The British Council launches an online festival called ‘Culture Connects Us’ to celebrate the rich cultural friendship between the UK and Japan. The launch coincides with the signing the of the Japan-UK Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
· The festival opens with a performance of Bartok’s opera ‘Duke Bluebeard’s Castle’ by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by their internationally acclaimed Musical Director, Sir Simon Rattle.
· Launched on 23 October 2020, the #CultureConnectsUs online festival will continue until Spring 2021, sparking new creative connections between Japan and the UK and supporting the cultural sectors of both countries as they work towards recovery from the impact of Covid-19.
· Diverse and vibrant work by UK artists and cultural institutions will be presented digitally for Japanese audiences, and a series of online forums and events will give artists and arts professionals the chance to share experience and explore new collaboration.
The festival will showcase inspiring work from the UK art and cultural institutes, including streamed performances from the Royal Opera, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, online gallery tours of the National Gallery and Tate, and a dance performance by Akram Khan Company. The festival also facilitates dialogues to share experience and knowledge between cultural leaders in the UK and Japan, including collaboration by Graeae Theatre Company, producing works by deaf and disabled artists from Japan, the UK and Bangladesh.
Commenting on the festival Matthew Knowles, Director of the British Council in Japan, said; “The vibrant cultural links between the UK and Japan are invaluable in nurturing friendship and mutual understanding. The cultural exchange helps us to see the strength of our shared values but also the added value of our differences. When we appreciate each other’s culture, we deepen our mutual understanding and are more likely to do business together. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the creative arts have the power to bring us together and to support our recovery’.
Manami Yuasa, Head of Arts, British Council in Japan said: ’The festival will use digital media to offer audiences new ways of engaging with the arts while physical meetings are not possible, and to show how our cultures connects us. We seek to build partnerships between artists and cultural leaders through the sharing of experience and knowledge.
The #CultureConnectsUs online festival is a part of 'UK in JAPAN', an ambitious joint initiative by the British Council and the British Embassy to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the UK and Japan, featuring events and programmes in business, innovation, culture, arts and education. 'UK in JAPAN' was launched in September 2019 to coincide with the Rugby World Cup Japan 2019 and will continue through to 2021. Following a pause due to Covid-19, the programme resumed in September 2020 with an exciting range of activities, focusing on how the UK and Japan can support a sustainable global recovery.
For more details, please visit our website: www.britishcouncil.jp/en/uk-japan-2019-20/ccu-online-festival
To editors
Festival name: #CultureConnectsUs online festival Website: www.britishcouncil.jp/en/uk-japan-2019-20/ccu-online-festival