Beatabet run an extended artistic residency programme during the summer. Beatafarm takes place in a beautiful centre in the south of France and the project provides an excellent opportunity to concentrate and expand the group’s creative practices.

“It’s a fantastic relaxed environment for creativity. The people involved are a great strength, being, in my experience, a very energetic and lovely bunch of folk and the dedication of the organisers is impressive.” D. O’Brien, returning participant and winner of the prestigious Peter Whittingham award for jazz.

A rotating selection of 10-15 artists live and work together and the schedule revolves around the following:

• Devising new work
• Workshops
• Group criticism sessions
• Improvisation sessions
• Creative games

In the past the Beatafarm has hosted visual artists, video directors, web artists, live and physical theatre artists, all types of instrumentalists, slam poets, trapeze artists, sound designers and more. The centre benefits from • 2 Recording studios • Video editing equipment • Large workshop spaces • Countless instruments and other creative tools • Wireless broadband connection

Participants are encouraged to share skills and explore their own practice through the development of new material both collaboratively and through individual expression. The vibrant working atmosphere on the farm is thus a result of this ongoing, friendly and open collective discussion, and the project runs at its optimum when levels of interaction are at their highest.

The project is co-ordinated by three to five Beatabet members, but is in principle non-hierachical and participant-led, thus giving the artists the maximum amount of flexibility to make use of the time, space and company how best fits them. Over the years we have been working hard to fine-tune the project.

If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to be put on the mailing list for application packs then please email info@beatabet.net with ‘Beatafarm′ in the title.