- The inaugural £5m programme of grants support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate internationally
- The winning partnerships represent a wide geographical spread and art forms, with collaborations between the UK and Asia, Africa, the Americas, Middle East, the European Union and Wider Europe
The British Council today announced recipients of its International Collaboration Grants, supporting UK and overseas cultural partnerships to develop digital, face-to-face and hybrid artistic projects.
This inaugural £5 million programme of grants aims to support UK artists to develop creative artwork with international peers, encouraging innovative ways of working and collaborating. 94 projects from 41 countries have been successful, receiving grants between £5,000 and £75,000.
The grants continue the British Council’s work in building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and overseas through arts, education and English language teaching. They feature both ODA (Official Development Assistance) and Non-ODA countries, with each grant having at least one UK and one overseas partner.
Applications were open to cultural collaborations with a focus on arts and culture, or higher education and research projects with an arts and culture element. Successful projects came from a diverse range of organisations, addressing significant global themes including equality, climate change and new digital technologies. Each project was carefully considered by sector professionals to ensure representation across a wide geographical spread and art forms. Overseas teams collaborating with UK partners include those from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Middle East, the European Union and Wider Europe.
Successful projects receiving the larger grants of £20-75k include: Barrowland Ballet (Scotland) and Atta Festival (Turkey) producing a dance-theatre production for young people with complex needs; Dhaka DocLab (Bangladesh) and Wales One World Film Festival (Wales) creating a filmmaking project around the impact of climate change and the women making a difference; Arts Canteen Limited (England) and The Station Foundation for Entrepreneurship (Iraq) partnering for a 12-month programme of creative workshops and training with Iraqi and UK female artists; and the Mexican Center for Music and Sonic Arts (Mexico) and Sound and Music (England) supporting women/non-binary/LBGTQI+ artists working in electronic music.
Smaller grants of £5-20k were awarded to organisations including: Creatives Garage (Kenya), b-side (England) and the London College of Communication (England) producing new digital work with LGBTQI+ artists, especially those with limited freedom of speech and rights; People Tree Studio (India) and Scots Language Centre (Scotland) exploring the theme of multilingualism and global English in a new comic anthology; and Kapok Theatre (China) and The Performance Ensemble (England) creating connections between older people in China and the UK, for a live and digital performance piece.
A list of all the successful projects is included below.
Skinder Hundal, Director of Arts at the British Council said:
“We are thrilled to announce the recipients of our inaugural International Collaboration Grants. These exciting new arts and culture projects will help develop and sustain vital international links between the UK and the rest of the world, supporting artists and organisations to share ideas, explore new ways of working and reach new audiences. The projects demonstrate the important role arts and culture can play in addressing our shared global challenges and finding solutions through innovation and creativity. We look forward to following the journeys of successful grantees and their remarkable projects, and hope that their projects can inspire, educate, and engage society.”
The grants build on the success of the British Council’s 2020 pilot Digital Collaboration Fund, which supported organisations to sustain international collaborations digitally during the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Information on future funding rounds of the grants programme will be shared in the spring/summer of 2022. To find out more about International Collaboration Grants, visit: https://www.britishcouncil.org/arts/international-collaboration-grants
Images of some of the successful recipents can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/BCICG22
For media enquiries, please contact Claire McAuley, Senior Media and Campaigns Manager, British Council: +44 (0)7542268752 Claire.McAuley@britishcouncil.org
For more information on the International Collaboration Grants, visit www.britishcouncil.org/arts/international-collaboration-grants
Successful International Collaboration Grants Projects:
1. Audio Choreography, £ 50,000. Collaborators Stopgap Dance Company and Pspot14. Countries UK and Japan
2. Digital Redux, £ 20,000. Collaborators Hounslow Arts Trust Ltd, trading as Watermans and WRO Art Center / WRO Center for Media Art Foundation. Countries UK and Poland
3. International and Intersectional Dance for Camera, £38,650. Collaborators Metal and National Institute of Music and Dance, Warsaw. Countries UK and Poland
4. Transylvania-Kernow Music Lab (TK Music Lab), £ 20,000. Collaborators Creative Kernow and Music Hub Association (Asociația Music Hub). Countries UK and Romania
5. Dancing the Horizontal, £37,400. Collaborators Yorkshire Dance and Comune di di Bassano del Grappa, Centro per la Scena Contemporanea (CSC) and Operaestate Festival Veneto. Countries UK and Italy
6. Partnership and Artist Exchange, £40,000. Collaborators Manchester Collective and Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Countries UK and Norway
7. Artists Connecting in Transition (ACT), £74,967. Collaborators D6: Culture in Transit, Art Here Istanbul (arthereistanbul), MedeArts Network and Fanak Fund. Countries UK, Turkey, Jordan and France
8. The School of Soil Futures, £74,767. Collaborators Arts Catalyst, RIWAQ Centre for Architectural Conservation, Sakiya – Art | Science | Agriculture, Struggles for Sovereignty: Land, Water, Farming, Food and Vessel Art Project / Associazione Culturale W-Est. Countries UK, Occupied Palestine Territories, Indonesia and Italy
9. BAT BANQUET, £74,220. Collaborators London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) and Taipei Arts Festival (organised by Taipei Performing Arts Centre). Countries UK and Taiwan
10. Moving Day, £20,000. Collaborators Entelechy Arts and OiBokkeShi. Countries UK and Japan
11. Oozing Gloop's Tentacular Spectacular, £30,650. Collaborators Fierce, Kampnagel - Internationales Zentrum für Schönere, Oozing Gloop's Tentacular Spectacular and Take Me Somewhere. Countries UK, Germany and UK
12. Empathy Spaces, £58,060.75. Collaborators The Paper Birds Theatre Company and Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja (PSBK). Countries UK and Indonesia
13. A New Jute Route: Creative Connections between Kolkata & Barrow-in-Furness, £53,453. Collaborators: BarrowFull (Arts Council England Creative People and Places), Song of Soul, SOS Productions and Open Theatre. Countries India and UK
14. New Ways, £20,000. Collaborators ArcadeCampfa, PASE and Arts Venue. Countries UK, Italy and UK
15. Creating Connections, £33,862.50. Collaborators Gravity & Levity Ltd, Il Posto asdc and Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence. Countries UK, Italy and UK
16. The future of film festivals, £75,000. Collaborators Independent Cinema Office and New Horizons Association. Countries UK and Poland
17. Orchestras in Exile, £63,145. Collaborators Music Halls Project Ltd and Beirut and Beyond. Countries UK and Lebanon
18. ULTRA-ART, £70,442. Collaborators Mandala Theatre Company, Ashtar Theatre and Smoking Apples Theatre. Countries UK, Occupied Palestine Territories and UK
19. reVERSible Belfast-Berlin, £64,000. Collaborators The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen's University, Belfast and Literaturbrücke Berlin e.V. c/o Haus fuer Poesie. Countries UK and Germany
20. Mirando al futura/Looking to the future, £75,000. Collaborators Hijinx and Asociación Compañía Danza Mobile. Countries UK and Spain
21. The Wall, £43,838. Collaborators Tobacco Factory Theatres and Fundación Teatro de La Abadía. Countries UK and Spain
22. TR/UKish Psychedelia: Fusing sounds of then and now!, £74,920. Collaborators Serious Events Ltd, Zorlu Performing Arts Center and Gülbaba Entertainment Müzik Yapım A.Ş. Countries UK, Turkey and Turkey
23. Sonic Fair Exchange, £52,380. Collaborators Lifesize CIC and BRUTPOP. Countries UK and France
24. Discretion, £74,270. Collaborators Edinburgh International Book Festival, Agence Algérienne pour le Rayonnement Culturel (AARC), Des livres comme des idées, Association Villes des Musiques du Monde and Sarl Hotel Liberté. Countries UK, Algeria, France, France and Algeria
25. My home is your home, £74,976. Collaborators Splash, Ripple Dawar for Arts and Development, The Freedom Theatre and Dawar Arts. Countries UK, Occupied Palestine Territories, and Egypt.
26. Twine, £68,380.50. Collaborators Selina Thompson Ltd, Cork Midsummer Festival, Project Arts Centre Ltd and Arts Venue. Countries UK, Ireland, UK and Germany
27. Read the World at The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival: exchanging and celebrating the best new literary talent in the UK, Ukraine and Norway, £71437. Collaborators Cheltenham Festivals, Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art & Culture Museum Complex and The Norwegian Festival of Literature. Countries UK, Ukraine and Norway.
28. Whose wor(l)d is this? - Diverse Voices in Urban Literature in UK and Italy, £74,937. Collaborators Ohhfive Limited and Spellbound Association. Countries UK and Italy
29. KHARTOUM BITES, £75,000. Collaborators Native Voice Films Ltd, AYIN NETWORK, Arafura, ACAVA and Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura de Tecate. Countries UK, Sudan, Mexico, UK and Mexico
30. Routed, £38,733. Collaborators BBZ London ltd, Youngblood Africa and Bubblegum club. Countries UK, South Africa and South Africa
31. Camara Chica – Beyond Borders, £75,000. Collaborators Into Film, Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (Kimff) and Jesuit Cultural Centre(JCC). Countries UK, Nepal and Egypt
32. Down the Wire Live, £54,456. Collaborators Cryptic Glasgow Ltd, B'sarya for Arts and Open Theatre Company Ltd. Countries UK, Egypt and UK
33. Beyond the Now – Socially Engaged Art in a (Dis)Connected World, £69,000. Collaborators Counterpoints Arts, Ettijahat - Independent Culture and Plymouth College of Art. Countries UK, Lebanon and UK
34. PRECIPITATE, £72,251.05. Collaborators Dance Base and Yaraqa. Countries UK and Lebanon
35. CONFLUENCE, £75,000. Collaborators Centre for Contemporary Arts and LE18. Countries UK and Morocco
36. Queen's Speech, £74,904.50. Collaborators b.supreme and Padyak PH. Countries UK and Philippines
37. Dois Pra la, Dois Pra Ca; An intercultural exchange, £15,908. Collaborators tactileBOSCH and OASIS. Countries UK and Brazil
38. Now Play This Creative Lab for Democracy: A collaborative Game Design process between Abuja & London, £18,320. Collaborators Now Play This and Nibcard Games. Countries UK and Nigeria
39. Floating Gold, £16,899. Collaborators Naga Mas and Jagad Sentana Art Foundation. Countries UK and Indonesia
40. Belonging/Disbelonging (Working title), £16,765. Collaborators The New Art Gallery Walsall and Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Countries UK and Pakistan
41. Beyond the 'Curfew' - creating change in the wake of the world's pause, £16,750. Collaborators Hawiyya Dance Company, El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF). Countries UK and Occupied Palestine Territories and UK
42. 3x3, £71,310.75. Collaborators Candoco Dance Company, ARADA ASSOCIATION and Unbeaten Path. Countries UK and Turkey and Ukraine
43. Adapting Work for Young People with Complex Needs, £65,483. Collaborators Barrowland Ballet and Atta Festival. Countries UK and Turkey
44. Art et al. X Ketemu, £49,887.20. Collaborators Jennifer Lauren Gallery (applying on behalf of Art et al. project) and Ketemu. Countries UK and Indonesia
45. AWANxIraq, £74,349. Collaborators Arts Canteen Limited and The Station Foundation for Entrepreneurship. Countries UK and Iraq
46. Axis Artist Exchange Programme, £64,229. Collaborators, Pyramid of Arts and Trasna Productions. Countries UK and Ireland
47. Bangladesh-Cymru Climate Stories, £74,995. Collaborators WOW Wales One World Film Festival and Dhaka DocLab. Countries UK and Bangladesh
48. Baptiste et Garance (working title), £30,000. Collaborators Tron Theatre and IVT – International Visual Theatre. Countries UK and France
49. Bogotan Immersive Dance, £74,874.25. Collaborators James Cousins Company and Compagnia de Danza Teatro Mayor. Countries UK and Colombia
50. Chalo Presents...Spark!, £70,000. Collaborator Chalo HQ LTD and Kaalo.101. Countries UK and Nepal
51. China-UK co-production theatrical inclusion project with the deaf communities in both countries, £75,000. Collaborators fingersmiths and Sound and Fury Play Reading Festival (Sound and Fury (Beijing) Cultural Development Co.). Countries UK and China
52. Climate for (Ex)change, £19,980. Collaborators Disability Arts Online and NUK - Ny ung kunst Countries UK and Norway
53. Cultural-assets and Vernacular Materials (C&VM): exploring sustainability in the creative economy (SE Asia) through creative practice, £60,361. Collaborators The Glasgow School of Art and The Borneo Laboratory. Countries UK and Malaysia
54. Digital Bridge (DB), UK-México: supporting women/non-binary/LBGTQI+ artists working in electronic music. £52,788. Collaborators Sound and Music (legal name: The Organisation for New Music and Sound) and Sound and Music (legal name: The Organisation for New Music and Sound). Countries UK and Mexico
55. Embedded Creations, £75,000. Collaborators Take Me Somewhere and The Centre For The Less Good Idea. Countries UK and South Africa
56. Encultured, £20,000. Collaborators The Circus House CIC, Lune Production JSC, Countries UK and Vietnam
57. Figures of Speech, £20,000. Collaborators Scots Language Centre and People Tree Studio. Countries UK and India
58. Giuvlipen x BÉZNĂ Theatre: Collaborative stories of displacement, £74,435.55. Collaborators BÉZNĂ Theatre and Roma Actors Association / Giuvlipen. Countries UK and Romania
59. Here and Now – A Collaborative Residency and Production Programme, £70,444. Collaborators Moniack Mhor Writers' Centre and Lagos International Poetry Festival. Countries UK and Nigeria
60. Longitudinal Dialogues: Serge Attukwei Clottey: Cultural Conversations on the Meridian, £35,252. Collaborators The Line and Foundation for Contemporary Art – Ghana. Countries UK and Ghana
61. More Than Human: Earth Rights, Black and Indigenous Futures, £71,890. Collaborators BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Fundación Más Arte Más Acción. Countries UK and Colombia
62. New Shoots International, £70,021.20. Collaborators Shooting People and Solis Film. Countries UK and Algeria
63. Nine Songs, £75,000. Collaborators Skye Blue Productions and Dandan Culture Communication (Yunnan) Co. Ltd. Countries UK and China
64. ORGANIZMO BLOOM Intersectional Art alliance UK/Colombia, £73,625. Collaborators European Alternatives and Fundación Organizmo. Countries UK and Colombia
65. Outburst Americas Cocreations, £56,910. Collaborators Outburst Arts, casaBrandon - Brandon for Equality / Equity of Rights and Opportunities / FAQ Festival de Arte Queer and Risco Festival / Outburst Americas. Countries UK, Argentina and Brazil
66. PalCom, £74,090. Collaborators Independent Film Trust and Nablus Performing Arts and Circus School. Countries UK and Occupied Palestine Territories
67. Pen Pal Connection, £73,200. Collaborators DaDa - Disability and Deaf Arts, Jogja Disability Arts and Potters Gallery. Countries UK, Indonesia and Nigeria.
68. Proximus, £50,000. Collaborators Paragon Music, Armonía E Inclusión, DCF Voice for Unity and MICCE. Countries UK, Mexico, India, Italy and UK.
69. RECLAIM THE FRAME x INTERNATIONAL, £75,000. Collaborators Birds' Eye View and Flying Broom Foundation. Countries UK and Turkey
70. Restorying Living Cultural Landscapes in a Changing Climate, £71,600. Collaborators Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking, Living Story Landscapes Project, and One Resilient Earth. Countries UK, Philippines and Germany
71. REVEAL! Women’s Comics East Africa-UK, £60,820. Collaborators LDComics CIC and Kenyan Kymsnet Media Network. Countries UK and Kenya ~
72. SALTAR, £74,752. Collaborators CASA and Cuatro x Cuatro. Countries UK and Mexico
73. School of the (Im)Possible, £75,000. Collaborators The Necessary Space and Platô Cultural. Countries UK and Brazil
74.Sender Receiver Residency, £19,980. Collaborators AMWA Designs and The Or Foundation. Countries UK and Ghana
75.Shared encounters for emergent intercultural sonic practices, £ 19,185. Collaborators University of Sheffield Concerts - University of Sheffield and Alexander Music Foundation. Countries UK and Nepal
76. Shesaid.so x Reform Radio x Rhythm Lab Records artist collaboration programme, £19,916.40. Collaborators Reform Radio and Shesaid.so. Countries UK and South Africa
77. SIB Arka Kinari: Subversive, immersive and partially submerged, £74,510. Collaborators 4Pi Productions UK, Kopernik, Lintas Batas and Filastine & Nova. Countries UK, Indonesia
78. Social Augmented Reality Patterns, £19,214. Collaborators Studio 9 Films Ltd and Women Skills Development Organisation. Countries UK and Nepal
79. Stories from our City - (The Elders of Guangzhou and Leeds), £20,000. Collaborators The Performance Ensemble and Kapok Theatre. Countries UK and China
80. Storying our Futures: climate resilience through indigenous knowledge, £35,922. Collaborators Adverse Camber and IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre ICPAC. Countries UK and Kenya
81. Sub:Merge, £12,915. Collaborators Gossamer Fog and Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective. Countries UK and Vietnam
82. Synchronies £20,000. Collaborators Cellule Studio Ltd, Sound Earth Legacy and Kinda Studios. Countries UK and Spain
83. Sustainable Challenge, £38,000. Collaborators Design Manchester and FAD, Fostering Arts and Design. Countries UK and Spain
84. That Other Place, £19,155. Collaborators b-side, Creatives Garage and London College of Communications. Countries UK, Kenya and England
85. The Disappeared R&D, £19,998. Collaborators Ad Infinitum Productions CIO and El Ingenio del Caldero AC. Countries UK and Mexico
86. The Pomposa Project, £19,991. Collaborators Conductive Music CIC and PGVIM – Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music. Countries UK and Thailand 87.Theater performance for children on autism spectrum, £51,219.00. Collaborators BAMBOOZLE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED and AFCA Arts Center. Countries UK and Egypt
88. Unmasked, £74,720. Collaborators Geese Theatre Company and University of Cape Town. Countries UK and South Africa 89.Untethered-Friction, £67,235. Collaborators Friction Arts and Untethered Magic. Countries UK and Kenya
90. Women in Film: Bristol & Kyiv, £33,220. Collaborators Encounters Festivals Ltd and Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist. Countries UK and Ukraine
91. Written by us, Not about us: Reclaiming Art Histories & Developing Critical Discourse in Northern Ireland and Nigeria, £ 35,296.50. Collaborators Northern Irish Art Network at PS2 and African Artists' Foundation (AAF). Countries UK and Nigeria and France
92.BBC NOW / ONB Cultural and Artistic Exchange, £20,000. Collaborators BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales and Orchestre National de Bretagne. Countries Wales and France.
93.Stories Across Cultures, £75,000. Collaborators Scottish Documentary Institute and Docubox. Countries Scotland and Kenya.
94.Disabled Leadership and Dance Talent Development in Italy and the UK, £74,380 Collaborators Stopgap Dance Company and Incontri Internazionali Oriente Occidente. Countries England and Italy.
