We're thrilled to announce that sound artist, Fran Bundey has been selected as the recipient of the Four Nations Outdoor Arts Bursary 2025.
The Four Nations Outdoor Arts Bursary supports emerging artists and companies in creating new outdoor performance work, which will be toured across festivals in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales throughout the summer of 2025. This year’s award has been supported by Bradford Producing Hub and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
Fran is an accomplished sound and voiceover artist and her work explores landscapes, history, and sound through a mix of field recordings and archive footage, using editing techniques to reimagine environments. She received the Developing Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England in 2023 which enabled her to deepen her recording and editing skills, leading to a commissioned piece titled SLIDESHOW for Light Night Leeds with fellow artist, Clifford Stead.
Excited about the opportunities the bursary presents, Fran shares,
“In 2023 I received the Developing Your Creative Practice fund from the Arts Council which allowed me time and space to develop my technical skills as a sound artist. I’ve had the idea for a sound project about Charlotte Brontë’s life and her novel Jane Eyre on the back burner for a while. I’ve been a contemporary theatre maker and performer in the past – and Four Nations was exciting to me because it allows me to combine all of these things and help me finally make this idea a reality.”
As part of the bursary, Fran will receive £5,000 towards the creation of her performance, professional mentoring, a residency in Bradford in March 2025, and a fully funded tour across the partner festivals, including Surge Festival (Scotland), Bradford 2025 (England), Spraoi International Street Arts Festival (Ireland), and Green Man Festival (Wales).
Looking ahead, Fran is particularly eager to experience the creative residency in Bradford.
“I love creative residencies so I’m really looking forward to a week with fellow artists from across the four nations in Bradford. I think myself and the other artists will be able to inspire each other and help get the ideas to the next stage in the process. I’m really keen to learn about how to work with audiences when doing a walkabout performance as a solo performer – that’s something I’ve never done before. And of course, I can’t wait to travel around to each nation and visit each of the festivals.”
Fran’s performance for the Four Nations tour will be inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s life and work, merging her skills in sound art and performance-making. She hopes to create:
“a joyful, unique and well-crafted performance that people can really have fun at. At the end of the tour, I hope to have developed my own distinctive performance style and format that I can take with me onto other future creative projects.”
Beyond the opportunity to create new work, this bursary marks a significant moment in Fran’s personal and professional journey.
“I had a baby last year and I’ve been thinking a lot about what is expected of me as a mother and my place in society, a theme which is at the forefront of Charlotte Brontë’s work and life. The received wisdom is that this point in a mother’s life is not the time to be starting a career as a creative… but I’m gonna try and do it anyway! Hopefully, the Four Nations programme can help me on my way.”
Lisa Mallaghan, Exec. Director of Bradford Producing Hub reflects,
“At Bradford Producing Hub, we are incredibly proud to support Fran Bundey on this transformative journey. This bursary is more than just funding – it’s a career-defining opportunity for artists to develop new ways of working, push creative boundaries, and bring their ideas to life. With the support of this programme, Fran will not only have the time and space to craft an exciting new outdoor performance but also the unforgettable experience of touring it to world-renowned festivals across the UK and Ireland. We can’t wait to see how her work evolves and resonates with new audiences”
We’re delighted to support Fran through this opportunity and cannot wait to see her work develop over the coming months. Follow her progress via her Instagram and explore more of her work on her website.
Congratulations, Fran!
