Fresh Milk is delighted to be a part of the team of cultural entities headed by D6: Culture in Transit whose collaborative project “CONTESTED DESIRES” was awarded funding by Creative Europe. We are the only Caribbean cultural organisation on the team, and we very much look forward to working with our EU partners between now and 2021 as the project unfolds.
See the original press release on the D6 website here.
CONTESTED DESIRES
D6, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, has been awarded €199,937 to promote creative international connections and development opportunities between our region, the rest of Europe and beyond.
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. CONTESTED DESIRES will include partners in Italy (ECCOM), Spain (La Bonne), Cyprus (Xarkis), Portugal (Lac) and Barbados (Fresh Milk). Through contemporary visual arts it explores our colonial histories and the impact this has had on our understanding of European cultural heritage and identity. At a time of increasing right wing populism, CONTESTED DESIRES aims to challenge the de-stabilising and divisive impact of political discourse where the complexities, diversity and expansion of our communities continue to be met with the power play of fear-mongering, discrimination and exclusion.
CONTESTED DESIRES will work with artists and producers to engage with communities both in the North East and further a field to create spaces for intercultural dialogue. The programme will begin in September 2019 and over the next two years will offer unique opportunities for artists and communities, further enriching the cultural scene and supporting creatives to grow their experience and knowledge of the wider international arts sector. The programme will include artist residences, capacity building, exhibitions, public events and new digital work.
This is not the first time that D6 has attracted Creative Europe to the UK. From 2014-18 Corners connected communities in the North East of England to communities across Europe. Through a creative programme, Corners drew threads between neighbourhoods built for industries that were no longer there or that had significantly changed.
At a time of such uncertainty with our relationship with Europe, we are pleased to have been handed the baton by the European Commission to continue to grow this region’s international collaborations, and by our international partners who chose to invest in D6 and in the UK when the political landscape is so uncertain. We are delighted to once again be bringing this investment to our region and look forward to the journey ahead.
Clymene Christoforou, Director, D6: Culture in Transit
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