Arts body will not recover all of grant for sex-row project

Creative Scotland has not recovered all the money paid out to the maker of an explicit sex project, MSPS have been told.

The arts funding body withdrew funding for the Rein project when its pitch for “simulated sex” changed to an intention to feature real sex in the performance, its chief executive has said.

The arts funding body awarded £84,555 to director Leonie Rae Gasson for the project. But it withdrew the grant in March after a casting call’s wording showed that Rein was “considerably more explicit” than first thought.

However, Creative Scotland has only been able to recover about 90% of the money as some has already been paid to third-party freelancers.

A total of £23,210 was also paid out for the “R&D phase” of the project in August 2022, which Creative Scotland is not seeking to recover.

So far the organisation has not released the director’s original funding application. Ms Gasson denies the funding body was misled and the artists involved say they have been transparent throughout.

Following an outcry about public funding for the project and questions from MSPS, Creative Scotland chief executive Iain Munro wrote to Holyrood’s culture committee.

He sought to explain the reasoning behind the funding award, saying the organisation should not be an arbiter of “cultural taste” and not everyone would agree with its decisions.

He said: “Rein was originally supported in the knowledge it would be a challenging, creatively ambitious piece of experimental performance art, with a clear storytelling narrative, strong sexual themes and simulated sexual performance, and would speak to a particular audience rather than the mainstream.”

Mr Munro continued: “However, as became clear in March 2024 when the project team developed new content for their website and publicised that as part of a call-out for participants, one new and significant difference emerged which took the project into unacceptable territory.

“That was the intention to include real sex, as opposed to performance depicting simulated sex, in the work.”

Creative Scotland took legal advice and withdrew the funding due to the change, he said, adding that the organisation is reviewing its handling of the application. It is also seeking legal advice around whether Ms Gasson’s application can be released.

He condemned the “threats and abuse” faced by people involved in the project. “Legitimate costs” of £8,359 in payments to freelancers will not be recovered in order to protect their incomes, the letter added.

Earlier, culture committee convener Clare Adamson had noted “public concern” about Rein and suggested Mr Munro may be called to appear before MSPS.

Opposition MSPS had demanded all the money be clawed back and criticised Rein’s funding at a time when other cultural projects are struggling for cash.

In a statement, those behind the Rein project said they disagreed with Creative Scotland’s version of events.

They said the project had been “misunderstood and misrepresented” and would have been “a new, immersive, three-screen, moving image, art installation fusing moving image, multi-sensory set design and dance in an erotic exploration of lesbian and queer sexuality set in the Scottish landscape”.

They added: “Everyone involved in the project is deeply saddened that the funding body did not seek clarification with the artists, or suggest working together to elucidate to third parties that the project is an artistic moving image film and not what has been widely reported or claimed. No opportunity was given to the artists to work towards a joint resolution or alternative outcome prior to the funding body’s decision to defund the work.

“The artists do not agree that they misled the funding body.

“The performer call-out did use the new terminology of non-simulated as a shorthand for performers, however, the artists have been transparent about the nature of the work with the funding body throughout both R&D 1 (in 2022/23) and R&D 2 (in 2024).

“The artists will not be speaking with any media or press.”

CASH: Director Leonie Rae Gasson received funding.

Iain Munro wrote to MSPS.