Applicant Pool
In the 2nd cycle of Mobility First! Collaboration Grant, 176 artists & cultural professionals from 33 ASEM countries submitted a total of 51 joint proposals. Of which, 20 are from organisations and 31 from individual pairs or threes.
Selected Projects
From the applicant pool, 8 collaboration projects have been selected (4 from arts organisations and 4 from individuals). As participants of the selected projects, 32 artists & cultural professionals (19 Asians and 13 Europeans) will receive collaboration grants from this cycle of Mobility First!
These are the selected proposals from organisations and individuals.
- Creativity and Wellbeing: a weekly discussion across 3 continents
By Karachi Biennale Trust
Collaborators: Atteqa Malik (Pakistan), Niilofur Farrukh (Pakistan), Ange Weinrabe (Australia), Tom Cochrane (United Kingdom), Andrew Gryf Paterson (United Kingdom), Mathilde Palenius (Finland)
A 3-session radio-video series featuring conversations centred on creativity and well-being. The topic will be discussed between a mentor, an established creative professional, and a mentee, a younger creative practitioner. The conversations will take place in Karachi, Sydney and Helsinki, and will be broadcast locally and globally, with the purpose of creating more discussions and awareness on well-being across cultures. This is done through establishing a common discourse on wellbeing. A hybrid approach will be adopted, with problem-definition occurring onsite, and solutions to be discussed online, in a supportive environment of collaborative brainstorming. The output of the project will be a written document summarising the outcomes of the sessions.
- Prato-Hirokawa Textile Connection
By Lottozero Textile Laboratories
Collaborators: Alessandra Tempesti (Italy), Arianna Moroder (Italy), Margaux Minodier (France), Aki Watanuki (Japan), Koichi Moriyama (Japan), Yasuhiro Ota (Japan)
A collaboration between two creative hubs in the textile field: Lottozero Textile Laboratories, based in Prato, Italy, and Hirokawa New Edition from Hirokawa, Japan. The project is an online workshop on Zoom for the respective communities of both creative hubs. The workshop will give a theoretical overview on fashion and textile production, providing knowledge to understand consumption and production models within the industry, complemented with examples of successful processes and products taken from the Prato textile district. In particular, the regeneration process of wool will be discussed. This recycling process, which reuses textile waste and old clothing destined to become waste, has been active in Prato for decades, a true example of early-age circular economy, which denotes awareness and sensitivity to the environment.
- Taming of the Stream: Performance with(in) protocol
By Vasulka Kitchen
Collaborators: Louis Foster (Australia), Guy Clément Jules van Belle (Belgium), Sojin Yoon (Korea), Isak Han (Korea), Mint Park (Korea)
A collaboration exploring the phenomena of streaming in the artistic and creative practice, how high-quality real-time data transfers can be utilised while maintaining full control over and ownership of the data itself and being able to extend the transfer system with custom add-ons. Two streaming protocols will be operated: isis _noisecrypt, developed by one of the collaborators, as well as ultra-low latency and high resolution streaming system built upon open source software. The project seeks to explore both the theoretical and practical aspects of what the stream is and could be — to reflect on the nature of streaming and its influence on the methods of work and collaboration today, through a series of improvised sonic sessions within the mentioned protocols. Findings and reflections on the streaming as technology, as artistic tool and as social sharing phenomena will be shared in a practical, freely available manual.
- Digital Artists – Make Yourself Digitally Competent
By Tomorrow Together
Collaborators: Tamanna Yasmin (Bangladesh), Md Al-Beruni (Bangladesh), Samsuddin Sikder (Bangladesh), Francesca Olivier (Italy)
A training and workshop that aims to promote relevant and useful awareness of digital arts in the new normal. It seeks to highlight the difference of experiences between digital arts, ways to maintain wellbeing physically and mentally through digital art practice, and speak about challenges and importance of digital arts. An information package will be shared, with updates about recent development and changes, awareness activities that are available in online media, grants or benefits or scholarships, or bridging aids which are available due to Covid-19 pandemic especially for artists.
- Khun Galuu musical gathering
Collaborators: Daoling Bouzhigmaa Santaro (France), Durgesh Kanwal (India), Gregor Schulenburg (Germany)
Three musicians come together with a morin khuur (Mongolian horse-headed fiddle), a tabla (Indian classical percussion instrument), flutes and a duduk (Armenian double reed instrument). They aim to put together musical research in an audio/video presentation, with various forms of music including original compositions. During their 8 weeks of collaboration, they will teach each other tunes/ songs from our cultural backgrounds, which they will subsequently teach in their various communities. With music-making in groups focusing on safety, inclusion, equality and creativity, they wish to combat the increased stress, fear, and hopelessness, and in turn build resilience and strengthens connections in the community.
- Indo-West Collabratives
Collaborators: Aakriti Bhatt (India), Maish Rawat (India), Liam Rickard (United Kingdom)
A musical collaboration involving three artists hailing from India and the United Kingdom collaborating over one Indian Classical Tune: the Indian Classical Scale (Raga) known as Raga Yaman which is believed to be a major scale in the western parlance. New, unique music carrying the artists’ cultures will be produced with the merging of vocals, percussion, and various instrumental harmonies.
- 100 Advertisements for You
Collaborators: Kai Er Eng (Singapore), Felix Schwarzrock (Germany)
A performance-installation based on 100+ advertisements created for fictional products and services that might be “useful” during the COVID-19 pandemic. A real-time performance in the space of an audio-visual installation will be made available for online audiences as well as a short video that documents the performance-installation for archival purpose. It is an artwork that addresses expanded formats of theatre-making, in the time of the pandemic, while not neglecting the original liveness and attractiveness of theatre. This performance addresses the crisis head-on with a specific autobiographical lens, which can offer a cathartic experience for its audiences, and an opportunity for taking some distance from the pandemic and having space and time for personal reflection and contemplation.
- Raagas & Scales
Collaborators: Sdougna Nour (France), Pragati Pandey (India), Rakesh Kumar (India)
A musical collaboration between three artists to compose new music, centred on Ae Ri Aali, a popular work in the Indian Classical scale. In this work, vocals will be melded with melodic and harmonic support from a violin, as well as a unique hybrid instrument known as a harmonium. The artists believe strongly in the need for collaboration in art, and hope to produce a new uplifting musical work that promotes the shared appreciation of the essence of different cultures.
Follow their progress on mobilityfirst.ASEF.org and on Instagram @culture_asef!
Read more details of the results here
Cycle 2 is ongoing, submit your proposals NOW at https://asef.org/projects/mobility-first-2021/