"Soon there will be a strange new sight in Aberystwyth, just behind the Arts Centre on the University campus - a series of house-shapes looking as if they were covered in crumpled silver foil, nestling on the bank among the trees.

There's no need to call the Ministry, the spaceships haven't landed yet; these will be the Creative Business Units designed by Thomas Heatherwick, ready to house artists and art businesses.

Work is shortly beginning on these Units, which have been supported by Aberystwyth University, the Welsh Development Agency and the Arts Council of Wales.

Underneath the unusual exterior of crinkled stainless steel, the buildings are practical and simple, timber framed with good lighting. Hopefully adaptable for use as studios and offices of every sort.

The imminent arrival of these new buildings has led to another exciting new venture: three of the units have been reserved for use as Artists' residencies, and through a grant generously given by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Artists' Residency Awards will be available from June 2008.

Artists will be able to spend a period of three or six months in Aberystwyth concentrating on their work, with studio space and accommodation paid for and with a fixed sum for living expenses.

These residencies are meant for 'time out', a chance for artists to experiment, but their time could include a public talk about their work, open studio days, social meetings with other artists and a discussion about how any work produced as a result of the residency could be shown.

Applications for these awards can be made at any time, but selection will be 4 times a year. The first selection will be in December 2007, so the deadline to receive applications will be 3 December 2007.

If you would like any further information, either about the Artists' Residency Awards or about hiring a Creative Business Unit, please contact me at etr@aber.ac.uk or call 01970 621634/622887.

Or, for residencies only, have a look at the application information on our website listed to the right of this page."

Article by Eve Ropek