British Council & Curated Place's Creative Producer TRAINING 2024
This year we are working once again with British Council to deliver Creative Producers, a professional development programme aimed at upskilling producers in Wider Europe. After an online programme start, the 2024 training will continue in-person in Tirana in March, lead by Curated Place Director Andy Brydon and International Policy & Partnership Associate Producer, Kate Wyatt.
36 Creative Producers have been selected to join the training, the majority of them being Ukrainian as we strive to support the preservation and development of cultural initiatives in the region. Explore our 2024 Creative Producers cohort and their practices below.
Iris Canaj
Albania
I would like to develop The Festival of Street Performers, on building capacities here in Albania and also to travel it in different cities, not only in the capital city; Tirana that we have produced it until now. We; me and DoART team, have made 5 editions so far, but we want to grow it up, since that our intention is to bring attention at the cultural heritage, colorful history and beautiful architecture, which is changing day by day.
We want to promote young artists and invite know artists, to create a bridge between them, by knowing each other, from multidisciplines of art, they can collaborate and communicate better with the audience. The most important thing is to know yourself and to invest on what You do, after the audience will follow You, no matter what! The Festival of Street Performers is not just a Festival, it is an experience for everyone...taking the risks of the weather, the audience which comes free of charge and sees everything while making ready and performing at the same time.
Lusine MLKE-Galstyan
Armenia
“We Are Our Songs" project, which is a comprehensive artistic initiative designed to preserve and celebrate Armenia's rich cultural heritage through storytelling, song collecting, arranging, producing, and live performances. The project's core objective is to bring ancient, almost forgotten Armenian songs from Artsakh(Nagorno-Karabakh) back to life, ensuring that the each story can find its own audience.
Song Collection and Archiving: The project begins with an extensive process of collecting songs from displaced people of Artsakh(Nagorno-Karabakh). These songs, often passed down through generations, hold unique stories that are on the verge of being lost forever.
Ferida Abdagić
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The cultural sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina faces many pressing issues that make its growth and global recognition more hard to achieve. Chief among these challenges is the lack of unified support and infrastructure, leaving artists and cultural practitioners to navigate a fragmented landscape. Additionally, the scarcity of English-language resources poses a significant barrier for international researchers seeking deeper insights into the country's culture. These obstacles collectively make the preservation, promotion, and sustainable development of Bosnia and Herzegovina's diverse cultural heritage and contemporary artistic output more difficult.
We want to create an innovative and immersive digital platform that preserves and showcases the cultural heritage of diverse communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and also a modern-day cultural production of the country. The project's primary goal is to make cultural heritage and contemporary production accessible, and interactive, but also educational for people all around the world while preserving and promoting the rich cultural traditions and histories of Bosnian cultural communities and all forms of art in one curated place.
Lulzim Hoti
Kosovo
Mitrovica, Kosovo, has long been marred by deep-rooted ethnic tensions and cultural divides. With a high youth unemployment rate and a status as one of the poorest cities in Kosovo, the need for innovative solutions to uplift the community and promote unity has never been more pressing. The 7Arte Academy, despite its lack of funding, has initiated a transformative project called the "7Arte Unity Initiative" to address these challenges.
The "7Arte Academy" is a multifaceted project aimed at utilizing creative education to bridge the ethnic, economic, and cultural divides in Mitrovica. It seeks to provide a holistic approach to education, focusing on arts, technology, and traditional subjects, with the ultimate goal of fostering digital educational programs to prepare youth for the labor market, equipping them with artistic and technological skills.
Ilija Tiricovski
North Macedonia
"Recreating the Icons: A Voyage Through Time and Thought"
In a world where technology continually pushes the boundaries of what's possible, and we are in global discussion about the open relationship between the humans and technology, about the moral limits of the creative power of AI, we have the opportunity to embark on immersive project that seamlessly blends the past with the present.
"Recreating the Icons" is a one-of-a-kind exhibition designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia while providing a fresh perspective on critical global challenges. The project hinges on advanced AI technology to reanimate the personas of historical figures and allow them to engage with visitors on relevant current affairs.
Eda Onsel
Türkiye
Turkish society has been in a flux of change in the past 20 years; each year “closing” more and more; and thought leaders, scientists, artists are looking for ways to flee the country. And those of us who are here, who would like to continue to live on this land, we do not have many outlets to be a strong influence in the socio political arena. But a co-created festival on a theme that affects the way we live in our society is a great, but still a relatively subtle way to invoke thought and potentially change perception.
Eduard Prystupa
Ukraine
My project - the mobile application Audio Fairy Tales in Ukrainian is aimed at the popularization of the Ukrainian language in Ukraine and in the world, as well as at the development of children for their education and upbringing. And also to enrich the vocabulary and learn about the cultures of different countries.
Mykola Homanyuk
Ukraine
I would like to hold on a cultural project that would make all refugees and IDPs feel their connection with their home city.
To do this, I want to rent a mailbox at the main post office in Kherson (#1) and conduct an information campaign with an announcement to send a postcards (either bought in a store or made by themself) to that address. After that, all sent postcards will be shown at the exhibition, and then transferred to the Kherson Museum of local history. At the exhibition, postcards will be arranged in the form of a world map. Based on the project, video production dedicated to the project will also be shot.
The project should show that the Kherson community continues to exist despite the war and migration. That Kherson residents do not lose touch with the city. The network of participants, which will be formed based on the project, will take part in the following projects.
Olena Savchuk
Ukraine
I would create a project that would allow me to popularize and promote operas by Ukrainian composers in the world.
Unfortunately, for decades and centuries, Ukrainian music, like Ukrainian literature, was banned. works by Ukrainian composers were destroyed and not performed. Since independence, not enough work has been done to at least study the archives and create a list of works that existed in this genre. Unfortunately, the scores of operas by Ukrainian composers are still in handwritten versions, which blocks their appearance on the stages of European theatres. In addition, even Ukrainians themselves do not know and do not realise the extent of the heritage in this category.
Yuliya Hudoshnyk
Ukraine
I want to create a version of STRUT processional dance show in Ukraine in summer/early autumn 2024. I believe, it is an important and interesting endeavour for many reasons. It is a chance to make a clear statement that life goes on in Ukraine, and each of the people who decided to stay in Ukraine (represented by dancers in this case) make their cities vibrant and alive by moving through the streets and dancing their dance/living their life. It is also a fantastic opportunity for dancers in the regions to get empowered and feel that their skills, their talent, their dance still matters, regardless of the war that made many of them unemployed and isolated. Finally, it is a way to get wider public interested in learning new dance styles and practicing movement that celebrates life and stands for life.
Mukhammed Kaipbergenov
Uzbekistan
Since the very beginning of my activity in the creative sphere, I have been dreaming about one important, in my opinion, project in my country. The fact is that my hometown of Nukus is world famous for its Igor Savitsky Museum of Art. This museum houses the world's second largest and most important collection of Russian avant-garde art and is known as the "Louvre in the desert". But my greatest pain is that with such a large-scale heritage, our young people are statistically the least likely to choose art as a career. My dream is to create such a club of Savitsky Museum ambassadors as an important project of the most important organization of the cultural heritage of our region and our country.
Rea Lemnusha
Albania
In recent years, Tirana, Albania, has witnessed a burgeoning artistic renaissance, with a vibrant community of talented artists and curators eager to showcase their creativity and unique perspectives. However, despite this surge of artistic talent, there is still a gap when it comes to providing emerging artists and curators with accessible platforms to exhibit their work. This case study highlights the importance of creating opportunities for young talent in the Albanian contemporary art scene and outlines a project aimed at filling this void.
The project empowers emerging artists and curators to share their creative voices with a wider audience. The collaborative efforts of Harabel Contemporary, in partnership with local talents, can help shape Tirana into a vibrant hub for contemporary art and ensure that the city's artistic potential is realized to the fullest. It is crucial that this project happens now to tap into the current momentum and further catalyze the growth of Albania's emerging artists and curators, making a lasting impact on the cultural landscape.
Konul Rafiyeva
Azerbaijan
MuseumTechX is an ambitious initiative aimed at revolutionizing the way people interact with museums, transforming them from passive spaces into dynamic, citizen-driven hubs of cultural exploration. This project, conducted in collaboration with leading British experts, leverages cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches to reimagine the role of museums in the 21st century.
By combining cutting-edge technology with citizen participation and British expertise, we aspire to create a new paradigm for cultural engagement, one that celebrates inclusivity, creativity, and community ownership. This project not only transforms museums but also enriches the cultural landscape of our city for generations to come.
Mariam Bitsadze
Georgia
As a woman producer and director with ten years of experience in the cinematic landscape of South Caucasus, my proposed project, "Unveiling HerStory," is a timely and impactful exploration into the challenges faced by emerging women film directors in the region. This case study delves into the project's details and highlights its significance in the current cultural and social context.
"Unveiling HerStory" is a podcast series that aims to uncover the hidden narratives of women in South Caucasus, specifically focusing on the experiences of emerging women film directors. The project is fuelled by my personal journey as a woman producer, navigating the complexities of the industry, including instances of harassment, and my commitment to shedding light on the unique hurdles faced by women filmmakers.
Amela Frljuckic
Montenegro
As someone who works in the main Institution for developing Musical Arts in Montenegro – Montenegrin Music Center, I would like to create and execute a project that would raise the production level of our Institution by improving the skills and practice of employees. This would make a positive impact not only on our Institution but on the Montenegrin music scene in general because we actively collaborate with cultural actors from all parts of the country by sharing knowledge and organizing concerts, performances, educative events, etc.
The Montenegrin Music Center was established in 2006. and under the „roof“ of our Institution operates the National Symphony Assemble (Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra) and the newly formed National Ballet Assemble.
This project would have a long-term positive influence because by educating our staff we would solve the problems that we have right now, and we would not depend on the outsources in the future. Also, we would share the acquired knowledge with other cultural actors in Montenegro so it would have a good dissemination level.
Aleksandar Trajkovski
North Macedonia
As a long term worker in the film archiving sector, my idea is exploring the possible correlations between old and new, classic and modern etc. Therefore I created the Festival for silent and classic film, which happens every year in September in Skopje. Even though I m satisfied how the festival is developing, I feel like I’m missing the contemporary part of the project, as gaining new, young audience for the old films is still going pretty slow.
Nenad Peric
Serbia
I want to create an Art Eco Pavilion that would travel throughout the region during spring, summer and early autumn. In each country the pavillion would stay exactly one month and in this period it would host an exhibition that has green-eco theme, different lectures and round tables regarding ecology and its connections with creative sector, arts and culture. I have established a network of local partners that would handle all activities, coordination would be of NGO ŠumArt from Belgrade, that I represent. Also, in Belgrade would be the yearly resuming exhibition of best works collected in the region and an Eco VideoAd festival that would present works of authors from the region and all interested parties.
Daria Zakharova
Ukraine
My main project is the art residency and open-air festival of recycled art, where kids and adults learn how to create art out of recycled materials and exhibit it outdoors.
Kateryna Moskvichova
Ukraine
I was invited to create a set of events during 2024-2025 for local communities (rural and urban areas) and for the people internally displaced to these communities in the Odesa Region, Ukraine.
Mostly these events will be funded by international NGOs. Currently I am looking for fresh and contemporary ideas, creative tools and boost of inspiration. Technically my former creative experience has not gone, but emotionally I need to recover to do what I am assigned to do: to bring a therapy of happiness and joy to the affected people whose recovery and social adaptation is very essential.
Oleksandra Khalepa
Ukraine
Initiated in 2022, "WHEN WAR WILL END?" is an ongoing art project addressing the Ukraine-Russia conflict. It has hosted 25+ events in three countries, showcasing video art from over 30 emerging artists aged 15-35, exploring the impact of war on Ukraine’s digital art community and wider society. The initiative seeks to create a hybrid space for artistic creativity amid conflict.
The project unfolds through a series of exhibitions, concerts, artist talks, and educational events both online and offline.
Yurii Vitiak
Ukraine
The Virtual Drama Plus workshop (this is the working version of the title) is a collaboration between the Yi Art Festival and the Koleso Theater aimed at developing the digital aspect in the cultural sphere, using progressive and experimental approaches.
The event lasts for 7 days (4 days of online sessions involving work on the script, mastering technical aspects, rehearsals; 3 days of live rehearsals, filming and partial post-production).
This project will allow a number of artists to move away from traditional theatre, which is the most common in our country, and look at art as a tool for understanding contemporary reality.
Nina Cherednikova
Uzbekistan
Decoloniality is often considered a collective process. But I suggest looking at it more deeply. Decoloniality happens within each of us. Imperial influence can be anything hindering one's natural development, including upbringing, school, neighbors, stereotypes, obligations, fashion, pop culture, social norms, laws, and the constitution of the country where one grows up.
I want to produce a project across three Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan).
The Self Decoloniality Workshop is a workshop where participants aim to decolonize themselves as individuals on three levels: creative-cultural, psychological, and physical.
Rina Plaku
Albania
Revitalizing Abandoned Spaces for Community Renewal
In envisioning a transformative project for the Program, I propose a comprehensive initiative focused on the revitalization of abandoned urban spaces to foster community renewal. This project is particularly crucial now as it addresses the pressing need for sustainable urban development and community-driven revitalization efforts.
The project aims to repurpose neglected urban spaces into vibrant community hubs, leveraging a combination of art, culture, and sustainable design. Abandoned warehouses, industrial sites, or neglected public areas will be transformed into multi-functional spaces that serve as art studios, galleries, co-working spaces, and communal gathering areas. The project emphasizes collaboration with local artists, architects, and community members to ensure that the revitalization efforts reflect the unique identity and history of each location.
Anes Husanovic
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tuzla Rock School is a model of a cultural and artistic hub - a multi-layered project for development of modern and contemporary ideas inside our society Tuzla Rock School is a sustainable Creative Hub model that nourishes practices of inclusion, cooperation, education, production and promotion thus becoming a valuable cultural and artistic point for the wider community.
The project idea would be an establishment of a contemporary Music Industry Hub.
Kamila Narysheva
Kazakhstan
During my previous employment I have developed an idea of a sound art laboratory that would comprise of two parts: educational and artistic. I believe that a project like that needs to have an international aspect to it. An idea that I wish to develop revolves round the effects of colonisation on climate change and how different communities are affected by coloniality driven climate changes. In my opinion, climate changes and sound are interconnected, both being invisible forces that affect people deeply.
I would like to create a year long programme that would work in connection to former UK colonies and Central Asia. The project would consist of educational part, where participants would be given background on coloniality and it'e effects on regional and global climatic changes. Then, the second part will continue participants' ideas in conjunction with acquired knowledge to create artistic and sound works revolving around climate and reflections on coloniality.
Ruslan Zhubanysh
Kazakhstan
If I have the opportunity and resources, I would create the project “Poetry will save this world.” This would be a collaborative video project that includes the work of poets from Kazakhstan and Great Britain, as well as artists from other countries.
I would like to work with such contemporary poets from the UK as Arimoku Obaibgena, Nasim Rebecca Asl, Momtaza Mehri, Mukahang Limbu, since we have already had negotiations on this matter and these authors are ready to cooperate. This will be a video project where poets will write poems about climate change and environmental disaster around the world. We believe this topic is very important today and it would be a great opportunity to contribute with artists from different countries. For our part, we will translate these poems into Kazakh.
Artrit Bytyçi
Kosovo
One of the projects I have been working on for a long time is a political satire artbook or zine that also features a multimedia element, and would have a launch event. One of the potential titles for the project is “LitRepublik”. So, as its main part, it involves the creative production of a printed artbook. One of the caveats of the project is that it should be low budget and high concept, especially now considering the steep increase in printing fees in Kosovo.
It is important for a project like this to happen right now in Kosovo for several reasons, the main being that political satire is important (read essential) for the free speech and democracy of a young country like Kosovo. Furthermore, one of the reasons why one would go on and print a physical book in this day and age instead of reading electronically is if that book is created to be an art object. We can also make an argument for electronic arts, and integrating high tech with low tech.
Novak Radulovic
Montenegro
The "Art Connects" project envisions the creation of a series of sustainable and multisensory art installations strategically placed in public spaces across Montenegro. These installations will be designed to engage and connect people of diverse backgrounds, fostering a sense of unity and celebrating the rich cultural tapestry of our country.
"Art Connects" is a testament to Montenegro's commitment to sustainability, diversity, and inclusivity. In a rapidly changing world, the project embodies our dedication to fostering connections, celebrating diversity, and leaving a positive mark on both our society and the environment.
Eda Emirdağ
Türkiye
I aim to enable artists from the earthquake region of Turkey, which affected 10 cities at the same time on February 2, to produce at the project-based and collaborative residency in Gönen and to hold an exhibition with the Municipality. Approximately 10 months have passed since the earthquake, and I received support for a project that will make a social contribution to the artists living there to remember their art productions.
Onur Kadıoğlu
Türkiye
I see my participation in the programme as an opportunity to refine the strategic vision for "Journey - The Musical." I am eager to learn how to navigate the challenges of international collaboration, improve project sustainability, and develop effective dissemination strategies to make a lasting impact on the cultural landscape.
"Journey - The Musical" is not merely a musical; it's an ever-evolving exploration of emotions, connections, and creativity. The project features two characters, A and B, deliberately left open to interpretation, ensuring inclusivity and breaking barriers of gender, age, race, and beliefs. What sets this musical apart is its revolutionary use of AI-generated art applications to dynamically shape the stage design for each show.
Nastia Khlestova
Ukraine
Weaving International is the networking project, connecting artist-run spaces in Ukraine and Great Britain to support the independent visual art scene. The project is the series of exchange exhibitions created by several pairs of artist-run spaces from Ukraine and the UK.
Culture needs support, especially in times of war. Having worked in Austria almost since the beginning of the full-scale war, I see how important it is for artists to be able to realize their projects and how important it is to use art to convey information about what is currently happening in Ukraine.
Olha Shyshlova
Ukraine
In 2016 I developed and started the project "Workshop of Possibilities". This is a project where people with mental disabilities who identify themselves as artists create art objects in collaboration with contemporary artists. In 2020, there was an exhibition of 22 participants of this project at the PinchukArtCentre.
The exhibition was accompanied by a public program dedicated to diversity in art. With the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (February 2022), the workshop participants met daily and the project transformed from a workshop to a mutual support group. Art became a tool for survival and provides a sense of unity for the participants.
The project is extremely important right now. It gives a voice to the most vulnerable group of artists and also allows people to see a different point of view on how to confront pain and fears.
