Factory International has announced the next round of its artist development initiatives, offering a range of creative opportunities for artists across the North of England as part of its year-round commitment to nurturing the cultural voices shaping the future.
This season’s open calls include Artist Takeover which invites artists or collectives to experiment at scale in Aviva Studios, the world-class cultural venue in Manchester programmed and operated by Factory International; Factory Sounds, an annual, tailored programme for emerging musicians and producers in Greater Manchester; and the return of Factory Fellowship, a nine-month residency supporting deeper artistic development.
Following a call-out to artists in the North of England this summer, Factory International are also joining forces with the Sacatar Institute to offer a transformational Artist Development International Residency in Bahia, Brazil. Manchester-based artist Omid Asadi has been selected for the opportunity, taking place this November.
All four initiatives are part of Factory International’s commitment to supporting artists at all stages of their journey – with a focus on creatives who are currently underrepresented in the sector. By offering practical support, including funding, mentoring, access to space to create and training, Factory International aims to break down the barriers many artists face when trying to access the resources they need to take their practice to the next level.
Artists supported through previous programmes have gone on to be commissioned for major new work by the likes of the BBC, BFI, Sky Arts, Whitworth Art Gallery, and Manchester International Festival, taken up international residencies including Venice Biennale, Guildhall School of Music, Nederlands Theater Festival and the Old Vic, and built lasting professional collaborations with organisations such as London Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, the V&A, HOME theatre, and Manchester City of Literature.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Factory International says: “The scale of Aviva Studios, Factory International’s home, is ambitious – and our artist development work is designed to match that ambition. These programmes are designed to empower northern creatives to dream big. Whether it’s taking over the warehouse, developing a new music project, or working behind the scenes of international commissions – we want artists to feel they can make bold work on their own terms.”
The first opportunity to open is an Artist Takeover focused on dance and movement, which offers an artist or collective based in the North of England the opportunity to take over the vast South Warehouse at Aviva Studios in February 2026. For the fifth edition of the Artist Takeover, Factory International is seeking collectives of movement artists, choreographers and dancers who are ready to experiment and play with movement and technology and expand their creative practise. The initiative provides artists with the time, space and support to experiment at a scale not possible elsewhere – whether testing out concepts, building new collaborations, or experimenting with form and format.
Factory International’s first ever Artist Takeover in 2024 was led by three artists: Jennifer Jackson, Rosie Elnile and Craig McCorquodale. The trio invited 100 professional and non-professional performers including babies, sports commentators, a brass band and a local cheerleading group, to experiment and play with malleable materials in a world redolent of the Roman gladiatorial arena crossed with a town square.
Other Artist Takeovers have included an enchanted garden which combined tactile interfaces, projections and sound led by co-founders of the Liverpool-based Invisible Wind Factory, Studio Tonto, an audio-visual installation investigating the Black British experience in the North West by 54: Manchester, and a social experiment meets live art performance interrogating privilege, by director Gitika Buttoo and writer and storyteller asfhan d’souza-odhi.
afshan d’souza-lodhi , writer and storyteller selected for the fourth Artist Takeover, says: “This takeover gave me something rare. Trust. Time. Space. Creative collaborators who came in ready to play. A chance to really step into my power as an artist.”
From 22 October, applications open for Factory Sounds, Factory International’s annual programme supporting emerging talent in the music industry. The 2026 edition will offer fifteen early-career musicians or producers £1,000 financial support to realise a creative idea or development goal; opportunities to perform and share work; mentorship, workshops and peer-to-peer learning; and access to a new recording studio in Co-op Live, engineered by Abbey Road Studios, as part of Factory International’s partnership with adidas.
Markus Hetheier, Factory Sounds 2024 artist and co-creator of queer electronic music night FLUFF said: “It felt amazing to have the chance to take a risk using the Factory Sounds funding. We also had mentorship and advice which helped us grow FLUFF from a small to a bigger, more professional project. It was useful receiving training on different aspects of being an artist and it felt nice to connect with like-minded people.”
Then in March 2026, artists will be invited to apply for the Factory Fellowship – a nine-month bespoke programme for six artists from the North. Fellows will receive mentoring, coaching and peer support while engaging directly with the creative teams behind some of the large-scale productions taking place at Aviva Studios. The programme includes regular sessions with Factory International’s creative leadership and access to a network of industry professionals.
Factory International are also joining forces with the Sacatar Institute this November, to offer one artist from the North a nine-week, transformational Artist Development International Residency in Bahia, Brazil. Following a call-out by Factory International this summer, Manchester-based, multi-disciplinary artist Omid Asadi was selected to join six other international creatives for the opportunity. The Sacatar Institute, founded in 2001 on Itaparica Island, is Brazil’s oldest continuously operating artist residency, having hosted over 500 artists from 70+ countries across diverse disciplines and generations. Distinguished by its inter-disciplinary, open-ended approach, Sacatar emphasizes cultural immersion and creative exploration in Bahia, allowing artists to shape their own experience.
All programmes are designed not just to fund projects, but to create the kind of networks, confidence and visibility that help artists grow sustainable careers in the creative industries.
