UNCOVERING VIETNAMESE ARCHIVES ARTIST RESIDENCY: Library of Ancestral Knowledge
A new opportunity for two Vietnamese or ESEA diaspora artists based in London, with expertise engaging community groups through creative methods, and a passion for archiving as a community tool to preserve and nurture histories.
This is the second of three residencies at Museum of the Home, focused on exploring, gathering and creating an imagined Library of Ancestral Knowledge. The two artists selected will receive a fee of £830 each, plus some budget to deliver a full-day workshop for Vietnamese and ESEA diaspora participants, in a four-week residency from March to April 2025. Artists will receive an introduction day as part of the residency, as well as time for research and planning. (Residency Timeline details found in the application form)
This Library of Ancestral Knowledge is shaped with the External Steering Group, who are integral to the decision-making and development of the Uncovering Vietnamese Archives: Research Residency since 2022. The 2024-2025 group consists of Christine Hanway, Trà My Hickin, Cường Minh Bá Phạm, Jessica Sims and Loan Tran, working closely with ESEA Community Producer Lara Baclig.
Applications are open now until 12pm on Sunday 16 March 2025.
About the Residency
The purpose of this residency is to co-create a Library of Ancestral Knowledge with Vietnamese and ESEA participants. The artists selected will be responsible for empowering participants to collectively build a legacy/resource rooted in care, celebration and connection. By knowledge we mean the practices, rituals, tools and ideas that are integral to Vietnamese and ESEA diaspora ways of making home in the UK. This can be anything from family recipes, herbal remedies, dance, songs, sewing, repairing/DIY, gardening tips and more. The residency will serve as a catalyst for participants to self-archive, which will contribute to the wider history of Vietnamese and ESEA diaspora lived experiences in the UK.
The artists selected will use participatory and creative methods to uncover family and diaspora knowledge. They will inspire, encourage and equip participants with new skills. The artists will be able to draw from an established creative practice and experience facilitating workshops. To apply, artists will outline a workshop proposal that engages Vietnamese and ESEA participants to address and explore one of the following subjects:
I. Growing
How can we grow plants and herbs that are essential to Vietnamese recipes or herbal remedies in a British climate? This can be about sharing and preserving gardening or growing knowledge, swapping seeds, nurturing, eating, and enjoying outdoor space.
II. Healing
How can dancing, playing games, or music enable intergenerational connection? How can we build a more robust community? This can be about equipping participants with tools and practices for meditation, visualisation, massage, nourishment and/or grounding.
III. Creating
How can making or a sensory activity uncover diaspora stories, memories or sensations of home? A strong spirit for DIY/resourcefulness, recycling and making is found in Vietnamese homes--what traditions of making or creating do we hope to embed for future generations?
We welcome proposals from artist educators, play facilitators, counselors, gardeners, musicians, etc. Please do not propose exhibitions. Applications are open to non-ESEA artists but we expect proven social engagement practice, given artists will be working directly with Vietnamese and ESEA participants.
The artists selected will collaborate deeply with ESEA Community Producer & Co-Curator on the Terraced Home in 2024 (displaying objects and stories from Vietnamese donors) - Lara Baclig, who will help further develop, plan and deliver the workshops at Museum of the Home. The artists will work directly and intuitively with members of the Vietnamese community, and aspire for more intergenerational participation. As such, we expect artists who apply to have a practice rooted in care.
Key Information
- Artists will have access to research around the Terraced Home set in 2024, displaying objects and stories donated from members of the Vietnamese community
- Access to and support from the Archive Shaping Group, as the artists sees fit
- Access to Studio space, Library and Curatorial Staff at the Museum of the Home (within opening hours)
- Museum of the Home will support with marketing and access costs for the project delivery
- The Museum of the Home will facilitate and support with evaluation and community engagement designed with the artist
- A dedicated residency page on the Museum of the Home’s website