Eligibility

For the Bere Point Research Artist Residency, we are collaborating with field researcher Troy Bright to establish a residency where an artist (or artists) will spend one or two weeks in August out at Bere Point with daily access to Troy's camp, hydrophone, and vast research and knowledge. The artist will stay in a campsite at the Bere Point campground, which is a few minutes walk away from where Troy camps out. Applicants should be relatively fit, ideally with some camping experience, and should be prepared for self-directed research time as well as learning from Troy. Please note, there is no way to guarantee whale sightings; land-based whale watching involves a lot of waiting. However, we are scheduling this residency to happen in August as we feel that time frame will provide the best chance of seeing Northern Resident Orcas, as well as Humpback whales, with the possibility of also seeing the orcas beach rubbing behaviour. Artists should be prepared for cold weather and rain.

Number of Participants

Open to one or two participants at a time.

Deadline

March 02, 2019 00:00 UTC

Selection Results (Announcement Dates)

March 31, 2019 21:00 UTC

Duration

August 01, 2019 - August 16, 2019

Costs

• CA$680.00 program fee

Housing

Nomadic, Tent

Public Programs

Mentors, Professional Development, Retreat, Self-Directed

Disciplines

Research

Program Description

Artist doing this residency will spend one to two weeks camped at Bere Point Campground, spending their days at the whale rubbing beach, where they will hopefully see some whales while learning from and collecting data with field researcher Troy Bright. Every summer for the past 22 years, Troy has set up a camp on the beach at Bere Point, Malcolm Island, to research the Northern Resident Orca population that frequents the area in the summer months, and sometimes come right in to the beach at Bere Point to rub their bodies on the smooth round rocks that accumulate there. Artists will have daily access to Troy's camp, hydrophone, and extensive knowledge. Originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Troy first came to Sointula 22 years ago, drawn to the region by the orcas that come to feed in this area every summer. While not officially trained as a scientist, Troy has been conducting his own field research for the past 22 summers, after first seeing orcas rubbing at Bere Point.