How it's Made 2026 | Call for Creative Practitioners

SCÉAL Arts Collective, in partnership with Fingal County Council, Smart Balbriggan, the CONNECT Centre, Trinity College Dublin and Research Ireland, invites expressions of interest from professional artists and creative practitioners working across all disciplines to participate in the fourth edition of How It's Made, taking place in November during Science Week 2026.

This year's programme explores water as a shared living system, a force that connects landscapes, ecosystems, infrastructure, communities and memory. Through an interdisciplinary process of research, dialogue and artistic experimentation, selected practitioners will work alongside scientists, hydrologists, environmental researchers and local communities to investigate how water shapes the places we inhabit and the relationships we build with one another.

Rather than illustrating scientific research, artists are invited to enter into conversation with it. Through symposiums, workshops and collaborative encounters, participants will develop new perspectives that respond to water's ecological, cultural and social significance.

The resulting programme will culminate in a series of exhibitions, performances, talks and participatory events presented across Fingal during Science Week 2026.

About How It's Made

How It's Made is an annual interdisciplinary programme bringing together contemporary artists and researchers to explore scientific and environmental themes through collaborative practice.

Each edition pairs artists with specialists from different fields, creating opportunities for dialogue, experimentation and public engagement. Since its inception, the programme has investigated contemporary issues through the intersection of artistic imagination and scientific enquiry, encouraging new ways of understanding the world around us.

The 2026 edition expands this model by placing greater emphasis on community participation throughout the research process, inviting audiences to engage with both the development of ideas and their artistic outcomes

Concept 

Water is fundamental to every form of life, yet it often remains invisible within our daily experience. It flows through rivers, coastlines, wetlands, infrastructure and our own bodies, continually shaping landscapes and communities while leaving traces of environmental, cultural and historical change.

This year's theme invites artists to consider questions such as:

  • How does water shape our understanding of place?
  • What stories are carried through rivers, coastlines and rainfall?
  • What remains hidden beneath our streets and landscapes?
  • How do scientific observation and artistic practice reveal different ways of understanding water?
  • How can creative practice foster new relationships between communities and their local environments?

Artists are encouraged to approach these questions through their own practice while remaining open to interdisciplinary exchange.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome applications from professional artists and creative practitioners preferable from Fingal County Council working across all disciplines, including but not limited to:

  • Visual Arts
  • Performance
  • Film
  • Sound
  • Installation
  • Digital Media
  • Socially Engaged Practice
  • Writing
  • Interdisciplinary Practice

We particularly welcome artists whose practice demonstrates an interest in:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Humanities
  • Landscape
  • Place-based practice
  • Community engagement
  • Science and technology
  • Climate and biodiversity
  • Water systems
  • Collective memory

Previous experience working collaboratively is desirable but not essential.

The Programme

Selected artists will participate in:

  • Research symposiums with scientists and environmental researchers
  • Community workshops across Fingal
  • Studio development period
  • Curatorial mentoring
  • Exhibition development
  • Public programmes during Science Week

The programme values curiosity, experimentation and dialogue as much as the final artwork.

Timeline

5th August 2026, 2-5.30pm 
Symposium with Trinity College and UCD academics and scientists at CONNECT Centre, Dublin.

September–October 2026
Artistic development in response to the symposium.

November 2026
Science Week exhibitions at the Swords Castle and at The Lark, Balbriggan with talks, workshops for students and community-based, performances and live music.

Artist Fee

Each selected artist will receive:

  • Artist fee
  • Production budget (where applicable)
  • Curatorial support
  • Access to researchers and project partners

Further details will be provided upon selection.

Application

Please submit:

  • CV (max. 3 pages)
  • Statement of interest (500 words maximum)
  • Portfolio (maximum 5 images or equivalent)
  • Links to video/audio where relevant

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed on:

  • Artistic quality
  • Strength of practice
  • Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Capacity for research-led practice
  • Engagement with environmental and/or socially engaged themes
  • Potential contribution to the collective programme

Not essential, but preferable criteria are being an artist original from or based in County Fingal.

Deadline

Applications close: Thursday 30th July 2026 at 5:00 pm

Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Monday 3 August 2026.

Submit applications to: [email protected]

For any questions regarding the programme or application process, please contact: [email protected]