Syncing Space facilitators: Thompson Hall and Sarah Pickthall ran the third Syncing Space residency for visual and media artists with learning disabilities and autism this spring, launching the exhibition on World Autism Day on the 2nd April 2026. We welcomed 4 artists to the 7 week residency: Eliph Hadert (UK) Lucy (UK) Victoria Bowman (UK) and Hyun-Woo “Pixel” Kim (SK) and explore their studios to see their leadership learning reflections and creative responses. With support from Arts Council England. Go go syncingspace.org for more delights and insights.
Syncing Space – our second programme in Canada 2025
Our new 2025 venture Syncing Space for visual and media artists with learning disabilities has recruited 4 new visual and media artists with learning disabilities and autism, 3 from Canada and 1 from Australia this summer.
Welcome to your Sync Shorts/Syncing space residency: Emily Honderich (Ca) Emilia Valerio (Aus), Aba Garbrah (Ca) and Jared Quinney (Ca)
What is Syncing Space?
In Syncing Space, artists explore their leadership styles, motivation and influencing impact as well as sharing art techniques, patterns and processes that are informed by ways of being and share these things for other artists who are watching their progress to try out too. In Syncing Space, our artists
- take time to try things out in an online studio, sharing their thinking, experimenting and making new work.
- take part in leadership and coaching workshops individually and with others to share and develop ideas and confidence to do new things.
- make and share art work at the end of the residency in a final online exhibition
- learn et lead on things together
Syncing Space – our first programme in UK/Malaysia 2025
In 2024, we realised we wanted Sync Shorts to work with more visual artists with learning disability and autism so we created an online leadership and art making residency called SyncingSpace.org in early 2025 with support from British Council’s Connection through Culture – a fund secured by Sync and our Sync collaborators, Nakseni in KL, Malaysia.
Armani Shahrin – founder of Nakseni and Sync’s Sarah Pickthall were successful in securing a Connections through Culture grant from British Council to develop a Sync Shorts Malaysia/UK programme culminating in a showcase in Kuala Lumpur on April 4th 2025 at British Council offices. Dive into the jewels of our transformational 6 week residency and exhibition here and check out the impact on the 4 artists involved.
You can see the work of Thompson Hall created in response to the crowds in Malaysia. Check out Charlie Stephens delightful ‘in conversation’ audio description and transcript of the artwork she created. Watch Andi Miranti’s leadership tale ‘choosing how to feel’ – a Ned Dickens special and the beautiful mandalas by Izzati Shahrin that reflected all of us taking part in the residency.
We were delighted to run this programme in partnership with Action Space in London and Project Art Works in Hastings. You can find out more about our global Sync Shorts programme now in its 5th year here.