4. This City is twinkling with spots of light _ Mat Tran Ensemble
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Mat Tran Ensemble 

Connections Through Culture (CTC) is a grant programme run by the British Council in the UK and East Asia for the past 16 years to foster international collaborations through arts and culture. 

The Southeast Asia (SEA) edition of CTC was successfully launched in August 2019, with its primary objective is to support new connections, exchanges and collaborations between the UK and Southeast Asia that build long-term relationships between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and art and cultural organisations, hubs, networks, and collectives. With global travel in 2021 still highly restricted and uncertain, the CTC grant has continued to develop new and strengthen existing relationships between the UK and Southeast Asia using online/digital means.

Celebrating the diverse cultural expansion in both regions, the programme offers support, information, advice and networking opportunities for professional development. Grantees both from the UK and the East Asian countries benefit from the inspiration gained from exchanging ideas and sharing their cultural history.  

More information about the 2021 call for proposals here.  

2019 Grants

In August 2019, the Connections Through Culture Mobility Grant was launched in Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Viet Nam and the Philippines, enabling visits, exchanges and collaborations between these countries and the UK.

Celebrating the diverse cultural expression in all regions that participate, the programme offers support, information, advice and networking opportunities for professional development. Grantees both from the UK and the East Asian countries benefit from the inspiration gained from exchanging ideas and sharing their cultural history.

Grant Recipients 

In Viet Nam, we offered grants to four applicants, for travel and exchange between Viet Nam and the UK. Some of the grant recipients shifted their projects online due to Covid-19 related travel restrictions.

Mat Tran Ensemble (VN)  Under the 2019 CTC grant programme, three members of Mat Tran Ensemble had the opportunity to travel to the UK, where the ensemble experienced the inner workings of organisations such as classes and rehearsals at Academies.
Adam Joe Ryan (UK)  With the 2019 CTC grant, Adam travelled to Viet Nam to speak at Monsoon Music Festival on a conference panel about music festival production, and to attend the festival itself from 28 October 2019 to 04 November 2019. 
Nguyen Anh Tuan (VN) As a recipient of a CTC grant in 2019, Nguyen Anh Tuan formed the back-end work for an online Vietnam Art Archive with the collaboration and support from UK art researchers and museum experts. 
Nguyen Duy Thanh (VN) The UK-based duo good cop bad cop cop asked four individuals from different backgrounds and parts of Wales to make short videos of their lives and the places in which they lived, to give Thanh a taste of Wales. In response, Thanh made a short video that expressed his life in Hanoi to share with these video contributors. 

2020 Grants

With the travel restrictions, the CTC grants in 2020 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.   

We accepted applications for the Connections Through Culture Online Collaboration Grants in October 2020 and announced the recipients in December 2020.

Grant Recipients 

In Viet Nam, we offered grants to four online projects, each comprising partners from Viet Nam and the UK.

Grantees Project
Harry Maberly (UK) x Ho Nguyen Hai Dang (Dan Ni) (VN) GAP | GẶP - Online movement film exploring connection, distance, and the role of digital intimacy in contemporary UK & Vietnamese queer culture
Heather Lander (UK) x Linh Ha (VN) Silhouette - An impression of your presence, your place: Online audiovisual artwork and exchange
Van Huynh Company: Dam Van Huynh (UK) x MORUA: Ngo Thanh Phuong (VN) Sound Barrier - Online cultural exchange and contemporary dance showcase
Sally Lai (UK) x Richard Streitmatter-Tran (VN) The Studios Project, Asia - An online platform of artists' studiosresearch about artist studios role, and online curatorial resource

2021 Grants

With global travel in 2021 still highly restricted and uncertain, the CTC grant should be used to develop new and strengthen existing relationships between the UK and Southeast Asia via online/digital means.

Grant Recipients 

For 2021 (4th round) we added an additional grant category Alumni Grants aimed to provide additional support to past UK-SEA CTC grantees.

Grantees Project
Esther Swift (UK) x Bui Linh Ha (VN) – Alumni Grant Creative Hosting (to) Access Music: CHẠM (vn for 'touch') – Music and Well-Being project
Alexandra Büchler (UK) x Nhã Thuyên (VN) Ù Ơ: Digital residency and poetic exchange between emerging Vietnamese and Welsh women poets and artists
Lola Lely (UK) x Vu Thi Phuong Thao (VN) Crafting without Borders: Cross-cultural arts exchange through online workshops between Blue H'mong craftswomen in Viet Nam and craftswomen at WAX Atelier Co-Op in London
Caroline Sharp (UK) x Trang Trinh (VN) My morning song: A cross cultural educational and musical partnership based on Elgar's Chasson de Martin
Asia Art Activism (UK) x Nguyen Quoc Thanh (VN) Cruising beyond the cloud computing, xuyên không across the sky (thực ra là light speed under the sea): Activities queerness, local and intercultural queerstories, transnational exchange of knowledge and practices
Casson & Friends (UK) x Linh Luyen (VN) The Dance WE Made: Mentoring and performance of 4 Vietnamese dancers (2 disabled and 2 non-disabled) (COVID permitting) in public spaces in Hanoi
Victoria Elizabeth Roe (UK) x Chau Quynh Le (VN) Weaving a Better World: Including Craft to Reset Sustainable Fashion based on Ta Oi women’s designs – workshops, manuals, and exchange
Dylan Jones (UK) x Tran Viet Huy (VN) Lênh Đênh - Journey on the Waves of Time: Activities for artists, craftsmen, and fishermen in Vietnam accessing current and historic uses of coracles (thuyền thúng) in Viet Nam and in the UK

See also