ArtHouse Jersey has announced some of the successful artists to apply for the latest round of their Development Grants.
The Development Grants are a quarterly funding initiative, which offers financial assistance to support the creation of new work or for the development of an artist’s creative process. Among those in this latest round was a photographic project, music production and handmade Riso photobook.
Connor Daly: Photographer
Connor Daly is a photographer who was awarded funding for his ‘Visions Of The Country’ project in 2023 and has now received a grant to further his artistic career with the aim of expanding the scope and trajectory of his practice, both technically and creatively. This Development Grant will enable Daly to produce the initial phase of a multi-year project, photographing Soviet era architecture, structures and sites. He will be visiting and photographing Pyramiden, a former Soviet mining town situated in Norway. This will be part of a long term ‘Dark Tourism’ project, exploring sites associated with death, danger and tragedy. This project will examine the line between exploitation and historical value.
Connor explained: “I am thrilled that ArtHouse Jersey have awarded me funding for the first series in my ‘Dark Tourism’ project, which I will be producing over the next 5 years. ArtHouse Jersey funded another series I made in the UK in 2023 called ‘Visions of the Country’ which marked a decisive turning point in the visual aesthetic and production levels of my work. I enjoy the challenge of producing complex work in difficult environments and this new project presents many opportunities to push the technical and visual limits of my practice.”
Ben O’Shea: Singer-songwriter
Ben O’Shea has been awarded a grant to assist with the recording and production costs of two tracks in his new LP. Shea is a queer pop-R&B singer-songwriter and trained actor. He writes song lyrics and composes melodies, usually in the pop, R&B, Soul or funk genres. He aims to take risks, break barriers and challenge audiences with his work.
Ben said: “I’m extremely grateful to ArtHouse Jersey for their support on my next music project, as well as for supporting my past video projects. The cost for studio time (songwriting, recording, production, mixing and mastering) is quite substantial and can hinder musicians (at any stage of their career) from creating and sharing new work. Thanks to this grant from ArtHouse Jersey I can now begin working on an LP without the financial worry, resulting in more original music coming out of Jersey. There is so much talent on the island and support like this is essential to encouraging, developing and supporting artists of all backgrounds. I would recommend any Jersey artist with a project plan to reach out to the ArtHouse Jersey team!”
Tom Parker: Printmaker
Tom Parker is a printmaker who co-founded Luddite Press and has been awarded funding to support producing a handmade Riso photobook documenting his research trip to Denmark. Risograph is a printing process that originated in Japan in the 1980’s and produces striking images using stencils and layers. The photobook will be a record of the cultural and artistic exchanges which took place during the research project.
Tom commented: “The Development Grant will allow the purchase of materials for me to make some photo books as part of a recent research project I undertook. I am grateful to ArtHouse Jersey for this help with my project and look forward to showing the finished work in the coming months.”
Image: Photograph by Connor Daly
