Introducing our Dreamtime Fellow 2026
Posted on Fri 12 Dec
Watershed and the Jerram Foundation are excited to introduce our Dreamtime Fellow Gemma Paintin, whose practice spans live art, sound, social practice and work for public space.
The Dreamtime Fellowship will run throughout 2026, with Gemma investigating how resonance and collective rhythm might help us understand the overlapping personal, political and ecological crises that shape contemporary life.
Meet the Artist
Gemma Paintin (she/her)
Gemma is a Bristol-based artist. Trained in theatre, she began as a performance maker in the mid-2000s before expanding her work into more hybrid, undefinable forms. She has deep roots in Bristol’s artist-led communities, and as co-director of internationally recognised duo Action Hero, she has created and toured work worldwide. Alongside her artistic practice, Gemma also works as a dramaturg, voiceover artist, educator and mentor. In 2024, she won an Off West End Award for her performance in The Talent.
Gemma Paintin says:
“I have been yearning for space to expand my creative practice into new territories, and when I saw the Dreamtime Fellowship, I knew this would be the perfect context to imagine, dream and create. I'm so excited to get started, and to open my practice to new thinking and new forms with the support of the Jerram Foundation and Watershed.”
Luke Jerram (he/him), Founder of the Jerram Foundation, says:
“After the support I was given by Pervasive Media Studio at the beginning of my own career, it's wonderful to be able to return the favour and support the next generation of artists through the Dreamtime Fellowship. I'm delighted that Gemma has been awarded the fellowship and I really look forward to supporting her this coming year to help develop her practice.”
About the Dreamtime Fellowship
The Dreamtime Fellowship is a year-long opportunity initiated and fully funded by the Jerram Foundation and delivered in partnership with Watershed and Pervasive Media Studio. It supports a mid-career Bristol artist to research, test and develop ambitious new work for public space, with tailored guidance from Watershed and mentoring from Luke Jerram.
The Fellowship will run from January to December 2026 and will include an informal sharing towards the end of the year.
You'll be be kept up to date with the work in process on our social media channels.