My last trip outside of Vietnam before the COVID-pandemic hit the world. Such a trip!
I’d never been in the UK before and getting to know a bit of Scotland opened my eyes. The time spending in Cove Park was a life changing experience. In the sense that I needed that space (also head space) in that exact moment. Waking up to the breathtaking view and surrounding every day is a healing blessing – I did so much for my creative process as well as my physical and mental health. The time here also taught me the beauty and the power of nature – nature can be gentle and loving but nature is also brutal and can be full of rage. It taught me to be grateful, especially in this time of uncertainty.
Thanks to the generous support of Cryptic (Glasgow) and British Council I was able to connect with many fellow resident artists in Cove Park Residency Program in 2020 – from whom I learned a lot and share great memories – Kathy Hinde (UK), Paula Guersenzvaig (AR), Aeger Smoothie (RUS), Heather Lander (US), Myriam Boucher (CA), Robbie Thomson (UK), Lo Kindre (Daniel Magee, Ireland/UK) and many more.
I spent most of my time at Cove to develop the concept for my debut EP which focuses around the concept of ‘Garden’. This time and space opened my eyes to how I react with the surrounding, my relationship with nature, human interactions (the dynamic of how all the residency artists interacted with each other), how to make the most out of the residency time despite the uncertainty and distractions of the pandemic and also, how to be less self-critical when there was a lack of inspiration or motivation.
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