The Cipta Seni Incubator is a Connections Through Culture 2023-24 project, by Sharmilla Ganesan (Malaysia) and Tom Curteis (UK)

This initiative was developed to support Malaysian live performance artists by offering mentorship from Malaysia and the UK, networking opportunities, and a live event in Kuala Lumpur. The project responded to an important need within the Malaysian arts ecosystem, providing artists with regular access to sustained creative development resources, critique, and support as they develop their craft.

Explore the partners' reflections and insights from the project

"The idea for the Cipta Seni Incubator came about because we recognised how important it is for artsmakers to have a supportive space to workshop and develop their ideas before they are shown to the world - especially in an arts ecosystem like Malaysia’s, where there typically aren’t enough resources for a creative development process.  After discussing the differences and similarities between the UK and Malaysian arts sectors, we started thinking about processes and the ways in which artists make work. We arrived at a programme that would provide resources like regular mentorship and feedback, a network of like-minded creatives, and learning opportunities with arts experts from both Malaysia and the UK. We also incorporated the idea of a “scratch performance”, where artists share a work-in-progress with a live audience, and essentially scratch the surface of an idea.
What was most rewarding about seeing the incubator roll out, was being able to witness in real time how an idea can grow and develop when artists are given the necessary space and encouragement. Our four participants, Kevin Bathman, Afi Noor, Yee Heng Yeh, and Ashley Marilynne Wong, each came with different experiences and skillsets. They started the programme with an idea, and we could see how the various tools and resources we gave them were shaping and contributing to their performance.  Some of the benefits were clear - activity plans, deadlines, goal-setting, and hearing from experts in various aspects of artsmaking. Others were intangible, yet no less essential. For example, talking through ideas and potential directions, asking questions to a group of like-minded individuals, discussing fears or failures together."
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Dominique Teoh

"The final Celebration Event, where each of our participants presented their Work in progress to audience members (we were thrilled to have a full house!), went better than we could have imagined. After all, we had told our participants multiple times that this was a stage where they could fail. Yet, each of them delivered a work that was already well on its way to being a full performance. The event itself was a part of the process too, as both getting the works ready for the stage, as well as the audience feedback, added to further development of performances. 

As we look toward how we might continue with the Cipta Seni Incubator (funding being the biggest factor), we're also hoping our experiences and outcome with the programme can act as a blueprint for future cultural projects, shifting the focus from product and placing more value on process. We’d love to be able to run multiple iterations of the Cipta Seni Incubator for as many artists as possible, but we’d also love to see many more cultural organisations provide the room and resources for a meaningful creative and artistic development process."  

 

Stay connected with the Cipta Seni Incubator to follow the next steps of the project. 

About Connections Through Culture

The British Council's Connections Through Culture grants support new cultural collaborations between the UK and East Asia. This support assists artists and cultural organisations working across all art forms to create new connections and collaborative projects. Learn more about the Connections Through Culture programme. 

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