The artists participating in the 2x2 Residency pilot include Huang Te from Hangzhou and Zhai Jin from Guangzhou, as well as Clare Adam and Lesley Howard from Scotland. All four artists have extensive practical experience in their respective fields and a strong desire for international collaboration.
The residency programme will bring the artists for residencies in Scotland and Hangzhou. Artists from both countries will bring their own cultural perspectives to their host communities, engaging with local artists and community through public events, open studios, and other activities. Through their artistic practices, they will foster deeper cultural exchange between the two countries. Over the eight-month period, the project will also build in online exchanges as a "virtual residency", allowing continuous sharing and dialogue that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries. This process will challenge and expand the artists’ understanding of creative collaboration.
The Artists
Clare Adam (she/they)
Clare is a Deaf Dancer who has performed with Haley Earlam ‘BRRR’ and ‘Love Songs’ by Company Philip Connaughton. Clare is interested in sensory performance, and playful experimental ways of working, finding the potential in unique spaces. She has also worked closely with Clifftop Projects as an Arts facilitator and is part of EIF Access Committee. She also attends regular workshops around access and inclusion learning from artist such as Marc Brew.
Lesley Howard (they/them)
Lesley is an Autistic Dancer & Facilitator. Lesley is a company dancer with Second Hand Dance, ‘We Touch We Play We Dance’, ‘The Sticky Dance’, a performer in ‘Strings’ by Barrowload Ballet. They’re interested in durational experimental sensory work. Lesley has international experience of delivering access workshops (Korea & Düsseldorf). They also worked as a Youth Arts Coordinator at Clifftop projects where they managed their youth arts programmes connecting with over 150 young people each week, managing budgets, freelancers and materials. Lesley is also a board member for Imaginate & BOP.
https://www.clareandlesley.com/
‘We’re excited to deepen our collaborative practice as a pair and with International Disabled Artists. Explore new ways of prioritising non-verbal communication as a tool to create authentic connection and generate movement. We are most excited for time to PLAY and space to CREATE.’
- Clare and Lesley
HUANG Te
Te is an improvisational dancer and a physical theatre creator with cerebral palsy disability. He is dedicated to expressing his vitality through original physical theatre, allowing audiences to witness the authentic lives of people with disabilities. As an independent creator, Te has produced two theatre works ‘Island of Symbiosis’ and ‘The Silent Power Erupts Now’, which have been featured in festivals like the Ideal Archipelago Art Festival. In his creative process, he draws from unique physicality and lived experience, using distinctive bodily storytelling and intense dramatic tension to break down the invisible walls between disabled and non-disabled communities—transforming limited mobility into boundless artistic possibility.
‘I have always yearned to express infinite possibilities through my limited body, and I deeply believe in the power of one life inspiring another. I hope to bring unique perspectives and boundless vitality to this residency, and I anticipate collaborating with UK artists to explore, within the context of disability, the intricate interplay of body, culture, and barriers.’ - Huang Te
ZHAI Jin
Zhai Jin (Gene) is a wheelchair user with a physical disability, born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare bone disorder. He was introduced to contact improvisation and collaborative dance when attending a Symbiotic Dance workshop and gradually step into the inclusive arts. Gene is now a core member of the Mistakable Dance Troupe, a pioneering inclusive contemporary dance group in China. The group includes visually impaired, physically disabled, intellectually disabled, and non-disabled members, all collaborating to create performance art, and Gene personally contributed as both a choreographer and solo dancer. Gene is also a professional illustrator and comic artist, and over time, he has also channelled the aesthetic sensibility into his dance and theatre work.
‘I’ll contribute my unique perspectives from lived experiences, social observations and cultural roots to this residency. I Look forward to collaborating with fellow artists, and hope that with our shared experience in Glasgow and Hangzhou, we will develop creative ideas and beyond— knowledge, friendship, and confidence.’ - Gene
Quote by Hosting organisation
BY ART MATTERS
‘To see the invisible power, not only the visible. We hope this residency fosters genuine exchange across communities — sparking new possibilities in the art world while creating meaningful connections with local audiences, including the disability community.’
Magnetic North
‘Magnetic North is delighted to partner on the 2x2 Residency with our friends and colleague at The Work Room and Unlimited. As an organisation dedicated to cross-artform artist development – we know something special happens when artists from different artforms, backgrounds and cultures have the opportunity to meet, collaborate and exchange.’