UK China Arts Meeting 2nd November: details and booking information

The first meeting bringing together those interested in understanding and developing UK China arts exchanges will take place at Peltz Gallery in Birkbeck College, University of London. It will start at 10.30AM with registration with the first presentations beginning at 11.00AM A light lunch will be included and it will conclude with a brief drinks reception finishing at 4.30PM.

Tickets are £14 and can be booked here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/8652268167

Presentations

Dr Martin Welton will reflect upon ArtsCross and in particular upon a series of three residencies that took place in London, Taipei and Beijing, bringing together dancers, choreographers and scholars. In this presentation he will discuss the implications of setting up a long-term project involving a range of different stake-holders including artists, academics, higher-education institutions, arts institutions and private and national funding organizations.  Dr Martin Welton is Senior Lecturer in Theatre and Performance Queen Mary University of London.

Gisele Edwards will talk about attending the finals of the China International Spring Festival Competition - an annual Eurovison-style contest ('Sinovision-') to present one of her original Asian Fusion songs. What followed was an extrordinary three week stay in Kunming, Yunnan that is captured in a documentary film, excerpts of which will be screened. She will go on to talk of subsequent musical projects involving Asian Fusion. Gisele is a professional aerial theatre artist, winner of The Jerwood Prize for Circus, a singer and songwriter. In 2006 she was awarded a contract from Carlin Music Publishing for an album of original Asian fusion songs. Her 8-piece band premiered in 2008 at the Chinese New Year celebrations at Trafalgar Square. In 2007 Gisele worked as Chinese music advisor to Akram Khan and Nitin Sawhney on their collaboration with the China State Ballet, www.giseleedwards.com

Richard Layzell will give an illustrated talk on how China has impacted on his practice. Richard Layzell is a London-based artist who works in installation, video and performance internationally. He pioneered a series of innovative artist residencies in industry, defining the role of the 'visionaire', and was based in one square mile of South Shanghai for the Square Mile project. 
His interactive installation Tap Ruffle and Shave, commissioned by Glasgow Museums was seen by 100,000 people across the UK.
His collaboration with Tania Koswycz has led to The Manifestation, a major work for galleries. He is the author of Enhanced Performance and Cream Pages and an artist/researcher with ResCen at Middlesex University. He is currently the lead artist for the innovative King’s Lynn ‘Aspire’ project.
He has been commissioned by Tate Britain, Ikon Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery and Firstsite. He is currently collaborating with choreographer Janice Parker on Glory, a major commission for the opening of the Commonwealth Games Arts Festival in Glasgow in 2014.
www.rescen.net/routeplanner

Sarah Fisher will talk about some of the residency programmes that Chinese Arts Centre Manchester has undertaken bringing Chinese artists to the UK and also partnering with Chinese residency centres where British artists have done residencies. Sarah Fisher is currently Director (Maternity Cover) of the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester and the Chair of FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool and Chair of Axisweb. She was formerly Head of Visual Arts for Arts Council England in the North West. 

Helen Couchman will be interviewed by Bill Aitchison about her 7-year stay in Beijing. Helen Couchman is a visual artist who has exhibited widely, both in the United Kingdom and internationally, often producing new bodies of work during residencies. Among these are periods at Cyprus College of Art (2003) and Vermont Studio Center, USA (2005). In 2006 Couchman accepted an invitation to work in China, a trip which culminated in a solo show, Gift, at the Dashanzi International Art Festival (DIAF) in Beijing (2006). Couchman’s solo exhibitions include Mrs West’s Hats, First Floor Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia (2004) Gift, Third Floor Contemporary, Beijing (2006) and There was no single reason for me to be there at first, a site specific piece for The Photographer’s Gallery, London (1999). Aside from solo shows the artist has contributed to a number of group exhibitions, including The Artful Scriptorium,Climate Gallery, New York, (2010), There and Everywhere, Transition Gallery, London (2009), China in Motion, Phase 2, London (2008), Solutions for a Modern City, Hong Kong (2008), Future Landscapes, Shewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, UK (2005), Uncommon Ground, Artsway, Hampshire (UK) (2004), Sodium Blindness, APT, London (2000), find(found), 4 New Burlington Street, London (1997), and Contemporary Chinoiserie, Collyer Bristow Gallery, London (2008). www.helencouchman.com