A UK grantee worked with KL Shakespeare Players to develop characters for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Photo: KL Shakespeare Players)
In the past, Malaysian grantees of the Connections Through Culture (CTC) programme were involved in projects which run the gamut from dance to theatre as well as archival works. As beneficiaries, they have gained from the funding immensely.
Hwa Wei-An was even mentored by choreographer Richard Chappell in developing his solo dance, The Art of Falling, and collaborated on a new dance performance aimed at being performed in Malaysia and beyond.
Meanwhile, Nadia Nasaruddin, a representative from the Malaysia Design Archive (MDA), utilised the grant for a research journey to libraries and archives around the UK. The result of the observation came in the form of an open-source software designed for small, digital archives of resistance in Malaysia which helps to democratise the practice of archiving.
UK grantee Simone Tani on the other hand worked closely with six Malaysian actors from the KL Shakespeare Players using Trance masks and Chinese opera puppets to develop characters for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He facilitated a Trance mask workshop with the actors where they explored the full potential of this technique and applying it to the show. If you didn’t know what Trance masks are, they're masks frequently used to train performers especially in improvisation but rarely used during performances.
In an effort to generate these exciting projects, Connections Through Culture continues to nurture cooperation and long-lasting relationships between local artists, art professionals, art collectives and organisations in the UK and Southeast Asian countries.
In what would have been collaborations requiring international travel, but hampered by the current pandemic and uncertain travel restrictions, the CTC grants will now be used to develop and strengthen new and existing relationships between the UK and Southeast Asia by providing funding to initiate conversations and exploring for possibilities of online collaboration.
All in all, whether you’re from the UK, or among any of the five Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, and is a firm proponent in promoting the arts and cultural exchanges between countries, you're eligible to apply for the online grant which is open until November 8.
Beneficiaries of the grant, valued from £2,500 (RM13,435) to £7,500 (RM40,306), can use the funds to meet with specialists, peers in related fields of study and other participants.
Successful applicants will be announced in late November and are required to complete their projects between January to June 2021.
Click here to apply.
