Virtual Global Village

The Virtual Global Village - STEAR’s flagship cultural event

As part of our cultural programme, the Virtual Global Village aims to facilitate the interpersonal exchange between participants in order to provide young people with an opportunity to learn about and experience different cultural backgrounds on a deeper level.

The Global Village will happen in the form of a virtual event. In various breakout rooms on Gather, chosen performers from Asia and Europe will be able to showcase their own country through various activities, and other participants can follow along. Furthermore, we also invite culture experts and practitioners to share their stories, experience and knowledge about Eurasia cultures and arts.

Registration:

Are you interested in this exciting opportunity? Then sign up now! 

After your registration, STEAR will send you an invitation email with the Zoom and Gather link to attend the Global Village on 17 February 2022.

Speakers: 

Ann Follin

Director General, National Museums of World Culture, Sweden

Ann Follin is the Director General of the National Museums of World Culture and leads a dedicated staff in four different museums situated in the two largest cities in Sweden; the Museum of Ethnography, the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm as well as the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg. Follin has more than 35 years of leadership experience in various senior positions in the cultural sector, mostly in the field of museums and exhibitions. She is passionately dedicated to leading and transforming institutions by involving the staff in formulating and implementing challenging visions. She was the Director of the multi award-winning National Museum of Science and Technology in Sweden (2008-2015), Director General of the Swedish Travelling Exhibitions (2002-2008) and the Deputy Director as well as Head of Exhibitions and Head of Information and Programme at the Museum of Work (1989-2000). She has long experience of various boards and is currently vice chairman of the University of Gothenburg, chairman of the Cooperation Council for the Swedish National Museums, member of the steering committee for Digisam – National coordination of digitisation, digital preservation and digital access to cultural heritage, vice chairman of the Asia-Europe Museum Network and member of the Board of Trustees at Deutsches Museum.

Themis Christophidou

Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission

Themis Christophidou is the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, since March 2018. She  is  a  civil  engineer  with  35  years  of  experience  in  private  and  public  sector   management.    After  having  worked  in  the  private  sector  for  15  years,  she  joined  the  European  Commission in 2001.  During the last 20 years she has held various positions, including in  the  Directorate-General  for  Regional  and  Urban  Policy,  as  Head  of  Cabinet  of  the  Commissioner  for  Maritime  Affairs  and  Fisheries  and  as  Head  of  Cabinet  of  the  Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.   Themis  Christophidou  is  an  alumna  of  the  civil  engineering  faculty  of  the  Metsovio  Polytechnic  University  of  Athens.  Born  in  Famagusta,  Cyprus,  she  is  trilingual,  fluent  in  Greek, French, English.

Nico Luchsinger

Executive Director of the Asia Society Switzerland

Nico has been working with Asia Society Switzerland since its inception in 2016 – as Head of Programming, Co-Executive Director, and since April 2021 as sole Executive Director. A medieval historian by training (really), he previously worked for Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, founded the global entrepreneurial community Sandbox, and ran business development for Swiss startup Mila. When not working, he enjoys bouldering, baking bread, or exploring Zurich’s playgrounds with his kids.

Expert Workshops:

Lucia Choi

Korean Calligraphy artist

Choi Lucia is an established calligraphy artist based in Seoul, South Korea. She has produced the writings for the popular soju brand “Good Day” and other merchandise that one would be able to see in most supermarkets. Besides using her skills for commercial products, she performs and teaches calligraphy in and outside of South Korea.

 Joyce Fung

Scholar of Peking University & Harvard University

Joyce Fung Wai Yun was born and raised in Hong Kong, China. She studied art and philosophy at Harvard University, making her bachelor’s thesis from and for Le Corbusier’s Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, its materials, and people. At the Yenching Academy of Peking University, she directed a team of 33 to create “Through Our Door,” an interdisciplinary cultural exhibition in and about Jìng Yuán, the 95-year-old Garden of Serenity. Now, she is writing her master’s thesis on Danto, Foucault, Xu Bing, zen, and art, and co-teaching a seminar at the College of Architecture and Landscape, amidst other projects.

 Weirong Li

Founder & CEO of Raw Culture

Weirong Li is the founder and CEO of a culture tech startup, Raw Culture, aiming to empower multicultural potential people, Third Culture Kids, to utilize their skills. She is also an Intercultural Trainer, Facilitator, and Keynote Speaker who has a special focus on intercultural communication and diversity and inclusion within teams in corporations and international organizations. Her working knowledge is English, Chinese, and German.

Performances:

Oxford PhoenOx Chinese Dance Society

Founded recently, Oxford PhoenOx Chinese Dance Society is the first official dance group at the University of Oxford that promotes Chinese-inspired dances. We have almost 40 enthusiastic dancers who are devoted to delivering the best of Chinese dance to raise awareness of an under-presented genre in one of the world’s oldest universities. We bring people of different cultures and backgrounds together and enjoy various styles of dance and music, including but not limited to classic, folk, and modern.

Irene Vettiyadan, Italian Performance

 Plong Band, Malaysian Performance

 Sopheak Nuon, Cambodian Performance