Connections Through Culture Online Collaboration Grants 2021

Connections Through Culture (CTC) is an arts grant programme run by the British Council in the UK and East Asia. It was established in August 2019 in Southeast Asia to provide grants to residents of the UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The grant's objective is to support exchanges and collaborations between the UK and Southeast Asia. Prior to Covid-19, the grant would have most likely involved international travel. However, with travel restricted and uncertain, the CTC grants were offered to develop and strengthen new and existing relationships between the UK and Southeast Asia, by providing funding to allow conversations to happen, and for the possibilities of online collaboration to be explored.

Grant Recipients - Stories from Connections Through Culture Online 2021

In Malaysia we accepted applications for the Connections Through Culture Online Collaboration Grants and announced the recipients in September 2021. We offered the grant to seven online projects, each comprising partners from Malaysia and the UK:

Empowering Deaf Women in Malaysia through Sign Poetry – Anthony Chong x Shane Gilchrist

Story by Anthony Chong and Shane Gilchrist

Musical Exchange Programme – The Rondo Production x Orchestra of The Swan

Musical Exchange Programme (MEP) is 3-months fellowship programme organised by Malaysian based The Rondo Production, in partnership with UK collaborator Orchestra of the Swan. MEP is designed to provide professional training for young Malaysian musicians and enhance their career development.

“Sarees and Secrets” - Abhi Arumbakkam x Sumitra Selvaraj x Dhinesha Karthigesu

Story by Abhi Arumbakkam Sarees and Secrets began as a conversation between 3 very different artists. Abhi Arumbakkam from the UK initially reached out to Sumitra Selvaraj in Malaysia, who then roped in Dhinesha Karthigesu (Malaysia) to also join them. Together they began playing around with the initial ideas for a potential collaboration and show. Thus the Sarees and Secrets team was born.

Safe/Selamat - All Change x Francesca Beard x Priya K

Safe/Selamat brought together London-based community arts company All Change, writers Priya K (Malaysia) and Francesca Beard (UK) and their communities in Malaysia and the UK for a creative conversation about safety and risk in creative practice.

Projek Trash <–> Treasure – Joanne Loo x Ummi Junid

Projek Trash <–> Treasure is a residency programme that celebrates trash as a meeting point for culture sharing, sparking new conversations between creative practitioners from various disciplines.

"About Making" – Eleena Jamil x Christoph Lueder x Stephen Knott x Abbe Fletcher

Story by Eleena Jamil

Narratives of Soil: Phase 2 – Eliza Collin x Wendy Teo

Narratives of Soil was awarded the Connections Through Culture Alumni Grant to build on its research project that explores the cultural and artistic significance of mud in design. The research project's phase 2 allowed UK designer, Eliza Collin and Malaysian Architect, Wendy Teo to carry out an additional four workshops and public engagements, an updated publication and exhibition, as well as a soil recipe.