You can now download this year’s brochure to give you all the info in one place!
All information is correct at time of publishing but please keep an eye on the website and socials for any news and updates.
Category: General
2026 Digital Artists in Residence with FACT, Homotopia, DaDa and Lucid Games
Homotopia and FACT are delighted to announce the three artists selected for the 2026 Digital Artist Residencies: Jessica El Mal, April Martin and Zara Truss Giles. Delivered in partnership with DaDa, Homotopia and Lucid Games, the residencies are part of FACT’s ongoing commitment to supporting emerging artists working at the intersection of games, culture, art and technology.
This year’s programme brings together three early-career artists based in the North West of England, each developing experimental new work using Unreal Engine, a game engine and digital world-building tool. Based in FACT’s Studio/Lab, the residencies provide each artist with dedicated mentoring from FACT, technical workshops led by Lucid Games, and tailored support from DaDa and Homotopia to develop a new digital artwork. Throughout the programme, the artists will explore new creative approaches using game technologies, culminating in works that push the boundaries of digital art practice.
“Supporting artists at the beginning of their careers is central to what we do at FACT. These residencies create an environment where experimentation is encouraged, new ideas can take shape, and artists can develop both their creative practice and technical skills. We’re delighted to be working with Jessica, April and Zara this year, alongside our valued partners DaDa, Homotopia and Lucid Games, to support the next generation of digital artists in the North.”
– Maitreyi Maheshwari, Head of Programme, FACT.
The 2026 residents were selected through an open call earlier this year, inviting artists from across the North West of England and North Wales to propose projects exploring world-building, interactive storytelling and creative experimentation through Unreal Engine.
From November, early iterations will be presented at FACT, inviting audiences to experience the outcomes of the residency and the creative possibilities of game technologies in art.
“At Homotopia, we’re passionate about ensuring Queer artists are at the forefront of digital innovation and world-building. Partnering with FACT, DaDa, and Lucid Games allows us to champion creatives as they push the boundaries of game technology to tell stories. Giving early-career artists the space, mentorship, and tech to experiment with tools like Unreal Engine is essential for the future of our cultural landscape.”
– Jayne Compton, Director, Homotopia
“Artist development is at the heart of DaDa’s work, and it’s particularly important to us that early-career disabled artists have opportunities to experiment, take creative risks and develop their practice on their own terms. Digital platforms can open up exciting new possibilities for disabled artists and audiences, particularly when accessibility is considered as part of the creative process from the outset. We’re excited to see what this partnership can make possible.”
– Rachel Rogers, Executive Producer, DaDa
JESSICA EL MAL
Jessica El Mal is an artist, writer and curator whose practice explores the spaces between cultures, ecologies and identities. Dancing between British and Moroccan perspectives, the political and the poetic, her work imagines new ways of relating to one another and the world. Alongside her artistic practice, she is Curator at The Arab British Centre and founder of A.MAL Projects, an art and research initiative connecting the UK and North Africa.
During the residency, Jessica will explore how new digital worlds can become spaces for metaphor, imagination and possibility. Drawing inspiration from the poetry of Nizar Qabani, her project will examine ideas of oasis, tenderness and resilience, using world-building to tell layered stories that invite multiple interpretations.
APRIL MARTIN
April Martin is a dance artist, choreographer, facilitator and producer based in the North West of England. Her practice explores Northern identity, working-class histories and community resilience through contemporary dance, participatory performance and site-responsive work. Bringing together choreography, improvisation and collaboration, she creates shared experiences that place people, place and connection at their heart.
During the residency, April will explore how contemporary dance can be brought into conversation with game technologies, creating a live performance in which audience interaction influences the unfolding of a virtual world. Working with a team of dancers, she will use Unreal Engine to investigate new relationships between movement, digital environments and participation, inviting audiences to become active collaborators in the performance.
ZARA TRUSS-GILES
Zara Truss-Giles is a cross-disciplinary artist and sound researcher whose practice spans audio-visual composition, hardware engineering and performance. Blending traditional craftsmanship with electronic design, they create bespoke sculptural instruments and immersive sound works that investigate embodiment, memory and community through experimental technologies. Their research draws together UK landscapes, witch histories, indigenous folklore and electronic systems, translating complex ideas into deeply physical experiences.
During the residency, Zara will research and prototype two custom 3D-printed controllers that connect directly to hardware synthesisers and Unreal Engine to create immersive spatial sound environments. Designed to be played collaboratively, their research will look at how controllers could allow participants to shape both the movement and texture of sound in real time.
FACT’s 2026 Digital Artist Residencies are delivered in partnership with DaDa, Homotopia and Lucid Games.
FACT is supported using public funding by Arts Council England and is funded by Liverpool City Council.
Announcing Homotopia Festival 2026: We Come Together!
Homotopia Festival 2026 is back: We Come Together
Homotopia Festival is back for 2026!
This autumn, the UK’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival returns to Liverpool with a new theme and a simple invitation: We Come Together.
We come together to gather around a stage. To fill the dancefloor. To join a workshop. To sing with others. To discover a new artist. To celebrate Queer brilliance. To remember our histories and imagine new futures together.
Across October and November, Homotopia Festival 2026: We Come Together will bring artists, audiences and communities together across Liverpool for a celebration of Queer creativity in all its forms. Expect bold performance, visual art, film, music, comedy, club culture, workshops, conversation and plenty of collective joy.
For more than twenty years, Homotopia has championed courageous artists and created spaces for Queer stories to flourish. This year’s festival continues that tradition, bringing together those who have helped shape our culture with the emerging artists and young Queer voices carrying it forward.
And we’re starting with a celebration.
House of Suarez marks its 20th anniversary with a spectacular runway event, celebrating two decades of one of Liverpool’s most iconic Queer creative communities. From there, We Come Together unfolds into a programme spanning theatre, live art, comedy, club nights, film, workshops, conversations and much more.
Across the festival, audiences will encounter acclaimed artists alongside exciting new voices. There will be opportunities to make and create, to dance together at Queer club nights, to experience new performance, to discover film, to join conversations and workshops, and to make space for reflection and remembrance. This year, we celebrate the richness of Queer culture in all its forms. We celebrate artists making fearless new work. We celebrate communities preserving and sharing our histories. We celebrate young people finding their creative voices through Young Homotopia. And we celebrate the generations of people who have made Queer culture what it is today, while creating space for those who will shape what comes next.
Since 2004, Homotopia has supported artists from Liverpool City Region and around the world to tell stories that deserve to be seen. From nurturing emerging talent and commissioning groundbreaking public artworks to creating opportunities for LGBTQIA+ communities to connect through creativity, we have always believed that art changes lives. Homotopia Festival is where those threads come together.
It’s where established artists share space with emerging voices. Where local stories meet perspectives from further afield. Where our histories inspire what comes next. And where audiences don’t simply watch, but participate, question, celebrate, dance, make and create something new together.
Whether you’ve been coming to Homotopia for twenty years or 2026 will be your very first festival, there’s a place for you here.
And this is only the beginning.
Some words from our Executive Director, Jayne Compton:
“Marking my first year as Director of Homotopia, the 2026 programme ‘We Come Together’ showcases an incredible breadth of queer work including dance, performance, film, club nights, digital and visual art. Liverpool is a city of extraordinary spirit, creativity, and diversity. The festival brings together LGBTQIA+ artists and audiences for experiences that surprise, move, and inspire. Building on Homotopia’s artistic and activist legacies, ‘We come together’ is an invitation to experience transformative art, to remember our histories and imagine new futures.”
Some words from our Co-Chairs, John Shortell & Laura Hall on behalf of the Board of Trustees:
“This festival is both a gathering and an act of hope and resistance. It is a place to question, reflect, and connect. It is also a place to laugh, celebrate, and experience the joy that comes from community. At a time when visibility and belonging cannot be taken for granted, Homotopia champions the transformative power of creativity to challenge injustice, inspire understanding, and affirm the richness and diversity of LGBTQIA+ lives. Welcome to Homotopia Festival 2026. We are delighted to share this journey with you.”
Our full Homotopia Festival 2026 programme is coming soon. Are you ready? We can’t wait to give you all the details…
We Come Together. October – November 2026.
Funded by Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council.
Homotopia x Open Door Charity
We’re excited to be collaborating with Open Door Charity on a special limited-edition clothing collection celebrating queer creativity, community and joy.
As organisations rooted in Liverpool and committed to supporting LGBTQIA+ communities, this collaboration brings together Homotopia’s passion for queer art and activism with Open Door’s vital work providing free mental health support for young people and adults across the region.The collection began with a callout to LGBTQIA+ creatives aged 16-25, inviting young artists to respond to the theme of Queer Joy, exploring the people, places and experiences that help queer communities feel safe, connected and celebrated.
The winning design has now been transformed into this exclusive collection, with profits supporting both Homotopia and Open Door Charity’s ongoing programmes and community work. Every purchase directly contributes to creating spaces for queer expression, wellbeing and support across Liverpool and beyond. This year’s winner of our design competition is Ren Moore (He / They) a local illustrator and printmaker, with their wonderful interpretation of our theme ‘Queer Joy’. Ren’s work can be found on Instagram @basil_and_co_ and on their Linktree: http://www.linktr.ee/BasilandCo_
At a time when queer communities continue to face hostility and uncertainty, projects like this remind us of the importance of creativity, solidarity and collective care. We’re proud to platform emerging LGBTQIA+ talent while raising funds for two organisations committed to making meaningful change.
Shop the collection and support queer creativity, mental health and community-led action: https://open-door-charity.teemill.com/homotopia/
We’re Recruiting: Join Our Board
We’re looking for new members for the Homotopia Board
Help Homotopia build a sustainable future for queer art and activism! We are the UK’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts & culture festival, and a year-round creative force showcasing courageous art in Liverpool since 2004.
As we approach our 25th anniversary in 2029, we are at a critical turning point in our history: we are looking for board members who can support our mission today while building a sustainable foundation for the next 25 years!
As a Board Member, you’ll play a key role in overseeing the strategic direction, governance, and impact of Homotopia, advocating for our work and helping to ensure the organisation has a sustainable future.
We are currently seeking Trustees with experience in Legal, HR and people management; Finance; Fundraising (including trusts, foundation and commercial activity), and experience with ACE National Portfolio Organisations.
We are hosting an online zoom meeting for anyone interested in finding out more about the organisation and this role. There will be opportunities to ask questions about the application process, please RSVP via our eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/homotopia-board-of-trustees-recruitment-info-session-tickets-1988939342113?aff=oddtdtcreator
To apply:
Please provide either –
• A written statement of no more than 1 page.
• A voice recording or video of no more than 3 minutes
that includes:
• Why you would like to be a Homotopia Trustee.
• Your lived experience, skills, work history and/or personal qualities that you
believe would make you a great trustee.
• The contact details for a referee.
Closing date: midnight, Sunday 31 May 2026
Submit completed applications to [email protected], using subject line Trustee Recruitment
Successful applicants will be invited to interview between Wednesday 3 June and Tuesday 9 June, with an invitation to observe our next board meting on Thursday 11 June.
Access and Further information:
If you require any further information about this recruitment process, need additional information about the role, or need additional access support to make an application, please get in touch. We are here to support you. If you would like to have an informal chat about the role please contact our board on [email protected]
For more information, visit: https://www.homotopia.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Trustees-Job-Pack-2026-1.pdf
New Executive Director at Homotopia: Welcome Isobel!
Homotopia Appoints Isobel Stainsbury as New Executive Director
Homotopia, the UK’s longest‑running LGBTQIA+ arts festival, is delighted to announce the appointment of Isobel Stainsbury as its new Executive Director.
Isobel is a cultural leader, activist and champion of queer arts, working at the intersection of culture, community and human rights. Rooted in grassroots organising, her practice centres the power of queer‑led culture to challenge injustice, build connection and imagine new futures.
With a career spanning LGBTQIA+ arts, international advocacy and large‑scale public events, Isobel brings a bold and collaborative approach to cultural leadership. In her current role as Human Rights Coordinator at the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), she works with Pride movements and international institutions to resist attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights and strengthen global queer solidarity.
Isobel is widely recognised for bringing extraordinary people together to create vibrant, ambitious queer spaces. She has led bold teams and produced major events that prioritise accessibility, protect the most marginalised, and celebrate the full diversity of LGBTQIA+ communities.
As Executive Director of Homotopia, Isobel will champion daring queer artists and further grow the organisation’s reputation as a vital international platform for queer culture.
Isobel says:
“I’m thrilled to be joining Homotopia at such an important moment for queer culture. Art has always been a powerful space for our communities to imagine new futures, challenge injustice and celebrate who we are. I’m really excited to work with artists, audiences and partners to build on Homotopia’s incredible legacy and keep pushing queer culture forward from Liverpool.”
Laura Hall & John Shortell Co-Chairs of the Board of trustees says:
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Isobel to Homotopia. Her vision, her integrity and her deep commitment to queer communities make her an exceptional leader for this next chapter. The Board was inspired by her bold thinking and her belief in the transformative power of queer arts. We’re confident that under her leadership, Homotopia will continue to grow as a fearless, joyful and internationally significant force for cultural change.”
Open Call: Fact x Homotopia Digital Artist Residences
We’re proud to be partnering with FACT on their 2026 Digital Artist Residencies, supporting emerging digital artists across the North West of England and North Wales! Digital artist? This one’s for you.
Since 2020, FACT’s residencies have supported over 20 early-career artists to create ambitious new digital work, from podcasts and games to live streams, performances and interactive artworks. With the opening of Studio/Lab in 2024, artists now benefit from an experimental production space at the heart of FACT, offering access to mentorship, technical equipment and strong creative partnerships across Liverpool, including us. For 2026, FACT will host three residencies focused on world-building and creative experimentation using Unreal Engine. Artists will receive structured technical workshops led by Lucid Games, alongside curatorial and creative mentoring from FACT and their partner organisations.
No prior experience with Unreal Engine is required.
FACT is seeking artists working across disciplines who are interested in world-building and creating digital artworks that give audiences agency to shape or alter narratives. The works developed during the residency will be presented on FACT’s Studio/Lab Exhibition Wall in Autumn 2026 and hosted online.
Artists can apply with an existing project or idea in development, it doesn’t need to be brand new.
For more information about eligibility, project timelines and how to apply, please visit: https://www.fact.co.uk/news/2026/03/open-call-2026-digital-artist-residencies
We’re excited to support this opportunity alongside FACT, Lucid Games, DaDa and others, and we can’t wait to see the bold, experimental worlds that emerge!
Homotopia x Open Door: T-Shirt Competition!
We’re delighted to announce that we’re teaming up with local Merseyside charity Open Door to present a special Pride Month t-shirt campaign, the competition will raise funds for both charities, providing the opportunity for a LGBTQIA+ creative aged 16 – 25 to submit a t-shirt design for print!
The theme for submissions is ‘Queer Joy’, and finding ways through peer support and positive action to protect the mental health and wellbeing of queer people. The design doesn’t need to include the Homotopia or Open Door logos – if you’d like to incorporate our names into the design, that is completely up to you.
Here are some general ideas to get you started, however we’d love you to do this in your style and with your own personal approach to the theme:
•What does queer joy mean to you in the current political climate?
•What spaces in Liverpool make you feel queer joy and acceptance?
•What people do you find your joy with?
•How finding queer joy can positively influence your mental health and wellbeing
We are offering a £250 prize to the winning design, and the deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 30th March. You will be notified of the outcome via email.
The winning t-shirt design will be promoted during pride month by Homotopia and Open Door Charity, and sold via Everpress, with all profits being split equally between charities to be used in the facilitation of their projects and programmes. We will aim to launch the campaign on Monday 18th May.
The requirements for the design are as follows:
– The maximum print area is 396mm width x 490mm height.
– Any colour included in your design (such as white backgrounds, for example) will be printed onto the garments. If you need help adding a transparent background, follow the step-by-step guide on the Everpress Creator Toolkit.
– Your artwork should be in PNG format, 300 DPI resolution, and max 10MB.
Please note that anything lower than 300 DPI will not be detailed enough. You can check the DPI on Photoshop by selecting ‘image’, then ‘image size’. Bear in mind that when a file is exported as a PNG (instead of being re-saved as a PNG) it automatically saves at 72 DPI, so be sure to ‘save as’ (not ‘export as’) when saving from Photoshop.
For more information about the competition, or to submit your design, please visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSca0ROdAyoWwYtM1JVh8Y77HkTOygUkU7tLAnZBATRA6kMz9w/viewform
Good luck – we can’t wait to see your designs!
The Pansy Project – call out for submissions!
In March, in association with Open Eye Gallery and Homotopia, Paul Harfleet will be returning to Liverpool to plant pansies at sites of homophobia and transphobia. Before he presents a talk and takes part in a Q&A session at Open Eye Gallery, he will host a ‘Planting Tour’. This gives a chance for participants to witness the artist planting and documenting the pansies at sites where a hate crime has occurred. On the day, a small selection of locations will be made within walking distance of the gallery; the participants will then return to the gallery for conversation. This unique experience is a community-affirming action of resistance and gentle protest that always generates a strange sense of joy, as those that attend share their stories and experiences. If you would like to attend the planting tour, visit the event page on our website to book your free place!
For this event, Harfleet is seeking further locations to mark with pansies that come directly from the local LGBTQIA+ community. If you have a location that you would like to be marked with one unmarked pansy planted at the location where an LGBTQIA+ hate crime has occurred, please get in touch.
Here’s the information you need to know:
– Supply the nature of the experience; this can be a quote from the assailant or a short description of what happened.
– Supply the exact location (postcode is useful); the artist will find the nearest source of soil to plant the pansy.
The subsequent photograph will be entitled after the quote or after what happened; this title should be as brief as possible. Locations can be supplied anonymously or on someone’s behalf.
To submit a location for Pansy planting, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebsG9OM9zLVKgZ_sM0r335gnev06O6ZWpN59u-oc_wBS4CBw/viewform
This event is in partnership with Open Eye Gallery.
This event is part of LOOK Climate Lab 2026, a biennial programme by Open Eye Gallery.
LGBTQIA+ dance artist or collective – this is for you!
Homotopia is proud to announce that we are co-commissioning the LGBTQIA+ strand of new dance commissions as part of the return of Leap Dance Festival later this year! Working in partnership with Culture Liverpool and Leap Dance Festival, this opportunity will support the creation of bold, exciting new dance work across Liverpool, with individual commissions ranging from £1,000 to £2,000.
The commissions will be awarded across three categories:
•Work by LGBTQIA+ artists (co-commissioned by Homotopia)
•Dance film commissions
•Community commissions working with global majority women
We are inviting dancers, dance artists and organisations based in, or working within, the Liverpool City Council area to apply. This programme offers an opportunity to develop new work that responds to communities, place and creative innovation, and we are particularly excited to support LGBTQIA+ artists through our co-commissioned strand. This opportunity is made possible thanks to support from UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF), Culture Liverpool, Liverpool City Council, in partnership with Leap Dance Festival, with Homotopia proudly co-commissioning the LGBTQIA+ element of the programme.
Key information:
•2-4 commissions are expected to be awarded
•Applicants must reside within the Liverpool City Council area, or demonstrate that the work will be created in or have a clear impact within the area
Timeline:
•Thursday 22 January: Applications open
•Thursday 26 February, 12 noon: Application deadline (late submissions will not be accepted)
•10-13 March: Applicants notified
•March-April: Making of work
To apply, please complete the application form and ensure you read the guidance carefully before submitting. The guidance is embedded within the application form.
Application form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_kzsGf-f-BUT1lW8jQtOpAWOjtdVmxUq6xVNi5eZ3XOtJxw/viewform
We can’t wait to see proposals from LGBTQIA+ artists and the wider dance community as Leap Dance Festival returns, and to supporting work that reflects the creativity, diversity and ambition of Liverpool’s dance scene – get your dancing shoes on!