The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) has selected 7 collaborative projects in the framework of its programmes Creative Encounters and ASEF Creative Networks, following an open call launched in June 2013.

CREATIVE ENCOUNTERS: CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN ASIA AND EUROPE

Artist residencies and creative industries will be the focus of the 3^rd edition of Creative Encounters: Cultural Partnerships between Asia and Europe, an initiative of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Arts Network Asia (ANA) and Trans Europe Halles (TEH). “Creative Encounters” has been supporting artistic collaborations between Asian and European cultural organisations since 2011.

Four collaborative projects have been selected for support in 2014 from a pool of over 150 proposals received in response to a competitive open call:

• EARS - Europe-Asia Roundtable Sessions is a dialogue platform for creative industry professionals and includes selected showcases and performances. It will be held in Helsinki, Finland in September 2014, alongside the Helsinki Design Week. EARS (Finland) and Modern Sky Entertainment (China) will collaborate on this project.


• Ties That Bind: Asia Europe Producers Workshop will gather film producers from both regions with potential feature films in development. The workshop, to be held in Udine, Italy in April 2014, is a collaboration among Fondo Audiovisivo Del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy), Far East Film Festival (Italy), Busan International Film Festival (Korea) and EAVE – European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (Luxembourg).


• Equilibrium will facilitate cross-disciplinary artist residencies in Partapur in Rajasthan, India exploring the social empowerment of women. The project, which will run from April to June 2014, is a collaboration among Sandarbh (India), Beneshawar Lok Vikas Sansthan (India) and Mainzer Kunstverein Walpodenstrat 21 e.V (Germany).


• Focus + Indonesia will organise a series of interdisciplinary mobile artist residencies in Indonesia, Germany and Poland, which respond to local community needs and mutual cultural education. The project will take place from February to May 2014 and is the result of a partnership among Jatiwangi Art Factory (Indonesia), Fundacja Upside Art (Poland) and the National Museum in Szczecin (Poland).

ASEF CREATIVE NETWORKS

Cultural networks are emerging as an increasingly significant channel of international collaboration in arts and culture. Recognising the potential of this growing phenomenon to nurture sustainable professional linkages between Asia and Europe, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) launched the ASEF Creative Networks initiative in 2013. This initiative encourages the establishment of new networks linking Asia and Europe as well as the development of sustainable projects by existing bi-regional networks. Selection is through a competitive open call for proposals.

Three projects (from a pool of 54 proposals) have been selected for support in 2014 through the first edition of ASEF Creative Networks:

• The Asia-Europe Network of Urban Heritage for Sustainable Creative Economies will be established as a cross-disciplinary network of experts on cultural heritage in Asia and Europe. This network will facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building with a focus on creative economies for the sustainable management of historic environments. Founding members include Europa Nostra, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), the International Institute for the Inclusive Museum, the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) and the Yangon Heritage Trust.


• Network as Learning Experience by the European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centers (ENCATC), the Asia Pacific Network for Education and Research (ANCER) and the Hong Kong Institute of Education will organise a series of events – in China, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Slovakia and the United Kingdom - aimed at capacity building for cultural managers and researchers.


• The Asia-Europe Creative Residency Network will be established as a sub-network of Res Artis, the largest existing network of artist residency programmes, to specifically promote more cultural exchange between Asia and Europe. The first meeting of the new network will take place in Melbourne, Australia. Project partners include the Res Artis Foundation, the Japan Foundation Information Center, Asialink (Australia) and the National Association for the Visual Arts (Australia).