As part of the BCN Residency Programme 2023/24, Dale Hipkiss, artist in residence during October 2023 was interviewed by Project Co-ordinator Rene Francis-McBrearty. Read the interview in full below.


Rene: What are you up to for your BCN residency?


Dale: “I’m exchanging food with students for a discussion on the economy, why it’s not currently fit for purpose and how it can change. It should be perfectly reasonable to say our society should be more democratic; that poverty can be eliminated and that it’s a political choice not to; that our current economic system is destroying the biosphere which we need to survive. It’s important in our role as artists that we can imagine new societies and how they could work, even if we don’t have all the steps worked out for how to get there.”


Rene: What got you into making art?


Dale: “Being an artist is one of the few things in the world I don’t feel awkward at. The world doesn’t make much sense to me (it never really has!!) but I know I’m good at making things up in my head and finding ways to make those things real.”


Rene: Who or what is inspiring you right now (other artists, people, music, food, a book, land, nature… anything!)?


Dale: “The James Webb Telescope is brilliant!”

“The Stirchley Co-operative Development is really picking me up! It’s a working example of a group of people coming together and navigating the current inadequacies of town planning to create something that will genuinely benefit people who are involved, and provide a working example for how a project on this scale can be done democratically.”

“I’ve got two fruit trees on my allotment that I planted a few years back that have yet to flower. I was on the verge of giving up my plot this year due to personal circumstances, but there’s absolutely no way I’m giving it up until I see them fruit!”

This interview took place on 2 October, 2023. Find Dale Hipkiss on Instagram.

Artist Dale Hipkiss sits in the BCN Residency studio at Wolverhampton School of Art. He is smiling, large sacks of onions and carrots are at his feet. The room is cosy and there are some art supplies in the background.
Artist Dale Hipkiss in BCN residency space, WSOA, October 2023 © Multistory

It’s important in our role as artists that we can imagine new societies and how they could work, even if we don’t have all the steps worked out for how to get there.”



Dale Hipkiss

The BCN Residency Programme is a funded artist residency held in partnership between Multistory and The Wolverhampton School of Art. The programme provides Sandwell and Black Country artists with focused time and support for; development, research, testing out ideas, making new work and sharing it with audiences. It provides artists with structured support from the Multistory team, 1-to-1 mentoring with Multistory’s Arts Council England’s Relationship Manager, focused time and financial resources to reflect on and develop their practices. The Wolverhampton School of Art provide studio and an exhibition space for the end of programme group show.

Residencies will take place in October and November 2023, and January, February and March 2024, culminating in a day of presentations and the launch of a group exhibition at The Wolverhampton School of Art on 11 April 2024.