September is East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month in the UK. A month to shout out about the culture, achievements, and diversity of ESEA communities here in the UK. As part of our programming for ESEA Heritage Month, we are inviting Monica Wat, an artist and community producer, to have a conversation with us about representation of ESEA cultures and arts in the UK. Drawing on her lived experiences and nation-wide trends, we will explore how ESEA cultures are seen in the UK context, from the matcha craze to the Grammy’s ‘Best Asian Pop Music Performance’.
MONICA WAT is a multi-arts creative & singer-songwriter who hailed from Hong Kong and uprooted her life to the UK in 2021. She graduated with Law & Literary Studies at The University of Hong Kong and has spent time in South Korea, Myanmar, Thailand and Australia for various projects ranging from theatre, film to music. With a background in community activism, when Monica observed a lack of East & South East Asian artistic representation in the UK and longed to find a kindred community, she founded Made on the Moon in 2022 and has served as the producer of the annual East & South East Asian multi-arts festival MOON FEST ever since.
Made on the Moon CIC is a UK-based creative & cultural agency that bridges artists of East & South East Asian (ESEA) heritages with the wider community through events production, community outreach, consultancy and more. Its annual multi-arts festival consists of live performances, film screenings, art and food stalls and has welcomed over 100 people each year since its first edition in 2022. Made on the Moon has also worked with organisations like Watershed, the British Film Institute (South West), Bristol City Council, the National Trust and more to engage and increase the visibility of ESEA communities.