Torso: A Living, Breathing Queer Canvas

  • What happens when you let go of control in art?
  • What happens when a body becomes a canvas—not just for one artist, but for many?
  • And what happens when that canvas is handed over to the public?

Torso is a new collaborative residency project from Black Sheep Collective, inviting artists to step into a process that is as much about unmaking as it is about creating.

Black Sheep Collective are offering three artists the opportunity to work on this exciting residency collaborating with Queer artist Alice Boland-Rhodes.

A Sculpture That Refuses to Stay Still

At its core, Torso is a large-scale sculptural installation: a human form built from willow, fabric, and sculpted foam.

But this isn’t a finished artwork.

It begins as something deliberately neutral—a blank, tactile body—before being shaped, marked, and transformed through a shared creative process.

Led by queer artist Alice Boland-Rhodes, three selected artists will work together across a short residency to explore:

  • Identity and self-expression
  • Gender and the body
  • Ownership in art
  • Collaboration and authorship

This is not about perfection.
It’s about process.
It’s about friction.

Art That Lets Go

What makes Torso different is what happens next.

Once the sculpture is installed at Queer AF Festival in Milton Keynes, it will be opened up to the public.

Audiences will be invited to interact with it—adding marks, messages, responses.

The work will shift. Change. Possibly unravel.

And that’s the point.

This project asks difficult questions:

  • Who owns a piece of art once it’s shared?
  • Can something still be “yours” after others have altered it?
  • What does it mean to create something that you cannot protect?

There is an understanding here that the outcome may be messy, unexpected—even destructive.

But within that risk sits something honest.

A Space for Experimentation

For the artists involved, this residency offers a rare kind of freedom:

A chance to work at scale.
A chance to collaborate without hierarchy.
A chance to explore identity in a space that doesn’t demand answers.

It’s an invitation to be part of something that is:

  • Raw
  • Evolving
  • Public
  • Unfinished

Part of Queer AF Festival

Torso will culminate as a live installation at Queer AF Festival, a multi-artform event celebrating queer voices across theatre, visual art, performance, and more.

The festival exists to challenge expectations—about art, about identity, about who gets to take up space.

Torso sits right at the centre of that conversation.

Who Is This For?

This opportunity is open to:

  • Artists and creatives of all kinds
  • Those interested in visual art and collaboration
  • Anyone curious about identity, bodies, and queer perspectives

No formal training is required.

What matters is your curiosity, your voice, and your willingness to step into the unknown.

Residency Details

  • Dates: 3rd–5th September
  • Time: 10:30am – 3:30pm
  • Location: MK Gallery, Milton Keynes
  • Fee: £220

How to Apply

To apply, send:

  • A short written statement, or
  • A voice note, or
  • A video

Tell us:
Why does this project matter to you?
What would you want to explore?

You’re welcome to share previous work—but it’s not essential.

An Open Invitation

Torso is not about having the right answers.

It’s about being willing to ask better questions.

To make something—and then let it go.

Find the full brief in the link here: https://queeraf.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TORSO-INFO-PACK.pdf

Deadline: Friday 31st July, send applications to georgia@blacksheepcollective.co.uk if you have any questions and require additional support please reach out.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, reflecting the diverse communities we work with, and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all.