contested desires
A transnational cooperation project exploring our shared and contested Colonial heritage and its influence on contemporary culture.
From the Greeks, to the Romans, from the Ottomans to the seafaring nations of Western Europe we Europeans have exploited, imposed and foraged cultures and communities to build our Empires. This legacy is a blueprint which unfolds into a complex picture so often untold, unknown and contested.
At a time of increasing right wing populism, CONTESTED DESIRES aims to challenge the de-stabilising and divisive impact of political discourse where the diversity and expansion of our communities continues to be met with the power play of fear-mongering, discrimination and exclusion. The programme is a platform for artists, cultural professionals and communities to explore the complex and deep-rooted reverberations of colonisation, occupation and annexation that continue to shape our countries and identities today.
CONTESTED DESIRES is a capacity building programme for artists and producers engaging with communities and heritage spaces. With a focus on transnational exchange and learning, the programme offers unique opportunities for artists and communities to explore our shared heritage through research, workshops, residencies and exhibitions.
D6 is one of only a handful of UK organisations leading these international cultural projects, and the only one to be selected in the North East of England in this round. The CONTESTED DESIRES partnership includes: ECCOM, research and heritage training specialists based in Italy; La Bonne, a feminist arts organisation based in Spain; Xarkis, bridging traditional and contemporary practice through a nomadic contemporary festival across rural villages in Cyprus; LAC, a cross-artform residency and gallery space based in a former prison in Lagos, Portugal and Fresh Milk, an arts organisation in Barbados supporting artists and writers from across the Caribbean.
We have selected north-based artists Nicola Singh and Akeelah Bertram as the 2 UK artists who will participate in the project within a cohort of nine exceptional artists across the project. In the UK we will work with our partners the National Trust and organisations in Newcastle and Northumberland to deliver the project.
With a focus on transnational exchange and learning, the programme will offer unique opportunities for artists and communities to explore our shared heritage through research, workshops, residencies and exhibitions - digging deep to explore, reveal and question the links between our colonising ancestors and our culture now.
At a time of such uncertainty we are pleased to have been handed the baton by the European Commission to continue to grow our international collaborations, and we look forward to the journey ahead. Please join us where you can....
-Clymene Christoforou, Director, D6: Culture in Transit
From the Greeks, to the Romans, from the Ottomans to the seafaring nations of Western Europe we Europeans have exploited, imposed and foraged cultures and communities to build our Empires. This legacy is a blueprint which unfolds into a complex picture so often untold, unknown and contested.
At a time of increasing right wing populism, CONTESTED DESIRES aims to challenge the de-stabilising and divisive impact of political discourse where the diversity and expansion of our communities continues to be met with the power play of fear-mongering, discrimination and exclusion. The programme is a platform for artists, cultural professionals and communities to explore the complex and deep-rooted reverberations of colonisation, occupation and annexation that continue to shape our countries and identities today.
CONTESTED DESIRES is a capacity building programme for artists and producers engaging with communities and heritage spaces. With a focus on transnational exchange and learning, the programme offers unique opportunities for artists and communities to explore our shared heritage through research, workshops, residencies and exhibitions.
D6 is one of only a handful of UK organisations leading these international cultural projects, and the only one to be selected in the North East of England in this round. The CONTESTED DESIRES partnership includes: ECCOM, research and heritage training specialists based in Italy; La Bonne, a feminist arts organisation based in Spain; Xarkis, bridging traditional and contemporary practice through a nomadic contemporary festival across rural villages in Cyprus; LAC, a cross-artform residency and gallery space based in a former prison in Lagos, Portugal and Fresh Milk, an arts organisation in Barbados supporting artists and writers from across the Caribbean.
We have selected north-based artists Nicola Singh and Akeelah Bertram as the 2 UK artists who will participate in the project within a cohort of nine exceptional artists across the project. In the UK we will work with our partners the National Trust and organisations in Newcastle and Northumberland to deliver the project.
With a focus on transnational exchange and learning, the programme will offer unique opportunities for artists and communities to explore our shared heritage through research, workshops, residencies and exhibitions - digging deep to explore, reveal and question the links between our colonising ancestors and our culture now.
At a time of such uncertainty we are pleased to have been handed the baton by the European Commission to continue to grow our international collaborations, and we look forward to the journey ahead. Please join us where you can....
-Clymene Christoforou, Director, D6: Culture in Transit
