The Rejoinders (Exchange Programme)

The Rejoinders was an artist practitioner network involving researchers in India and Wales, funded by the British Council and Arts Council Wales / Wales Arts International programme as part of the UK / India Year of Culture 2017-18. Realised in collaboration with g39, CONA Foundation, What About Art? and University of Worcester. The project received a total production budget of £28,500, with additional in-kind support.

The Rejoinders had the following research aims:
· The production of a new curatorial framework (both a conceptual model and practical tool) that could bring creative practitioners from Wales and India together.
· Digital innovation through the production of a web-platform as a working resource, and a tool for articulation in the very realisation of its form.
· The development of a practice-based approach to building a new language of collaboration across regions and disciplines.

The Rejoinders network explored spaces or creativity by focusing on a variety of practices, including fine art, graphic design, web design, sound recording, and geography.

As a key research outcome, The Rejoinders network developed a collaborative curatorial model which can be adopted by the wider arts sector.

The project operated between May 2017 – August 2018, included a programme of studio visits; a purpose-built tool for collaboration (www.therejoinders.org); four artist residencies; culminating in a public exhibition (11/05/18 – 02/06/18) and the production of twelve original artworks.

Artists and researchers involved in the network included: Salik Ansari, Neha Chaturvedi, Dhruv Jani, Lauren Heckler, Rujuta Rao, AJ Stockwell, Neasa Terry, Fern Thomas, KATCONA DESIGN CELL; Paul Goodfield (Web Designer); Per Törnberg (Graphic Designer); Dr Jonathan Prior (Lecturer in Human Geography, Cardiff University, and Sound Artist); and Amanda Colbourne (Evaluation Consultant).