Olion //\ Traces
an artist residency
and commission programme
new art emerging from landscape, history, ecology and deep time
Open Calls are now LIVE
Deadline 11 November 2026 - midnight
Olion //\ Traces brings artists and creative practitioners together with organisations that hold deep knowledge of our local landscapes.
Four selected artists or creative teams will work closely with one of four partner organisations - learning from their knowledge, research, people and practices, and following the questions and possibilities that emerge.
These collaborations will lead to four new commissioned works for the 2027 Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail
Each opportunity has its own details and application
Click on the links in ‘Explore the Four Open Calls’
Key Information
Open Call deadline: 11 November 2026, midnight
Selection announced: 25 November 2026
Artist fee: £1,500
Materials: £300
Additional Support (detailed in the open calls)
Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail: 20 + 21 March 2027
The Residency
Each selected artist or creative team is paired with one of our partner organisations, opening up access to their knowledge, places, people, research and practice.
Through conversations, site visits, shared research and hands-on exploration, there is time to dig deeper: to follow questions, encounter different perspectives and allow the work to develop through the collaboration.
Each residency is shaped by the artist and partner organisation, so no two will look quite the same.
The Commission
Each residency leads to a new commissioned work, developed from the research, encounters and exchanges that take place along the way.
The four works will premiere at the 2027 Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail, becoming part of a wider weekend of contemporary art, performance, making and participation across woodland, waterways, castle, coastline and community spaces.
Sharing the Process
The process is as important as the finished work.
During the residencies, each artist will take part in an informal online work-in-progress event — an opportunity to share some of the questions, discoveries, experiments and directions emerging from their research.
After the Sculpture Trail, the artists and partner organisations will come together again for a public film screening and conversation, reflecting on what happened, exchanging perspectives and continuing some of the conversations begun through the residencies.
Explore the Four Open Calls
Each opportunity has its own details and online application.
Click on the links here:
The Organisations
Each partner brings a different body of knowledge, research, places and questions to the Olion //\ Traces project:
GeoMôn UNESCO Global Geopark
Geology, deep time and the extraordinary geological landscapes of Ynys Môn.Red Squirrels Trust Wales
The interconnected ecologies of Aberlleiniog woodland, conservation, biodiversity and the changing relationships between species and habitat.Heneb: The Trust for Welsh Archaeology
Aberlleiniog Castle and the archaeology, histories and traces held within its surrounding landscape.North Wales Rivers Trust
The Afon Lleiniog and its catchment — water quality, ecology, human activity and the changing life of the river.
Each collaboration begins somewhere different. Where it goes will be shaped by the artist, the organisation and what they discover together.
Diolch - Thank you
Olion //\ Traces is supported by the Arts Council of Wales.
The Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail receives core funding from the Sustainable Development Fund, a Welsh Government initiative on the Isle of Anglesey ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB).
Huge thanks to GeoMôn UNESCO Global Geopark, Red Squirrels Trust, Heneb – the Trust for Welsh Archaeology and the North Wales Rivers Trust for supporting the programme and generously sharing their expertise, resources and time with the selected artists.
Where it began — 2026
Olion //\ Traces grew out of a series of collaborations developed for the 2026 Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail. Artists worked directly with specialist organisations, using their knowledge, research and places to open up new directions for creative work.
Mai Thomas
GeoMôn UNESCO Global Geopark Commission
Mai spent time with the erratics of Lleniog Beach, learning their origin stories and understanding their complex material makeup. Her monumental scale drawings were created entirely from natural pigments derived from the landscape itself.
Angharad Ffion Martin
The Red Squirrels Trust Wales & Magical Mammals
Angharad learned about the complex and intertwined ecosystems of our most local environment - the Aberlleiniog woodland. She created a series of animal forms, light and sound sculptures using natural and foraged materials, covered with semi-translucent naturally preserved leaves.
Ellen Davies & Meilyr Tomos
GeoMôn UNESCO Global Geopark Commission
They created an interactive soundscape that turned geology and climate data into music and movement — blending live cello, traditional notation and immersive audio. They tapped into the seismic activity of the Menai Strait and dove deep into the geological record, interviewing geologists and seismologists, recording in the field, composing, creating and writing.
About the Trail
The Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail is a free annual event bringing contemporary art into the woodlands, waterways, historic sites and community spaces around Llangoed, Ynys Môn.
Featuring over 50 artworks, installations, performances and participatory projects, the Trail brings together artists, makers, local communities and visitors across one weekend each spring.
The Trail is produced by Plas Bodfa Projects CIC and headquartered at Llangoed Village Hall, working in partnership with the organisations and landowners who care for the places it inhabits.