TWO Glasgow-based arts organisations have been selected to be part of the British Council’s UK/ Viet Nam Season; it was announced today in Hanoi. (Wednesday, 14 June 2023).
The season, which will run from June through to December 2023, will celebrate and showcase the best of educational and cultural exchange and collaboration between the UK and Vietnam.
Marking the British Council's 30-year anniversary in Viet Nam and 50 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Viet Nam, the UK/Viet Nam Season will explore the themes of Climate and the Environment and Shared Heritage, hosting a diverse programme featuring residencies, symposiums, films, music and visual art.
Selected from Scotland are Glasgow-based arthouse, Cryptic, and underground music purveyor’s AC Projects/Alternative Currents, with both exploring the sounds of Scotland and Vietnam through music.
Cryptic’s project, ‘The Field of Heritage’ will see them partner with Thanh Viet Production, one of Vietnam’s leading event management and music production companies. Together they will work on a multidisciplinary project that blends music and visual arts to take a deeper look at the migration of ethnic groups.
The project will look at everything from local literature and culture, to traditional song and language. It will then premiere at two major festivals, firstly at Monsoon Music Festival in Viet Nam in October 2023, before heading to Glasgow’s Sonica Festival in 2024.
Meanwhile, AC Projects/Alternative Currents, who run Counterflows, the Glasgow-based contemporary music festival, will work together with Multilingual cultural arts platform Lên Ngàn, on a powerful music piece – ‘Thanh Cảnh (Sound & Landscape)’ - exploring sound’s relationship to land, language and tradition.
This project will see Shetland musican Inge Thomson and Edinburgh performer Sholto Dobie join four Vietnamese musicians Tran Hoai Anh, Ly Mi Cuong, Long Ngoc Minh (Luong Minh) and Nguyen Bao Trung (Trung Bao) for a series of workshops, public events and symposiums in Hanoi and Ha Giang in Vietnam.
Speaking about the season, Norah Campbell, Head of Arts, British Council Scotland, said:
“I am delighted to announce the launch of the new UK/Viet Nam Season, featuring the participation of two Scottish arts organisations. These exciting collaborations will not only explore the rich sounds of Vietnam and Scotland through music but also deepen relations between both countries, celebrating the richness of our cultures and heritage.
“This year, we are also welcoming participants from Vietnam for the first time to our international delegate programme Momentum in August, and we look forward to the inspiring year ahead and the incredible projects that will unfold."
The UK/ Viet Nam season will run from June to December 2023. To find out more information about the UK/Viet Nam Season 2023 visit https://www.britishcouncil.vn/en/programmes/uk-vietnam-season-2023 or follow the hashtag #UKVNSeason on social media.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Rosalind Gould, British Council: +44 (7770 934953 E: rosalind.gould@britishcouncil.org
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