The VECTOR Digital Arts Residency is a flagship programme of Kildare County Council Arts Service, delivered in partnership with Kildare County Council’s Economic Development Department, MERITS Innovation Thinkspace, and The Performance Corporation. The residency supports innovation, experimentation and critical engagement at the intersection of art and technology, strengthening the digital arts ecosystem in County Kildare.
This programme is committed to supporting ambitious and forward‑thinking digital practices by artists from or living in County Kildare. The current VECTOR Artist in Residence is Serena Devereux, a multidisciplinary visual artist from Kildare. Liing Heaney was recipient of the inaugural VECTOR Digital Arts Residency Award.
The VECTOR residency provides artists with a bursary award of €5000, access to workspace and digital content lab at MERITS, and bespoke mentoring from Kildare Arts Service and Jo Mangan, Artistic Director of The Performance Corporation. Kildare Arts Service also funds the artist's participation in The Performance Corporation’s international SPACE Programme, offering artists opportunities for international exchange, professional development and long‑term network building.
Liing Heaney, VECTOR Artist in Residence in 2025, participated in the SPACE Programme as a research‑led residency at the CCI Paris in July 2025, working alongside an international cohort of artists and technologists to explore experience design, interdisciplinary methodologies and collaborative approaches to making, with a focus on process rather than finished outcomes. Current VECTOR Artist in Residence Serena Devereux will take part in the 2026 SPACE Programme as part of her residency aware. The programme includes a three‑day residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, along with up to two fully supported international research trips to major arts and technology events such as Ars Electronica in Linz, alongside other another key trip to Venice. Through facilitated sessions, mentoring and shared inquiry, SPACE supports artists to deepen their practice, test new ideas and build long‑term professional networks within the international digital arts field.
Aligning with Kildare County Council’s Arts Strategy 2023-2027, the VECTOR Digital Arts Residency supports artists, reimagines spaces for artistic practice and sustains the arts through strong cross‑departmental and strategic partnerships. Through this programme, Kildare County Council aims to support digital artists to develop innovative work while fostering collaboration between the arts, technology and innovation sectors.