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Project Progression

Bridging The Gaps Restarted

June 2022

We are very happy to announce that after nearly two years pause caused by COVID pandemic travel restriction, Bridging the Gaps has restarted from April 2022 and it will complete by March 2024.

As the world of travel and physical collaboration closed its doors at the beginning of 2020, the project naturally evolved to become 100% online. Whilst the original plan was to link Shanghai rural and urban heritage sites through developing digital Chinese Xiqu performances, the adjusted two-year plan will utilise various digital and social platforms to link Shanghai rural-urban as well as UK-China through the creation of mixed reality performances. This innovative project explores the commonality of transitional process of the Creative Industries across UK and its effect on the UK and China communities to date.

During the two years waiting period, Dr. Ma has led the team to answer the AHRC call on The UK-China Creative Partnerships: Responding to the Longer-term Impacts of COVID-19 and was awarded the one year project Song of The Female Textile Workers, UK-China digital connectivity which was successfully completed in December 2021. The output of a filmed version mixed reality performance Song of the Female Textile Workers has gained recognition from the UK-China academic experts and wide audiences.

Dr. Ma and her team have since applied and successfully obtained further AHRC funding on Understanding the Future of UK China R+I in the Creative Industries, Song of the Female Textile Workers, past, present and the future (2022-2023). This is the fifth consecutive AHRC award Dr. Ma and her team has obtained. This project will see the development of participant-led mobile performance to be staged at Leeds Industrial Museum this October to collect in-depth response from UK community on the commonality of the concept and practice of UK-China creative industries.

Building on the collaborative partnership across UK and China and the content and digital knowledge the team has accumulated, and in particular the progression of Song, the future project, Bridging the Gaps will explore how to link China rural-urban heritage sites as well as UK-China communities through the making of participant-led digital performances.

Bridging the Gaps will run a series of workshops and one symposium between August and November this year. They will explore how the engagement with arts institutions, heritage sites and intangible cultural heritage such as Chinese Xiqu, provide opportunities to link Shanghai rural-urban as well as UK-China communities; meanwhile, how the creative and theatre making process will embed digital Small Medium Enterprise (SME) business within the public sector and assist the establishment of a ‘creative chain’ that will enhance the diversity and sustainability of UK-China creative economy.