British Council Residency, China, 2017
I was invited by the British Council to initiate, lead and develop a residency programme based on my research on socially engaged practice and collaboration in connection to the exhibition, Real Life Is Dead/Long Live Real Life in Shanghai hosted by the Himalayas Museum. I initiated and led a project with a diverse group of Shanghainese members of the public recruited from an open call by the Museum constructing a theatrical musical performance developed over a 3-week period and staged during the opening of the exhibition. This involved the discussion and collaborative with the group alongside rehearsal and I was also in dialogue with GSA students resident in China during this time from the School of Fine Art and Design (during the late summer) and invited the students to participate in the workshops in the Himalayas Museum alongside the other 'group members' promoting a dynamic GSA/Shanghai dialogue.
This project has been 4 years in the making, produced by Cooper Gallery at DJCAD, University of Dundee, funded by the Scottish Government, involving an earlier site visit to Shanghai and various other group exhibitions, research lectures, symposia and research over this period. This involved initiating social engagement and participation with the Chinese public in a context where this remains an unusual and novel strategy. Some works for the show were rejected by the state censor.