Shared Paths: Kakilang X Chinatown Collective CO-COMMISSION AWARD

Open Call - Application Deadline: 29th October 2025

We invite East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) creatives to conceptualize and develop an inspiring and original artistic walking tour for London Chinatown. This commission offers the flexibility to develop a brand-new idea or to further an existing concept.

This collaboration between Kakilang and Chinatown Collective will be a key component of Kakilang’s 2026 season. It will delve into Chinatown’s diverse histories and communities, rich cultural imagination through innovative perspectives. We are particularly interested in proposals that:

● Reflect a broad range of experiences in critical and nuanced ways.

● Address the structural and intersectional inequalities and challenge the existing stereotypes associated with Chinatown.

● Move beyond tokenistic or oversimplified “celebratory” depictions of diversity.

● Invite audiences to engage with the area in novel and unexpected ways.

While this is a co-commission between Kakilang and Chinatown Collective, the successful recipient will be expected to lead the project.

Find out more at www.kakilang.org.uk/chinatowncollective

A tour guide wearing a red beret, scarf, and orange jacket speaks to a small group in a Chinatown street decorated with rows of red lanterns. A traditional red British phone booth is visible in the foreground.

Announcing the 2024 Open Call Commission Recipients

Last June, we were thrilled to receive over 100 applications for our open call commissions. The creativity and ambition on display were truly inspiring, and we’re grateful to everyone who shared their work with us.

After careful review, we are delighted to announce the commission recipients:

  • Project: Prayers for a Hungry Ghost

    About the artists: KISS WITNESS is an independent theatre collective creating immersive headphone-theatre experiences; their debut won the Charlie Hartill Award and they’ve had sold-out runs at VOILA! Festival and beyond.

    Website: www.kisswitness.art

    Instagram: @elisabettygun / @kisswitness

  • Project: 2025PCM

    About the artists: Xin and JJ are a London-based duo blending emerging technologies with spatial design; their experimental film and immersive work has toured major international venues, and they co-founded Many Projects Studio in 2024 .

    Website: https://www.manyprojects.co/

    Instagram: @x.nw.n / @jj.agca /@manyprojects.co

In addition, we’re excited to support two promising proposals through our seed fund:

  • Project: Ancestral Futures 源流之後


    About the artist: Eelyn Lee is an award-winning Hong Kong–English artist and filmmaker whose immersive works explore identity and grief through ritual, costume, and sound.

    Image credit: Ancestral Futures 源流之後 by Eelyn Lee

    Photo by Anh Do © Eelyn Lee 2024

    Website: https://www.eelynlee.com/

    Instagram: @eelyn.lee.film

  • Project: Untitled Japanese Internment Play


    About the artist: ShayShay (they/them) is a non-binary playwright and screenwriter using transatlantic comedy to examine race and queerness; co-founder of Pan-Asian cabaret collective The Bitten Peach.

    Website: https://www.shayshay.show/

    Instagram: @shayshayshow

Congratulations to Elisabeth Gunawan & KISS WITNESS, Xin and JJ, Eelyn Lee, ShayShay, and everyone who applied.

Your creativity drives us forward. We remain committed to supporting boundary-pushing work—and will announce details of our next open call in 2026.

Stay tuned!