THE names of 27 artists who will spend this summer creating new work at Cove Park on the Rosneath peninsula have been announced.

The artists, who hail from as far afield as the Netherlands, Germany and India, as well as from all over the UK, will be the first to benefit from the facilities on offer at the complex’s new Jacobs Building since the £1.2 million complex was officially opened last September.

The residencies, taking place between May and September, offer each participating artist the chance to spend time in a relaxed and remote atmosphere, with the opportunity to reflect and develop their practice.

From a record number of applicants, this year’s 27 artists include Indian sculptor and performance artist Sahej Rahal, who will use his time as Cove Park’s International Visual Arts Resident to develop new work to be shown at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow in September.

Julian Forrester, Cove Park director, said: “Thank you to everyone who applied to join our 2017 programme. I wish everyone joining us this summer the very best that Cove Park has to offer.”

Two artists who took part in previous Cove Park summer programmes have spoken of the value of the experience in helping them develop their creative skills.

Jasleen Kaur, Scottish Indian artist based in London who spent two months at Cove Park last year, said: “Cove Park was my first experience of a residency. The two months spent there allowed me unhampered time to develop a new direction in my work and experiment with materials without the pressure of producing a finished outcome. I met both residents and staff, from different practices who have become friends. A year after Cove, latent thoughts and experiments are beginning to emerge in new work.”

Glasgow-based playwright and dramatist Frances Poet added: “Free from the daily parenting routines, I have thrown myself into writing in that extraordinary setting with an insatiable hunger for it and come away with two new plays.

“There’s a strange sort of magic about the place that makes exciting things happen.”

The residencies are roughly split into four areas – craft, film, literature, and visual arts – and the 27 artists taking part in this year’s summer programme are as follows.

Craft – ceramicists Aimee Lax (Bristol) and Jonathan Wade (Glasgow), product design duo Anja Lapatsh and Annika Unger (Berlin), textile designer Laura Slater (Wakefield) and emerging designer Florence Dwyer (Glasgow).

Film – writer/directors Robin Haig and Lou McLoughlan, both BAFTA award winners.

Literature – novelists Wytske Veersteeg (Netherlands), Linda Cracknell (Netherlands) and Kirsty Logan (Glasgow).

Visual arts, including sound, moving image, sculpture, printmaking, painting and performance – Anne-Marie Copestake, Scott Myles, Mark Vernon and Florrie James (all from Glasgow), Katrina Palmer, Sophie Mallet and Marie Toseland (all from London) and Manchester-based Louise Giovanelli.