourages applicants who can benefit from solitude, contemplation, and immersion in the unique environment that influenced much of Jarman’s work.
Residents are invited to use their time to advance ongoing projects, develop new ideas, explore creative questions, or simply gain space away from everyday obligations. The programme values process over production and seeks applicants who will engage thoughtfully with the atmosphere, history, and landscape surrounding the cottage.
For the 2027–2028 residency cycle, successful applicants will be selected by the Prospect Cottage Residency Advisory Panel. Four paid residencies of two weeks each will be awarded annually.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Film and Moving Image
- Writing and Literature
- Poetry
- Photography
- Performance
- Sound Art
- Interdisciplinary Practice
- Curatorial Research
- Cultural Practice
- Creative Research
- Other Contemporary Creative Disciplines
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be artists, writers, or creative practitioners.
- Demonstrate a sustained commitment to their creative practice or project.
- Show a clear understanding of why time at Prospect Cottage would be valuable to their development.
- Be comfortable working independently in a remote and solitary environment.
Additional eligibility notes:
- Open to applicants from the UK and internationally.
- Individual practitioners are encouraged to apply.
- Collaborative applications are accepted only where two practitioners work as an established pair.
- Applications are welcome from people living with HIV or AIDS.
- Applicants must be capable of managing a largely self-directed residency experience.
- The residency is not open to students.
- Applicants should understand the physical and environmental conditions of Dungeness before applying.
Program Benefits & Awards
- A two-week residency at the historic Prospect Cottage.
- Exclusive access to live and work within Derek Jarman’s former home.
- Dedicated time for reflection, research, and creative development.
- Financial support of £500 per week.
- Total residency grant of £1,000 for a two-week stay.
- Opportunity to engage with the artistic legacy of Derek Jarman.
- Potential support from Creative Folkestone for optional public-facing activities such as talks or presentations.
- Inclusion in the ongoing cultural and archival legacy of Prospect Cottage.
The grant is paid after the residency upon submission of an invoice to Creative Folkestone.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Mandatory Documents
- Completed Application Form.
- Personal Statement explaining why time at Prospect Cottage would benefit the applicant.
- Completed Diversity Data Form.
- Project Statement
- A written statement of 300 words or fewer, or
- A video or audio submission link of up to 2 minutes.
- The statement should focus primarily on:
- Why is the residency important at this stage of the applicant’s practice?
- The anticipated impact on future work.
- The value of spending concentrated time at Prospect Cottage.
- Optional Supporting Materials
- CV (maximum one A4 page).
- Up to five images of artistic work.
- Images must be submitted as JPEG or PNG files.
How to Apply?
Applications should be sent by email to: prospectcottage@creativefolkestone.org.uk
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 3 July 2026
- Notification of Results: 21 August 2026
- Residency Period: Residencies will take place during 2027–2028.
Location
Dungeness, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Additional Details
- Residents stay alone in the cottage unless applying as an established creative duo.
- Only one double bed is available.
- Dungeness is an isolated environment with limited services.
- The nearest shop is approximately three miles away.
- Wi-Fi availability is limited.
- Mobile phone reception may be unreliable.
- Applicants should be comfortable with solitude and self-sufficiency.
- The cottage garden remains open to visitors, and residents should expect regular public interest around the property.
- Due to the historic nature of the building and the surrounding shingle terrain, accessibility limitations exist.
- Residents are not required to produce a formal artistic outcome.
- However, they must contribute a brief written, visual, or verbal reflection for the Prospect Cottage archive following their stay.
- Creative Folkestone and Art Fund will create an initial shortlist before final selection by the Residency Advisory Panel.
- All panel decisions are final.