New Zealand arts practitioners head to the world's leading festival city

Creative New Zealand and British Council New Zealand are supporting 11 New Zealand arts practitioners to engage in two bespoke development programmes running alongside the Edinburgh Festivals this August.

The programmes aim to increase participants’ international experience and build relationships for future presentations and collaborations. Eight practitioners will participate in the festivals’ annual international delegate programme Momentum and three will take part in a new artist exchange, International Co-Lab. The latter is a pilot project that brings artists from New Zealand, Scotland and Hong Kong together in Edinburgh for two weeks.

Both initiatives are offered in partnership with the British Council in New Zealand and provide up to $3,200 towards travel costs, plus accommodation in Edinburgh and a contribution towards tickets to shows.

Momentum and International Co-Lab will run in conjunction with the NZ at Edinburgh 2017 season, which offers a bold and innovative selection of dance, theatre, music, comedy, literature and visual arts from Aotearoa, at the world-famous festivals.

Momentum
The New Zealand delegates participating in Momentum this year come from the performing arts, visual arts and literature sectors. They will focus on building relationships with Scottish, UK and international artists, presenters, producers, publishers, curators and cultural partners.

The delegates are:

• Angela Green - producer, A Slightly Isolated Dog Ltd
• Kitan Petkosvi - Bullet Heart Club (ALUMNI delegate)
• Nicky Vella - producer, Last Tapes Theatre Company
• Emere Wano - New Zealand Programme Director, WOMAD NZ
• Claire Cowan - musician, composer and collaborator
• Andrew Clifford - Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery (Auckland)
• Stephen Cleland - Adam Art Gallery (Wellington)
• Rachael King - WORD Christchurch.

As part of the programme delegates will be introduced to the directors of Edinburgh’s major festivals, including the world’s largest arts festival the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh Art Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The delegates will also meet with independent venues, producers, companies and organisations from Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Led by Creative New Zealand and the British Council, Momentum is offered with support from Festivals Edinburgh and Creative Scotland with additional support from City of Edinburgh Council, Event Scotland and the Scottish Government.

International Co-Lab
International Co-Lab will support artists to exchange artistic skills, techniques and cultural knowledge and develop their creative practice. It also supports the development of international networks to encourage collaborative projects.

For New Zealand artists this means the opportunity to develop or extend their knowledge of artistic and cultural practices in Scotland and Hong Kong. It also provides a foundation to develop long-term international markets and audiences in Scotland and/or Hong Kong.

The selected artists are:

• Julia Croft (performer and theatre-maker)
• Nisha Madhan (director, producer, and performance artist)
• Jason Wright (sound artist, composer, sound designer).

Julia Croft and Nisha Madhan also have a work in this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Power Ballard, which Croft created and performs in and Madhan directs.

Subject to funding from participating countries, the selected artists will participate in the pilot programme over three years with the aim of developing deep relationships and collaborative works.

The International Co-Lab is supported by the Momentum legacy fund from Scotland and in partnership with the British Council and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Hong Kong. The latter is also co-curator of the programme with The Basement Theatre (New Zealand) and Forest Fringe (United Kingdom).

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