Open Call: Alternative Roots
Photography by Joy Chao
Kakilang and Ming Strike invites proposals for live works to be part of Alternative Roots, a day-long festival taking place on Saturday 28 November at Hoxton Hall, London.
Alternative Roots is a festival celebrating interdisciplinary practices and the diversity of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) creative communities in the UK.
It creates a space for artists, works and ideas that don’t easily fit into existing categories, bringing different art forms, approaches and communities together. Building on its inaugural edition in 2025, Alternative Roots continues this spirit of experimentation and exchange.
We are particularly interested in live works that cross disciplines, resist easy categorisation, and can sit alongside a wider programme of performances, screenings, workshops, installations and community activities.
Alternative Roots will be curated by Ming Strike and supported by Arts Council England, Kakilang and Hoxton Hall.
Ming Strike are looking for the following:
Live works that draw from theatre, dance, performance art, or interdisciplinary practice Works that don’t fit neatly into traditional genres (we’re unlikely to accept conventional plays)
Low-tech, existing works (not new commissions)
Duration: up to 60 minutes (shorter pieces are welcome)
Who can apply:
Artists who identify as East and Southeast Asian (ESEA), including first/second generation diaspora, or other lived connections.
We welcome applications from both emerging and mid-career artists — from those at an early stage of establishing their practice to artists with a more established body of work.
We will select four works to be presented at Hoxton Hall. To find out more about the venue, including their accessible facilities, please visit their website.
What the selected artists will receive:
Artist fee: £400 per slot (group applications are accepted, but the fee is fixed.)
Venue and tech support
Documentation and marketing through our and our partners’ channels
How to apply:
Are you interested in applying to be one of the four artists? If so, please complete the form below by 23:59pm on Friday 25 September.
In your application, specify:
Description of your work (max. 250 words)
Technical requirements (within low-tech limits), (max 200 words)
Short artist bio (max 200 words) + either 1 link to a website OR documentation of 1 past work
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please email howl@kakilang.org.uk.