The Connections Through Culture (CTC) programme nurtures fresh cultural partnerships between the UK and select countries in Asia Pacific and Europe. These grants support new ideas and collaborations at any stage of development,  from artists and cultural organisations. 

The latest round of Connections Through Culture programme supports a diverse range of projects. From diversity and inclusion to climate change and beyond, these collaborations bring together partners across borders to generate fresh ideas and creative solutions to today’s shared challenges. 

CTC supports new connections, exchanges, and collaborations between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and art and cultural organisations. 

2025 Grant Recipients: Myanmar

A Fool's Journeys: Translation and Publication of Poems by Maung Day

Myanmar: Maung Day 
UK: James Byrne 
 
This translation project presents a 60-page collection of poems by Burmese poet Maung Day, to be published by Arc Publications in the UK. Prose poems, lyrics, peasant songs, and fables reflect his travels across Myanmar since 2021 and encounters with diasporas in Thailand and Singapore  

Between Analogue and Digital: Rescuing magnetic tapes to safeguard endangered audiovisual heritage and establish sustainable archival practices

Myanmar: Save Myanmar Film 

UK: Philippa Lovatt/University of St Andrews 

This collaborative project will restore and protect magnetic tapes, such as VHS, U-matic, and DV formats, widely used in Myanmar from the 1970s to the early 2000s. These tapes are now vulnerable carriers of cultural memory. The project will train local participants in magnetic tape digitisation methods and foster collaboration between UK and Myanmar heritage professionals through workshops and film screenings. 

Heritage, Craft & Climate: A Cultural Dialogue Between Bath and Yangon

Myanmar: Chaw Kalyar 

UK: Geoff Rich / Octopus Associates 

Architects from Myanmar and the UK will study how heritage architecture learnings from Bath and Yangon can inspire sustainable, climate-responsive cities. It compares building traditions, community engagement, and policy frameworks, discussing green mobility, public spaces, and cultural crafts. Findings will be shared through digital and in-person engagements.

 

Our Stories, Our Voices through Cinema

Myanmar: RAJ / OSOV Film Initiative 

UK: Carol Brown / GMAC Film  

This initiative supports underrepresented voices in Myanmar’s filmmaking community. In collaboration with UK partner GMAC Film, the project will host educational roundtables, produce a short film, and hold screenings in Myanmar and Scotland. These activities build a platform for emerging filmmakers to share their stories, gain knowledge, and connect across borders. 

 

Sense of Place: Synergy between Art and Architecture

Myanmar: Doh Eain 

UK: Beverley Salmon  

Preserving cultural heritage is crucial in today's globalised world. Heritage is not limited to monuments and artefacts; it includes the living traditions, architecture, art, and collective memory that shape a community’s identity. This masterclass will explore how cultural heritage can be woven into art and architecture to help preserve and reinvigorate a place’s unique character, supporting sustainable and meaningful communities. 

Sonica Glasgow: Residency and Festival

Myanmar: Ito (Myanmar Jazz Club) 
UK: Cathie Boyd and Sonica Glasgow 
 
This project will develop a new audiovisual work to premiere at Sonica Glasgow 2026.  It centres on Myanmar’s deadly 7.7 earthquake, blending contemporary composition, field recordings, and visuals of the aftermath of the quake, to reflect resilience, solidarity and survival. The project includes a Cove Park residency, supported by Cryptic, Scotland’s acclaimed hub for experimental music and audiovisual art.

Tenderly Queer: Connections of Queer artists in Northern Ireland and Myanmar

Myanmar: Rita Khin 
UK: Emma Campbell 
 
This cross-cultural collaboration between Khin (Myanmar) and Campbell (Northern Ireland) explores identity and resilience. Through participatory workshops, queer artists and photographers in both regions will create ideas for new projects. In-person workshops, in Belfast and Myanmar, plus a joint online session, will provide experimental spaces for dialogue and exchange.