Call for applications: Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship at Girton College

A new initiative created by the Cavendish Arts Science programme at the University of Cambridge is welcoming applications from artists across the globe. 

The first Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship at Girton College is a unique collaborative opportunity open to artists internationally and is not confined to any single aesthetic, theme, or medium. The fellowship, which is financially supported, will last for one year from October 2021 and will include a residency in Cambridge of up to a maximum of a year. The deadline to apply to the open call is midnight May 16, 2021. 

Cavendish Arts Science supports collaborative and creative processes that help to examine the world and our place within it through the creation of new artistic work. Building on an extensive history of arts science engagement at the Cavendish Laboratory for Physics, the programme was founded in 2016 by Suchitra Sebastian, head of the Quantum Materials group.

Suchitra Sebastian, director of Cavendish Arts Science said: “For the first Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship at Girton College, we are seeking thought-provoking and adventurous artists, in particular those with no previous experience of interacting with scientists or working in a scientific environment.

“We are looking to create new encounters between art and science, to shape our experience of knowing the material and immaterial universe. This will be a unique opportunity for the successful artist to collaborate actively with Cavendish physicists and other researchers, to develop ideas and produce new work to be exhibited during the fellowship and beyond. This is open to all artists committed to collaborating with others with different perspectives and interests, so please send your application before the deadline on 16 May!” 

Susan J Smith, Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge said: “Girton College is delighted to be a partner in the Cavendish Arts Science initiative, inspired by Girtonian scientist, Una Ryan. As an institution we understand the educational and cultural value of embedding fine scholarship across all subjects within a vibrant visual and performing arts scene. We are thrilled, therefore, to have a hand in linking great science with audacious art, and we extend our warm welcome to the inaugural artist.”

Cavendish Arts Science is an initiative of the University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory for Physics. The Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship at Girton College is made possible through a partnership with Girton College. The programme is supported by a generous donation from Una Ryan.

Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory has an extraordinary history of discovery and innovation in Physics since its opening in 1874. Research in the Cavendish has been instrumental in our understanding of the physical world, from creating theories of electromagnetism and discovering the electron, to splitting the nucleus, and developing x-ray crystallography to see inside the atom.

Today, fundamental questions addressed by research in the laboratory range from understanding space and the origin of the universe, to exploring time, matter and energy in all its forms and at every scale, from the very large to the inconceivably small.

In 2023, the Cavendish Laboratory will be moving to its new state-of-the-art and purpose-built home, the Ray Dolby Centre.

About Cavendish Arts Science
Cavendish Arts Science has been conceived to question and explore material and immaterial universes through a dialogue between art and science. The programme’s first exhibition Into boundless space I leap marked the inauguration of the Maxwell Centre in Cambridge. It was curated by Guy Haywood of Kettle’s Yard and showcased newly-commissioned work created through conversation between artists and scientists, including a collaboration between Wayne McGregor and Haroon Mirza, new text-based work by Mark Titchner, and origami sculptures by Rana Begum.