CALL FOR PROVOCATIONS
eavesdropping is happy to announce that our next festival will run 19-22 March 2026, and that the topic for our weekend-long forum this year will be CULTIVATING COURAGE: TROUBLE-MAKERS & RISK-TAKERS. The forum is designed to be open, inclusive and creative in its approach to this topic: alongside our guest speakers we hold space for folk that we don’t yet know. This Call for Provocations is an invitation to get involved!
In thinking about CULTIVATING COURAGE we might explore what it takes to swim against the tide, particularly in an industry that tempts us to play it safe; we might share what helps us to take creative risks or pay homage to other artists that have troubled the status quo. A provocation must respond clearly to the given topic and may take the form of a talk, a performance, a film, a poem, a manifesto, a dance, or something else entirely. It must be no longer than 20 minutes in length and be possible with an extremely tight soundcheck.
The forum will be held 21-22 March 2026 at Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston, London. Provocations can be pre-recorded (as an audio file or a video) or presented live. The atmosphere is intimate and informal — this is a venture run by artists for artists, and the main objective of the forum is to share new ways of thinking about music. Additionally, this year provocateurs have the opportunity to reconvene for a follow-on event on 1 May 2026 at Southampton University, hosted by the Centre for Music Education and Social Justice. We are delighted to make new connections with the community of music-makers and thinkers in Southampton.
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Submissions should be addressed to Juliet Fraser and sent by attachment to info@eavesdropping.london. Submissions should be submitted in word/pdf format, not exceeding 2 sides of A4, and should detail:
• applicant’s/applicants’ full name(s)
• lead applicant’s email address
• title and proposal, responding clearly to the given topic (300 words max.)
• biography (200 words max.)
• links to relevant websites (3 max.)
If these format requirements don’t work for you, please let us know how we can help.
Submission deadline: 6pm, Friday 2 January 2026
Selection announced: Friday 23 January 2026
Selection panel: Juliet Fraser, Louise Gray & Erin Johnson-Williams
* Please note: we do not pay a fee to provocateurs, but we do offer a free festival pass.