We waved off our New Talent Residents last week as they concluded their three-month residency with us. On Tuesday 4 October we invited guests to participate in a showcase to shed a light on Sophie Bullock and Anna Horton of OneFiveWest, Jono Sandilands and Tenaya Steed's development during the programme. Testament to their time in the Studio, the residents had plenty of products and playtests to interact with after formal presentations. A goodbye, but not the end, as we hope to see their work flourish and return in the future.

Resident Sammy Payne deservedly scooped up one of Marie Claire's Future Shapers Award at their recent ceremony. The award seeks to find hot new innovators: the game-changing women transforming the way we live and work. We reckon Sammy, co-founder of social-tech company Open Bionics, definitely fits the criteria! Watch her inspiring interview.

It's been a fair few months since the end of the funding period for REACT - the four year collaboration between Watershed and five universities across the South West, and in the time that's passed the team have been working tirelessly to publish a report on the outcomes of the programme. Watershed's approach to creative research and development has largely involved a process we named Sandbox that brings a diverse mix of perspectives and skills together to turn wild ideas into working prototypes. We've benefitted from the openness of sources throughout the years, which has inspired us to publish our approach, tools, values and methodologies for others to share, copy, edit or clone. Download our How To guide here. 

Preparations are underway for resident Mike Pony's upcoming audiovisual arts, electronic music and live performance festival, Submerge. The festival will commandeer a variety of venues in Bristol between 18 - 20 November, and showcase a programme of acclaimed international artists. Tickets are on sale now, and you can get a taster of what's to come in the trailer below.

Sabrina Shirazi's Watershed Food Residency really encouraged her to consider dining experiences for the deaf and hard of hearing community without compromising on the delivery of her sound and taste pairings. Working with residents Tim Senior and Luke Saxton and Joseph Horton of the Alphasphere team, Sabrina designed a workshop to test new approaches to 'feeling' sound with Bone Conducting Gobstoppers. Members of the deaf and hard of hearing community snapped up tickets - an encouraging indication of a demand for these types of events.

Last week our Playable City judging team convened to discuss the shortlist we had selected. The exciting thing is a decision has been made, but you'll have to wait until 27 October to find out which of the eight exciting visions for Bristol will be brought to life!