Virtual Crossovers (2021)

On 22 February 2021, ENCATC and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) launched Virtual Crossovers, an e-residency for emerging arts journalists from Asia and Europe. This e-residency was held online for a period of 4 weeks from 1 April - 1 May 2021. It was the opportunity for the two selected arts journalists to have capacity building, networking and peer collaboration, with a focus on cultural diplomacy and international cultural relations. 

Following an open call for applications from 22 February to 22 March 2021, Tola Say from Cambodia and Klaudia Chzhu from the Russian Federation were selected from the 30 applications received. Each selected journalist worked under the guidance of a mentor from the other region over the course of one month with the objective of writing a piece on the topic of cultural diplomacy between Asia and Europe. 

Tola Say is a passionate writer and researcher of arts. She worked for Khmer Times from 2017 to 2019 during which she wrote about the arts scene in Cambodia. She was also on the core organising team for the ‘Khmer Literature Festival’ and ‘Battambang Literature Festival’ for three years. Her keen interest in arts and culture research saw her playing a significant role in ‘Her Sounds’ project as a coordinator in 2019. That year, she also became a resident researcher with Heritage Hub Residency at the REPfest New Traditional Music Festival. In 2020, Tola worked as a research assistant on an international project called “Documenting the instrument and instrument-making of Angkuoch, Cambodian Mouth Harp” as part of the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme. All these projects gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Cambodia to witness diverse arts and cultural practices in various communities.

• Read the article by Tola Say which comes out of her experience as a mentee in the Virtual Crossovers exchange "Making Arts Accessible in Rural Areas of Cambodia"

Klaudia Chzhu is an emerging arts and cultural manager from Russia. She studied History at the Moscow State University, specializing in Modern and Contemporary History of Europe and America, majoring in Sino-American relations during WWII. She holds MA in Arts & Cultural Management from Universidad Internacional de Cataluña (UIC Barcelona). Together with her master’s colleague from Iran, Klaudia defended the masters’ final project on Saving Cultural Heritage in times of conflict. After completing her study, she founded Art & Culture Inside, an online platform covering Contemporary Art and Cultural Heritage. Throughout 2021, Klaudia has been selected as one of the European Heritage Youth Ambassadors representing Russia and its cultural heritage by reporting for European Heritage Tribune, networking with other Youth Ambassadors and taking part in ESACH and Europa Nostra activities.

• Read the article by Klaudia Chzhu which comes out of her experience as a mentee in the Virtual Crossovers exchange "Towards a Gender Equity in the Arts"

The selected journalist from Asia, Tola Say was mentored by ENCATC member Dr. Carla Figueira and Dr. Musa Igrek.

Dr. Carla Figueira is the Director of the MA in Cultural Policy, Relations and Diplomacy and of the MA in Tourism and Cultural Policy at the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom. She is an international relations graduate of the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal), she moved to London after a career in arts management. In the UK, she gained an MA in Arts Management (City University, UK, Chevening Scholar) and a PhD in Cultural Policy and Management (City University, UK, Praxis XXI Scholar). Her interests and expertise ranges from mapping of cultural and creative sectors and industries, language policies, the theory and practice of cultural diplomacy and international cultural relations in general, to place branding, national identity and cultural tourism. Carla is a member of ENCATC, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Full profile here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/icce/staff/figueira-carla/ 

Dr. Musa Igrek is a researcher and he worked as an arts and culture journalist more than a decade between Istanbul and London. He holds a PhD from the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths, University of London and a MA in Cultural Policy and Management from Sheffield Hallam University, UK. His research and teaching interests are cultural diplomacy, cultural relations, domestic and foreign cultural policy, international organisations, hegemony, public diplomacy, strategic communication and national identity/image. More info: https://twitter.com/musaigrek

The selected journalist from Europe, Klaudia Chzhu, was mentored by Professor Kiwon Hong, a researcher and professor at the Korea National University of Arts, School of Drama, who read Aesthetics and Public Administration in Seoul National University (B.A.), New York University (M.P.A.) and Yonsei University (Ph.D). 

Professor Kiwon Hong began her carrier as a cultural policy researcher in the public sector (Korea Culture and Tourism Research Institute) and moved to academia to bridge the world of theory and reality. Her commitment in cultural policy research gave fruit to hosting the 9th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research in Seoul 2016. She has served in various positions where she thought would make any difference or challenge status quo. Name and prestige being not always in proportion, the most she felt committed was being a member of Women Cultural Policy Forum in which she is still active. Serving as a board member of Seoul Foundation of Arts and Culture and Korea Arts Management Service brought depth in her perspective. Outside of her specialized field, her position as committee member in the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning and Ministry of Personnel Management has extended her perspective. Currently she is a professor in arts management and cultural policy at Korea National University of Arts, School of Drama.

• Open call for applications: 22 Feb to 22 March 2021
• Selection: 22 to 31 March 2021
• Announcement of selected participants: 31 March 2021
• Online residency : 1 April to 1 May 2021
• Presentation of outcomes and online activities: May 2021

Established in 1992, ENCATC, the European network on cultural management and policy is a network of more than 100 member institutions and professionals in over 40 countries active in education, training and research within the broad field of cultural management and policy. ENCATC members have an impact on the education of thousands of cultural managers worldwide. ENCATC mission is to stimulate the development of cultural management and cultural policy education by engaging and responding to new developments in politics, economics, societies and technology. 

ASEF promotes understanding, strengthens relationships and facilitates cooperation among the people, institutions and organisations of Asia and Europe.

culture360.ASEF.org is an online platform managed by ASEF since 2008. It counts over 300,000 unique visitors yearly and offers up-to-date information on arts, culture, and heritage from 51 countries in Asia and Europe. Publicly funded by the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), culture360.ASEF.org is for artists, cultural professionals, policy makers, and anyone interested in international cultural cooperation.