Custom collaborations for ambitious art, science & technology projects

What is ANAT Bespoke?

ANAT Bespoke is a flexible, artist-led collaboration model that brings together artists with science, technology and research partners from the academic and private sectors to develop ambitious interdisciplinary projects.

As the name suggests, no two ANAT Bespoke projects are the same. Each collaboration is customised to the project’s unique characteristics and jointly supported by ANAT and the collaborating partner.

Rather than offering a fixed residency model, ANAT co-designs each project with the artist and partner—shaping the scope, timeline, resources and partnerships to support deep research, experimentation and meaningful exchange.

Past ANAT Bespoke partners include CSIRO, SAHMRI – South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, South East Water, FB IDEAS and the AWRI – Australian Wine Research Institute.

ANAT Bespoke :: Guidelines Expression of Interest Form

Why Partner with an artist to undertake ANAT Bespoke?

Partners are invited into high-value creative research collaborations that:

• Engage artists as critical thinkers and innovators
• Activate science and/or technology research or facilities in new ways
• Support ethical, future-focused and socially engaged inquiry
• Build long-term relationships across art, science, industry and community
• Generate cultural, intellectual and reputational value

ANAT Bespoke aligns with ANAT’s Strategic Plan 2025–2028, particularly its focus on:

• Amplifying diverse voices and ways of knowing
• Supporting experimental, interdisciplinary practice
• Building adaptive, reciprocal partnerships
• Communicating complex ideas through compelling artistic work

What Partners Contribute

ANAT Bespoke projects are built through shared investment. Partners may contribute:

In-kind support, such as:

• Access to facilities, labs, equipment or infrastructure
• Staff time, mentoring or specialist expertise
• Research access, datasets or field sites

Financial support, such as:

• Co-funding or commissioning contributions
• Project-specific funding
• Cash contributions leveraged with other funding sources

Many projects involve a mix of both.
All contributions are clearly scoped, valued and agreed upfront.

What Partners Receive

• Partners benefit from:
• Meaningful engagement with leading contemporary artists
• Co-designed projects aligned to your strategic or research priorities
• Shared visibility and storytelling across ANAT communications and networks
• Opportunities for staff engagement, knowledge exchange and learning
• Association with ANAT’s national and international reputation in art, science and technology
  

How It Works

1. Project concept identified (artist-led or co-initiated)
2. ANAT assists to broker relationships and supports project design
3. Partners, artist & ANAT confirm support (in-kind, funding, or both)
4. Project delivered collaboratively, with regular reflection
5. Outcomes shared in ways appropriate to all parties
   

Let’s Talk

ANAT welcomes conversations with organisations, researchers, industry partners and communities interested in supporting bold artistic research and experimentation.

Projects are adaptive, ethical, and built on care, curiosity and shared purpose.

ANAT Bespoke in Practice

YANDELL WALTON × SOUTH EAST WATER + FB IDEAS (2025)

Artist Yandell Walton collaborated with South East Water and FB IDEAS on Re-cultivate, a project that reimagined our relationship with water through artistic inquiry and creative innovation. The collaboration opened new ways of thinking about water systems, sustainability and the future of urban environments.
READ Yandell’s creative research journal

DR SARAH NEVILLE, EVA SIFIS & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR BELINDA LANGE × FLINDERS UNIVERSITY – ASSEMBLAGE CENTRE FOR CREATIVE ARTS (2024)

Dr Sarah Neville, Eva Sifis and Associate Professor Belinda Lange collaborated with Flinders University’s Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts on Agiles, an artistic research project exploring virtual and augmented reality applications for mobility, balance and creativity, reconnecting participants with the joy of dancing.
READ Sarah’s creative research journal

DR PETER MORSE × SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (2023)

Artist Dr Peter Morse collaborated with Professor Christopher Fluke through Swinburne University on Playable Earth, a project exploring new ways of visualising and interacting with satellite-originated Earth observation data through immersive and interactive environments. Using contemporary game development platforms, the project investigated how Earth observation data might be experienced in more intuitive, exploratory and engaging ways.
READ Peter’s creative research journal

DR HELEN PYNOR × SAHMRI – SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (2020–2021)

Artist-researcher Dr Helen Pynor undertook collaborative research with bioinformatician Dr Jimmy Breen, leader of the SAHMRI Bioinformatics Platform. Together they explored questions around the liminality of DNA once it leaves its originating body, bridging artistic inquiry with cutting-edge genomic science.
READ Helen’s creative research journal

CAROLYNNE BOURNE, JAMES GEURTS & CHRIS HENSCHKE × CSIRO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING (2019)

Artists Carolynne Bourne, James Geurts and Chris Henschke were hosted at CSIRO’s Advanced Manufacturing hub in Melbourne, supported by Creative Victoria. Engaging directly with advanced manufacturing technologies and research environments, the artists developed experimental responses that expanded how these technologies can be understood and imagined culturally.
READ Chris’s creative research journal

ELIZABETH WILLING × THE AUSTRALIAN WINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (AWRI) (2019)

Artist Elizabeth Willing collaborated with AWRI’s Flavour Chemistry and Sensory Research teams to explore the synaesthetic relationship between wine flavour and visual aesthetics. Through artistic experimentation, the project examined how sensory science and creative practice can intersect to reveal new ways of experiencing wine.
READ Elizabeth’s creative research journal