1-20 September 2021
Context
While travel to and from China is still limited, the British Council China Arts Team is working to create ongoing engagement opportunities to share British arts culture and educational opportunities with audiences in China.
The pandemic has created many challenges for the UK arts and cultural sector, but it has also led to the growth of innovation, artists, producer’s museums, designers and other creative professionals have evolved their practice and quickly developed new ways of collaborating, experimenting and sharing their work.
The British Council in China wishes to share latest developments and cultural experiences from the UK with audiences in China through a festival that will take place online and offline. The festival titled #ReConnect will build on everything the team has learnt from the delivery of the 3 week festival that took place in October 2020, which reached over 11.9 million people in China.
China has a unique digital ecology, many UK arts and cultural organisations do not have social media platforms or channels that are accessible in China, the 2021 edition of the festival will create an opportunity for UK partners to share their work with audiences in China using accessible channels in China.
With both online and offline events taking place across China, we hope this year’s edition of the festival will attract an even larger audience and help to reconnect people in China with the breadth and diversity of UK arts culture and educational opportunities.
Festival Concept
We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we've lost our connection to ourselves.
- Andy Goldsworthy, British Sculptor, Photographer and Environmentalist
The 2021 UK China Contemporary Culture festival will feature work by leading British art and cultural organisations and artists, the festival will offer audiences the opportunity to #Reconnect with British art and culture from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
Online and face to face events will seek to use the transformative power of the arts to inspire audiences to consider our shared global challenges such as humanity’s relationship with the natural environment.
The 2021 Festival has 3 themes they are:
#ReConnect with;
| Nature | Community | Self |
|
Events in this theme will explore:
|
Events in this theme will explore:
|
Activities in this theme will explore:
|
|
‘#ReConnect with Nature' will explore the deep relationship between humans and nature. Artists using new environmentally friendly materials will be featured along with new digital work, literature design, fashion and film that explores this theme. |
‘#ReConnect with Community’ will feature tours of architecture in China, talks from leading British architects and urban experts alongside knowledge sharing events from Dance and theatre producers exploring the concept of community in the East and in the West |
‘#ReConnect with Self’ will focus on activities that explore better mental health and wellbeing for all, from films, music, poetry and dance related activities, this theme will explore wellbeing, inclusion and the role of art in ageing societies. |
Programme Structure of the Festival
#Reconnect will feature: Panel discussions, special tours of British art exhibitions in China, opportunities for dialogue with leading and emerging British Artists, Producers, Writers, Musicians, Designers, Filmmakers and so much more.
Programme Content Selection
- Through an Open Call for Proposals, organisations and individuals will be selected to share their content with us
- Applicants will be expected to submit basic information and project proposals through this online form.
- The Festival Advisory Curatorial Team will review the longlist of the proposed cultural content after the open call deadline.
- We will select up to 12 successful proposals to feature in the festival.
- Open call will run from 30 June to 20 July 2021
What is the Festival Advisory Curatorial Team?
The Festival Advisory Curatorial Team (FACT) is a group of leading arts professionals from the UK and China who have expertise in a range of art forms especially in inclusive art and sustainability in line with our 2021 festival themes and they have a demonstrable connection to UK arts and culture. The FACT will support China Arts Team to curate the programme and review the proposed online arts and cultural content received through the open call and the team will make the final selection for what will be featured in the festival.
