Announcing BMR: Berlin 2019 Resident Artists
Left – Pulpy Shilpy (image credit -Ron Bezbaruah) / right – no_name_face (image credit – Nafis Ahmed)
The Border Movement Residency project has worked with over 15 producers and musicians since its launch in 2015 – creating unique experiences tailored around the individual needs of the participating artists. The aim of the program has always been to create meaningful and relevant creative exchanges between musicians in South Asia and Germany.
Producers from South Asia who have taken part in previous Berlin based residencies include: KʌLʌ, Dinelka, Ghazaleh E, Sandunes, Alien Panda Jury, FILM, Nigel Perera, Stupid Happiness Theory and Phatcowlee while Berlin based artists we have worked with in South Asia as part of BMR include: Anika, Nene Hatun, Andreas Spechtel, Dan Boden, She’s Drunk, Golden Disko Ship and Madanii.
2019 marks the final year of the residency program which has been supported for the last 5 years by Goethe-Insitut, Musicboard Berlin, Ableton and Wild City. This year instead of opening up a fresh round, we re-visited artist applications from the last 4 years, shortlisted and finally selected: Nafis Ahmed (Bangladesh) and Gowri Jayakumar (India).
Here’s what they had to say…
“I am very eager to exchange ideas with producers, performers and BMR partners in Berlin – hoping to decipher a better understanding between the relationship of audio, light, visuals and space. BMR’s customised programme comes at the perfect time as I am amalgamating my artistic disciplines for a cohesive outcome. It will be the key launchpad for me to create next-tier live multimedia narratives.” Nafis / no_name_face
“Berlin’s been a dream of mine since I began playing music. And for electronic music, noob as I am, I am too excited and want to get in on all the dopest parties, venues, events, and movements happening there. There’s also a whole network of women driving the scene: label heads, collectives, festival-makers, producers, DJs, and I hope to collaborate, contribute, participate, consume, get inspired and learn as much as I can in my time there. I hope to come back with crucial learnings for Orbs Cure Labs, and inshallah, an album will be born there with Berlin as my muse and milieu.” Gowri Jayakumar / Pulpy Shilpy
