75 years of Independence: British Council announces project to boost Indo-UK art collaborations

With India set to complete 75 years of Independence in 2022, the British Council of the UK has issued an open call to artists in both the countries to co-develop cross-cultural creative collaborations and other new artistic works to mark the occasion next year.

The 'India-UK Together 2022' programme also takes forward British Council's commitment to strengthen Indo-British bilateral ties through greater artistic collaborations and cultural exchange, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

"India-UK Together 2022 is an open call, worth Rs 25 million (in total) that invites artists in both countries to jointly submit creative proposals. The call promotes mutual and equitable collaboration between  emerging and established  organisations, festivals and institutions in India and the UK," it said.

Ideas are invited to celebrate the India-UK relationship while inculcating the cross-cutting theme of the programe to influence perception change around global challenges, including equality, diversity, inclusion, and environmental consciousness, the statement said.

The programme marks India's 75th anniversary of Independence and promotes opportunities to "co-develop cross-cultural creative collaborations, skills and knowledge exchange and new artistic work," it added.

British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, said the aim of this programme is to boost India-UK creative collaborations.

The 'India-UK Together 2022' programme offers an opportunity to a wide array of artists and arts organisations to think creatively of newer ways of expression. The programme encourages inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary practices across all art forms - theatre and dance, visual arts, new media, music, film, architecture, design and fashion, and literature, the statement said.

The projects submitted could range across virtual art residencies, co-productions, tours, exhibitions, showcases, conferences, performances; augmented, virtual reality projects and installations; film, online archives, guides, learning kit or toolkit; digital broadcast and even cross-disciplinary creative collaborations, it said.

"Three winning projects will receive grants up to Rs 5 million each and the fourth project will receive a grant up to Rs 10 million. Projects will need to be delivered in India between January 2022 and March 2023 with public-facing activity (digital or hybrid) taking place between September 2022 and March 2023. The winning teams will have the opportunity of touring across India and the UK," the statement said.

“Our strong shared culture and arts binds India and the UK together from the past to present and is an important pillar of the bilateral future relationship. The intent of the 'India-UK Together 2022' programme is to mark India's 75th anniversary of independence, with some of the best creative minds across both nations to make connections and create together for the wider world,” Jonathan Kennedy, Director Arts India, British Council was quoted as saying in the statement.

The last date for submission of proposals is October 31, 2021, it said.

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