Millbank Tower Podium hosted its first Summer Residency initiative between June and August 2024.
Featuring an exciting programme of exhibitions, workshops and peer-to-peer mentoring sessions, postgraduate CCW students across a range of disciplines were able to collaborate with each other, enhancing their creative skills and advancing their professional development in a dynamic and supportive environment.
A key highlight of the residency was the exhibition, Afterwalls, co-curated by Catherine Li – this summer’s ‘curator-in-residence’ at Millbank Tower Podium – in collaboration with students from the MA Curating and Collections course at Chelsea. Catherine is an alumna of the MA Culture Criticism and Curating course at Central Saint Martins, and now works in the UAL space at Peckham Levels as a Space Assistant. With her extensive background in curation, along with her broad experience in event coordination and exhibitions, she was approached by the MBTP team to develop a brief/ open call, collaborating with students in organising a major exhibition as part of the initiative.
Reflecting on the historical significance of Millbank’s geographical area, the theme of “Afterwalls” was centered around notions of Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon. Summer residents and UAL alumni were invited to submit work in response to this theme through an open call. MACC students participating in the residency, Charmaine Wah, Yaqi Liang, and Wanjing Lin, with guidance from Catherine, selected artworks for the exhibition and collaborated on curating the display in the Studio 18 exhibition Space at Millbank Tower Podium. Several summer residents had their work selected for the exhibition, with most residents also contributing to event planning and logistical aspects of the show.
The Summer Residency was self-directed, enabling participating students to refine their creativity and co-produce toward their own professional ambitions in an enriching extra-curricular capacity.
To simulate the real-world application process for an artist residency and support professional development, students were required to apply for participation in the Summer Residency.
The Student Experience team supported the initiative by allocating a budget for residency activities/public facing events, empowering residents to get creative with fewer practical barriers.
Exhibitions – Summer Residency 2024
1.0 – Interwoven Relationships, curated by residents Xinyu Liu, Hongyu Bu, Yiting Duan, Xiang Li, Zhuoer Deng and Jiayi Zhu
2.0 – Afterwalls, curated by residents Charmaine Wah, Betty Liang, Wanjing Lin, and Catherine Li
3.0 – Converging Paths/Shared Visions, curated by resident Shih-Han Chou
Mentoring Sessions – Summer Residency 2024
1.0 – Exploring Perspectives: Curators and Artists in Residence Dialogue, led by residents Charmaine Wah, Betty Liang, Wanjing Lin and Catherine Li (the “Curator-In-Residence” Summer 2024)
2.0 – Inspiration Exchange: Show and Tell, led by resident Charmaine Wah
3.0 – Exhibition Planning: ‘Interwoven Relationships’ Discussion, led by residents Xinyu Liu, Hongyu Bu, Yiting Duan, Xiang Li, Zhuoer Deng and Jiayi Zhu
4.0 – Projects and Showcase Team Lunch & Q&A Session, hosted by Lenny Terrones-Huet, Jamie Measure-Hughes, and Sam Hewland (CCW Projects and Showcase Build Team)
5.0 – Photography Workshop: Capturing Artworks On Display, led by resident Dennis Ngan
All photographs © Dennis Ngan 2024.