Newcastle University
A new kind of artist residency:
international artists respond virtually to three heritage sites and one historic
archive
Newcastle University is leading on a new
networking project with national and international heritage organisations the
National Trust, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and the Artist
Studio and Museum network to research and understand the international breadth
of curatorial activity with regard to commissioning contemporary art for
heritage sites and archives.
As part of the NU research, four
artists have been commissioned to respond to the rich history of specific
locations in England and an archival ‘memory bank’ that can viewed online on the
Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation (AHRDO) website.
The virtual residencies are part of an
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded networking grant and led by
two Senior Research Associates within Newcastle University, Rebecca Farley and
Judith King. Both have extensive experience of working with heritage
organisations and contemporary artists within England and the AHRC award has
enabled their knowledge to expand through their work with the international
partners and artists.
Dr Rebecca Farley, Principal
Investigator said:
‘Contemporary artists can bring fresh
eyes to the presentation of all our histories; they will often identify areas
that are overlooked or deliberately ignored or they develop new ways to present
existing collections and archives. We wanted to test out how they might respond
to sites that they cannot physically visit, relying on curatorial teams that
will offer them knowledge, expertise and guidance at a distance”
Participating heritage sites were
selected through nomination and call-out, each one understanding that their particular
context will be responded to by artists living internationally. Their commitment to guiding that artist by
describing their site and collection was paramount.
Freddie Matthews, cultural heritage
curator said:
“We are delighted to collaborate
with Nidhi on this exciting project at Bateman’s. Not only does it reflect
Kipling’s enduring connection with India, but it also leverages technology in a
manner that we believe he, as an early adopter of new technologies, would have
wholeheartedly approved of. As he once wrote to his friend Rider Haggard
in a letter relating to wireless technology - 'We are only telephone wires.'
This project embodies this sentiment perfectly.”
The 4 sites participating in this AHRC
project titled Networking international and
transnational approaches to contemporary art in heritage practice
Bateman’s, Bateman’s,
nestled in the heart of the Sussex Weald, was the home of the renowned writer
Rudyard Kipling. He wrote many stories and poems, often transporting readers to
India, his birthplace and home for many years. One of his most cherished works,
The Jungle Book, is a testament to the impact India had on his life and
creativity.
In 1902, Kipling bought
Bateman’s, a 17th-century house surrounded by beautiful countryside. With its
mullioned windows and oak beams, the house provided a much-needed sanctuary for
the world-famous writer and inspired his work. Today, Bateman’s is looked after
by the National Trust.
575 Wandsworth
Road is also in
the care of the National Trust and is located on the busy Wandsworth Road
in South London. The hand carved fretwork of this modest early nineteenth
century house is inspiring. It is the former home of Kenyan born poet,
philosopher and British Civil servant Khadambi Asalache (1935-2006) and over a
period of 20 years he transformed his home into a work of art.
Van Gogh House,
Van
Gogh House is a non profit contemporary arts organisation based in a South
London boarding house where a young Van Gogh lived from 1873-74. More than a
time capsule of Van Gogh’s year in Brixton, the house was established in 2019
as a site of creative production and hosts a programme of exhibitions,
residencies, and events that supports contemporary artists to make a living in
their lifetime.
Afghanistan Human Rights
Democracy Organisation (AHRDO) is a member of the International
Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) and established in 2002. It is an
online platform and virtual museum that presents a tribute to Afghanistan war
victims and survivors, presenting the AHRDO Memory Home as a place to
acknowledge an individual’s life, death and the wartime atrocities of daily
life that the Afghanistan people endure. It is also a place to share stories,
experiences and expectations.
The artists that have been selected to respond to these extraordinary places, both physical and virtual will begin their residencies in June 2024, researching their individual sites and getting to know curatorial teams. Their experiences will be shared online as they discover and identify their area of particular interest.
The 4 selected artists are:
Nidhi Khurana based in India for Kipling House, Bateman’s National Trust
. Nidhi is an Indian artist
and educator based in New Delhi. Her studio work takes the form of drawings,
textiles, carpets, prints, artist-books, and sculptures to reflect upon the role of the human
within nature. In her recent works she explores her relationship with the
natural world by mapping her experiences as cyclical graphs of time, inspired
by a diversity in cognitive
approaches such as the Australian aboriginal dreamtime, the Mappaemundi, the yatra (pilgrimage) maps, representations from Islamic cosmological
diagrams and illuminated manuscripts. Nidhi uses natural dyes, 24 carat gold
and silver, handmade paper and silk to document her experience of the world. Instagram @nidhik2
Yingmei Duan based in Germany for
Van Gogh House, London. Yingmei is a curious observer who asks questions of
all facets of life in order to continuously learn and develop. For the past 24
years she has concentrated her energy and creativity on making performance art
and researching the medium. www.yingmei-art.com
Liliya Lifanova based in the USA for 575 Wandsworth Road, London
National Trust Liliya
Lifanova’s interdisciplinary practice is anchored by the idea of the fragment,
a metaphor for her identity and a symptom of a broader cultural condition.
Working on the fringes of mediums she produces paintings, sculptures,
performative objects, and garments that are folded together in immersive
mixed-media installations and performances that instigate at once the sense of
familiar comfort and disorientation, uncertainty. She strives toward such
results with the way that she fabricates and stages her pieces, positioning the
viewers amidst a tactile mise-en-scène where canonical literary references are
quoted, mistranslated, mispronounced, or misinterpreted supplying a frame for
the formal rituals and choreography invented around the activation of her
various objects. www.liliyalifanova.com
Mohammad Sabir currently living in London for AHRDO. Sabir was born in 1991 in Kabul, Afghanistan.
In 1996, his family migrated to Pakistan, and during that period, he developed
an interest in art and learned painting in amateur courses. He returned to
Afghanistan in 2001 and continued to study painting in Kabul. In 2021 he was
awarded a BA in Graphic Design from Kabul University and became an assistant
Lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University. In 2023, Sabir
did his Master's degree in MFA Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London. He
is currently based in London. Instagram
@moh.sabir_sabir
NOTES TO
EDITORS
Networking
international and transnational approaches to contemporary art in heritage
practice is funded through the Arts and Humanities
Research Council networking funding and led by Newcastle University. Led by Dr
Rebecca Farley and Judith King the networking project works with partners
National Trust, International Coalition Sites Conscience and Afghanistan Human
Rights Democracy Organisation. research.ncl.ac.uk/transnationalartinheritagenetwork/
The National Trust is a charity and membership
organisation for heritage
conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is the separate and independent National
Trust for Scotland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir
Robert Hunter and Hardwicke
Rawnsley to "promote the permanent preservation
for the benefit of the Nation of lands and tenements (including buildings) of
beauty or historic interest". It was given statutory powers, starting with
the National Trust Act 1907. Historically, the Trust acquired land by gift and
sometimes by public subscription and appeal, but after World War II the loss of country
houses resulted in many such properties being
acquired either by gift from the former owners or through the National
Land Fund. Country houses and estates still make up a
significant part of its holdings, but it is also known for its protection of
wild landscapes such as in the Lake District and Peak District. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/batemans
Van Gogh House is a
non profit contemporary arts organisation based in a South London boarding
house where a young Van Gogh lived from 1873-74. More than a time capsule of
Van Gogh’s year in Brixton. The house was established in 2019 as a site of
creative production and hosts a programme of exhibitions, residencies and
events that supports contemporary artists to make a living in their lifetime. www.vangoghhouse.co.uk
Afghanistan Human Rights Democracy Organisation AHRDO AHRDO
was established in 2002 in Afghanistan and has been working in the areas of education,
peace and development through local peacebuilding and grassroots educational
activities.www.afghanistanmemoryhome.org
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