Reflections: Landscapes & Horizons Residency

The ‘Landscapes & Horizons’ residency, hosted by Cove Park in collaboration with Cross Borders and Luminate, Scotland’s creative aging organisation, recently drew to a close, leaving in its wake newfound creativity, resilience, and renewal.

The residency was awarded to Daria Oskolkova, Haleh Jamali, Oleksandra Novatska, Paria Goodarzi, Iman Tajik, and Ako Zada. The artists spent time amidst the landscapes of Cove Park on Argyll’s Rosneath Peninsula. Over the course of a week, creative workshops and group activities unfolded, providing an environment for the residents to explore aspects of their practice and share their perspectives.

The week began with a discussion on multilingualism, storytelling and ‘bearing witness’ led by Mariem Omari, a foraging and fermenting session led by Michaela Blair, and a workshop on developing and nurturing creativity while ageing, delivered by Nick Bone.

For some of the artists, the residency represented a long-awaited opportunity to spend time reflecting.

“Despite all the past and present and fear of the future, I’m still full of hope, just like Spring… Love, care, desire to exist, and my resiliency will keep me going for another wee while… Thank you all for opening doors to us, to me.” – Ako Zada

The group expressed a profound sense of gratitude to the environment, spoke fondly of new friendships with fellow artists, and the support and encouragement offered by Cove Park, Luminate, and Cross Borders.

“Feeling so grateful for the incredible experience of my artist residency at Cove Park. The serene surroundings, supportive community, and dedicated workspace all inspired me in ways I never could have imagined. I left feeling recharged, refreshed, and ready to create like never before.”

We are grateful for the connections forged through the residency, and are delighted to welcome new artists and cultural workers to our network of associates. We look forward to seeing what the future brings.

Landscapes & Horizons was a fully funded residency, tailored for Scotland-based individuals aged over 40 from refugee and other migrant backgrounds. It aimed to offer a nurturing space for those who have faced barriers due to age, care commitments, or asylum/ immigration status.