Response was a two-part collaborative project between which aimed to provoke debate about the impact of location upon artistic practice by enabling artists to produce new work and reconsider their practice in light of contrasting environments.

Part one consisted of an artist micro-residency at Visual Arts in Rural Locations (VARC) in Northumberland. Through an exchange of ideas, conversations and experimentation, this led to the production of new work in response to the rural environment, culminating in an exhibition and a public discussion. Part Two echoed the intense making period of Part 1, with the artists making work linked to the previous pieces, but responding to the urban environment – in this case a disused shopping unit in the centre of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Response: A Rural / Urban Conversation was supported by Visual Arts in Rural Communities (VARC), The NewBridge Project, Eldon Square Shopping Centre and Arts Council England via Grants for the Arts.