Scotland’s longest-standing artist-run gallery, established in 1983
If something in either call has sparked your interest, but you’re not quite sure how to approach it, this session is for you. You might have questions about the themes, be wondering how your own practice could connect with them, or simply want to explore some of the possibilities before deciding whether you would like to apply.
We appreciate that some of the language and concepts in the calls related to philosophy, science, and technology might be a hurdle for the uninitiated. So we want to stress that you don’t need specialist knowledge in any of these areas to take part. We’ll bring together people from the different disciplines involved in the calls to open up the ideas through conversation, answer questions, and help artists explore how their own ways of thinking and making might connect with them.
After short introductions to the two calls, there will be plenty of space for questions and an informal workshop where we can talk through ideas, make connections, and explore possible approaches and collaborations. It’s also an opportunity to meet others interested in the calls and, where relevant, begin conversations around teaming up.
You’re welcome whether you already have an idea, have submitted an application, are only beginning to think about what might be possible, or are simply curious about the conversations these calls are opening up. There is no expectation that attending means you have to apply.
Come along with an idea, a question, a half-formed thought, or just your curiosity.
Drinks and snacks will be provided, and the introductory presentations will be recorded and shared for anyone unable to attend.
1. Levels of Reality
2. Making the Invisible, Visible
Our best scientific models divide reality into distinct “levels”, including the microphysical, chemical, biological, psychological, and sociological. Each level is composed of entities peculiar to that level, such as atoms, molecules, cells, minds, and societies. But how are we to understand how these levels fit together? If everything is ultimately made up of subatomic particles and forces, why do we need anything other than physics to model reality? And what even is a “level of reality” exactly? These and many other questions are of keen interest in the philosophy of science. When those questions are addressed, visual representations are sometimes used to convey the idea of what a level is, or this or that philosophical problem that arises when the nature of levels is investigated. One example is William Wimsatt’s sketch, pictured below.
However, such examples are relatively limited in number and artistic scope. The Levels of Reality funding call is for artists who are interested in producing artistically ambitious work which explores, in a philosophically and scientifically informed way, levels of reality.
Timeline: application deadline Friday 9th of October; outcome communicated to artists by 23rd of October; Levels of Reality exhibition in Transmission from February 20th to March 13th 2027; publication TBD.
Support available (dependent on number of artists selected and scope of work proposed): honorarium of minimum £500 up to £1000 per artist (for between 3-6 artists); material and fabrication costs covered up to £500 (though this may be negotiable in exceptional cases); access to the gallery space and use of wood workshop during making of work or related activities; publication costs associated with the exhibition fully covered by Transmission.
Curation and collaboration: the conceptual and visual content of the exhibition will be curated by John Donaldson & Kimia Witte who will also be available to collaborate with artists in the development of their work for the exhibition, upon request.
Constraints and possibilities: proposals will be assessed in terms of their conceptual quality and artistic ambition. Any artistic medium will be acceptable as a proposal. Depending on the concepts developed throughout and during the exhibition, we are open to offering a solo exhibition, at a later date, for an exhibiting artist, backed by more substantial financial support.
Ideas: though this should not be taken to be prescriptive in any way, the following may be of use to artists in the process of application. We are intrigued by the possibilities of:
(1) a large (i.e. room-sized) sculpture or installation that creatively represents a significant range of levels of reality;
(2) work that explores the nature of different scientific equations used to describe distinct levels of reality, such work could use visual, poetic, or other representations of those equations;
(3) how performance, music, and sound in general could be used in the exhibition;
(4) work that focuses on the boundary between particular levels, such as psychological-neurobiological or the boundary between non-living (e.g. molecular) and living levels (e.g. cellular);
(5) work that explores the different ways in which we can come to know about levels, such as the difference between empirical and non-empirical methods;
(6) work that demonstrates creative engagement with central philosophical problems that arise when considering how levels hang together, such as the causal exclusion problem, the truth of reductionism versus non-reductionism, or the nature of inter-level phenomena like realisation or emergence.
How to apply: submit a short proposal via the following link:
https://forms.gle/yc9VdjmyDphQeYiP6
Topics include: the inner workings of large language models, unintended consequences of AI, missing and invisible data, surveillance, mapping and power, environmental and cultural impacts of digital technologies, the role of storytelling in shaping how we understand both history and technology, and how AI influences the stories we tell about ourselves, our communities and our futures.
Note this is a call for participation in a collaborative project, in which the artists will be one person on a three-person team creating the relevant work (there will be 1-3 such groups, submission dependent). The three-person teams will be comprised of one artist, one philosopher, and one scientist.
Attendance at the following is required:
(1) the Lovelace-Hodgkin Symposium on 13th October 2026 at Glasgow University Union (tickets will be supplied);
(2) and potential subsequent day-exhibition at Transmission, on the 14th.
Timeline: application deadline Friday 2nd of October; outcome communicated to artists by 9th of October; Making the Invisible, Visible exhibition in Transmission from January to 18th to February 8th 2027; publication TBD.
Support available: Support available (dependent on number of artists selected and scope of work proposed): honorarium of minimum £500; material and fabrication costs covered up to £500 (though this may be negotiable in exceptional cases); access to the gallery space and use of wood workshop during making of work or related activities; publication costs associated with the exhibition fully covered by Transmission.
For one artist, there will be a Transmission residency possibility in conjunction with the Scottish Association of Marine Sciences, at Oban – dependent on the potential of the work.
Curation: the conceptual and visual content of the exhibition will be curated by John Donaldson, Kimia Witte, and The AI Commons Glasgow.
How to apply: submit a note of interest via the following link:
https://forms.gle/vMas5WsFz6BuEX5T9
Alongside installations by
No Transmo, no party.
Haleh Fotowat is an Iranian-Canadian neuroscientist and artist based in Boston. Through scientific research at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and abstract painting in her studio, she explores self-organisation and emergence in living systems. Her paintings embrace improvisation, movement, and expressive colour to explore how complex forms emerge through interaction and change.
The show is about emerging forms, in living or non-living matter. Flow, movement, decisions to change course, and the structures that emerge. Paintings fill the main floor, while the basement turns to living forms with projections and sound from her scientific work.
This performance is for anyone who is curious to hear new music, see new paintings, and even for those who aren’t, but may find themselves nearby anyhow. Those with a taste for improvised music especially welcome.
This events features workshops, talks, and visual art in the form of a huge timeline of legislation around sex work and the legislation’s effects.
Hosted by Scotland for Decrim – a grassroots campaign fighting for the full decriminalisation of sex work in Scotland. They’re a welcoming group, whose members are both people with lived experience of sex work and allies.
Hard Labour is a spark flying from the past into the future – from the fire of the long history of sex worker resistance, to the flame of current struggles to the warmth of future dreams.
Hard Labour is collective action, a labour of love, a invitation to make art.
Supported by Creative Scotland and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
The first event will be a craft club focused around a badge making workshop with Hank where you can create your own badge designs, with collaging, drawings, stickers and more!
All materials will be provided, but you’re more than welcome to bring along anything you’d like to add to your badge.
This workshop is also a space for you to bring your own crafts and work on whatever you like. There’s absolutely no pressure to join in with the badge making activity just come along, get creative, and enjoy the space! Show up however you need to, be comfy and enjoy yourself.
Food will be provided too (vegan options available but please make us aware of any allergies or other dietary needs).