Playable prints and objects in public spaces, foodie trends and a treasure hunt of Britain's most unsearchable town... these are the brilliant ideas from the recipients of Watershed's New Talent Residencies and Micro-residency commissions.

First, let's take a look at our three New Talent Residents, who will be supported and mentored by former Pervasive Media Studio residents Interactive Scientific, who are reinvesting in these great new talents after experiencing the supportive ethos of the Studio for themselves. This opportunity was aimed at talented individuals at an early stage in their professional development, and we're delighted to introduce you to Sophie and Anna, Tenaya, and Jono.

Our New Talent Residents are:

• One Five West, a collaboration between artists Sophie Bullock and Anna Horton. This fabulous pair craft playful objects for public space. Their most recent project Larks are handheld, portable devices that can be hooked, stuck and strapped to street furniture.

  The idea began during a residency at Manchester's Mad Lab, where they really got to grips with different technologies. They're now interested in developing the experience that wraps around the Larks, and plan to test out lots of ideas, so watch out for some interesting things springing up around Harbourside as their work gets underway.

• Tenaya Steed is a multimedia artist whose work reveals the untold stories of everyday people. For her residency, Tenaya will develop a National Treasure-Hunt: a search for characters, unique trades, iconic places and above all stories of identity in Scunthorpe and surrounding areas.

  Scunthorpe - a place that was once unsearchable on the Internet due to having an obscene word between letters S and H - is currently going through a loss of cultural heritage. Tenaya will begin her Treasure Hunt here, looking at how creative technologies can be used to identify and preserve what remains treasured in England's most unsearchable town.

• Fresh from his MA in Printmaking at the University of the West of England, Jono Sandilands is a graphic artist who makes artwork layered with digital technologies. For his residency, Jono is interested in making Playable Prints, which he describes as a crossover of traditional printmaking with embedded digital technology, interactivity and gaming.

  Playable Prints builds on Jono's previous work, which includes traditional prints with film embedded, and ping-pong tables that create physical prints as you play.

They will be mentored by Interactive Scientific, who have developed acclaimed projects Danceroom Spectroscopy and Nano Simbox. They recently moved into their own premises after being resident at Pervasive Media Studio for five years and we're thrilled that they are working with us to enable this residency programme, actively supporting and investing in new talent and new ideas.

In addition to the New Talent Residencies, we have also awarded a Micro-residency to artist and chef Jasmine Creusson. Jasmine will spend a month at Pervasive Media Studio exploring how food is considered and valued within contemporary society - why are oysters are a rich man's treat, and why have medlars fallen off our menus? Foods can be regarded as excellent one minute, then old news the next. Jasmine asks if technology is helping foodie fazes stay faddy within our society, or if it can help bring a clearer understanding of what we eat.

Jasmine says:

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to finally incorporate both my love of food and artistic practice together. I'm very much looking forward to collaborating with like-minded creatives and technologists at Watershed's Pervasive Media Studio and bringing my ideas to life."

Our New Talent Residencies and Micro-residency will run between July and September 2016, where the artists will openly share their progress and become part of the community at Pervasive Media Studio.

We're also kicking off the New Talent Residencies with a Lunchtime Talk at Pervasive Media Studio on Fri 15 July at 13:00, where each artist will introduce their work and share their plans for the residency. Lunchtime talks are completely free and there's no need to book in advance - feel free to bring your lunch, swing by for the talk, and then stick around for the afternoon, as part of Open Studio Friday!

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