Connections Through Culture 2023

The Connections Through Culture grants programme is designed to nurture fresh cultural partnerships between East Asia and the UK. These grants are instrumental in supporting new ideas and collaborations from artists and cultural organisations at any stage of development.

The grants supported in this round of Connections Through Culture programme have focused on two distinct areas: diversity and inclusion and, addressing climate change. The collaborative efforts across borders and artistic disciplines will lead to new thoughts and ideas created to address global challenges.

The grants support new connections, exchanges and collaborations. These grants help build long-term relationships and collaborations between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and art and cultural organisations, hubs, networks, and collectives.

Connections Through Culture grantees 2023

Billie Jacobina

Fashion Designer, University for the Creative Arts Rochester

Billie Jacobina Cox is a print designer for both fashion and accessories. Billie’s current work, C-LYF, is inspired by international travel, contrasting influences of Moroccan patterns and architecture with a mystical underwater world. Recently, Billie was awarded the ‘Ones to Watch’ show at Fashion Scout London Fashion Week SS17.

Louise Clark

Head of Internal Political Team, Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Louise has worked for the Civil Service in London for the past five and a half years, spending one year in the Cabinet Office covering justice and home affairs issues, and the rest of her time in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. She is currently working as a political counsellor in the British Embassy in Jakarta on temporary basis, and will return to her role as Head of Domestic and International Gas Network Regulation in London in 2016.

Nava Neilulfar Alvi

Indonesia
Imperial College London
Nava Neilulfar Alvi aims to combat Indonesia's climate crisis. Her goal is to pursue net-zero policy goals and enhance public participation and performance management to protect her region from climate change impacts.

Robbie Thomson

Artist & Theatre-Maker, Cryptic Associate

Robbie Thomson is a Glasgow based artist and theatre maker who works with kinetic sculpture, music, lighting design and technology. He is a member of artists’ collective 85A, and was involved in setting up the Glue Factory, an independent arts venue in Glasgow. Since 2013 Robbie has been a Cryptic Associate.

Tanti Sofyan

Artist, Labtek Indie

Tanti is the only female maker in the exhibition. She is currently working in Labtek Indie, a research, design and development company for technology related products through human-centered design approach. She is currently interested in an environmental issue and how technology can help raise the awareness or improve the quality of life. Tanti made a mobile installation which turns cigarette buds into music for her master degree programme in Barcelona.

Desi Anwar

Senior Anchor and Director, CNN Indonesia

Ms. Desi Anwar is a renowned Indonesian national broadcaster in television journalism and news production.

She started her career as a reporter, anchor and producer with Indonesia’s first commercial TV channel. She pioneered the country’s leading prime time news programme, interviewing some of the world’s most inspiring and influential figures. Currently, she is a senior anchor/journalist in CNN Indonesia and is hosting a daily programme, ‘Insight with Desi Anwar’.

LEKAT

Fashion Designer, LEKAT

LEKAT likes to move across time - as an expression of the belief that design should look both pre-modern and post-modern, high-tech through surprises in shapes and colours of the future and patterns of the past. Amanda Indah Lestari has committed to what she confirmed. As the Creative Director of LEKAT, she landmarks every collection as an invention that triumph skills and stories.

Sari Eloise Yemima

Indonesia
Imperial College London
Eloise Yemima Sari is driven by a deep concern for climate change and aspires to apply her expertise in computer science and mathematics to mitigate its effects in Indonesia. She plans to leverage data science to address the complex challenges posed by the country’s vast area and population. After completing her studies, Eloise aims to become an environmental data scientist, contributing to the growing demand for such expertise.

Antonius Tanan

President, Universitas Ciputra Entrepreneurship Center

Mr. Antonius Tanan is a Senior Director of Ciputra Group and the President of UCEC (Universitas Ciputra Entrepreneurship Center). He is currently a doctoral student of Athabasca University of Canada, and a member of the board of trustees of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia. Since 2005, he has been intensively assisting DR. (HC). Ir. Ciputra to spread entrepreneurship in Indonesia and also in some other countries to empower the Indonesian migrant workers.

Charlene Ng

Malaysia
University of Warwick
Charlene Ng will be specialising in data science and artificial intelligence. Aspiring to be an academic researcher, she recognizes the importance of computer science for the future and aims to participate in policymaking to support STEM education in schools.