My journey with Discover by Nandita Shankardass

I joined the 2024 cohort of Without Walls Discover programme, an open opportunity for artists, directors, producers and creatives who are new to outdoor arts to learn more about what it means to make work outdoors.

In the instance of applying for the programme, my experience in creating for the outdoors had just begun. Up until that point I had presented a dance duet at Anhad festival, a multi-arts festival of contemporary work by south asian artists in the U.K and recently completed a research and development phase for my latest work through a SEEDBED award from 101 outdoor arts, which invited artists to push the boundaries of work for the outdoors and in public spaces. Prior to this, my first step to entertain the thought of making outdoor work was at the Stepping out Creative Lab for British south asian artists considering making new work for outdoor settings, designed by Simon Chatterton and Sud Basu to explore the foundations of creating, producing, and presenting art for public space.

The Discover programme continued this initiation to develop my practical and experiential learning about the outdoor arts. It offered insight and guidance to the inner workings of presenting work outdoors, well as inspiration to dream bigger! As a bonus, I received some unforeseen upskilling in an area I didn’t realise I’d need at the time, in understanding more around producing. This prepared me for the role of Producer which I finally decided to take on, in the year which followed for my current production. I learnt more about the value of a producer and their role and the power of partnering with other organisations being beneficial, supportive and exciting. 

The opportunity was timely, I had just submitted my application for the Without Walls Open Call Programme 2025 and whilst awaiting the decision, the Discover programme provided me the perfect opportunity to get myself into the zone.

The structure of the programme invited us to gather with our cohort, mentors and industry leaders to attend festivals, talks, zoom webinars and pre-recorded content in the form of online masterclasses. I appreciated the combination of peer learning and self led development through the various offers. I attended two quite different festivals as part of the programme, Ensemble Festival produced by Certain Blacks and Stockton International Riverside Festival. One in my home town of London in an urban landscape/site and another with a variety of sites, in a part of the country I had never visited before, Stockton. The scale and energy of each was unique and  opened my mind to understand a variety of ways in which work is programmed and presented. These experiences allowed me to contemplate the potentiality of how work can adapt and mould itself to different sites at festivals, as I saw some of the same shows at both festivals. This really excited me when thinking of my own work and how it could reconfigure itself in different spaces. The festival schedule was thoughtfully curated by the Without Walls team, from morning gatherings with invited guests to experiencing the work first-hand. Guests shared their journeys with us, offering advice and tips as we heard from both producers and artists.

Absorbing a vibrant variety of work at festivals with my cohort was a fruitful and engaging way to process in the moment. The days spent at the festivals also indulged my mind in how I might curate and programme experiences in the future. This left me with a new hat in waiting for when the opportunity arises!

Where seeing shows and taking part in experiences expanded my creative mind and artistic vision, it was the power of audience engagement which impacted and moved me the most, by being in the thick of an audience, absorbing the energy and visceral reactions and responses of the people around me along with my own. Reflecting on the exchange in the air between artist and audience, whether guided, spontaneous or unplanned, I keep coming back to what outdoor arts is – the beauty and endless possibility to embrace the absence of barriers that exist within traditional indoor spaces.

As part of the programme we were also offered a mentoring session with an expert in outdoor arts. When mentioning the support I was looking for, I was guided by the Without Walls team towards Alison Holder, Associate Producer of Greenwich & Docklands International Festival. My meeting with Alison encouraged me to action conversations I had in mind with potential partners which I was tentative to begin, and to recognise the value in what I can offer. It was especially empowering for me to connect with another woman of colour in the arts who has a plethora of wisdom and experience to share and pass on.

The experience has encouraged my process to become more collaborative and reassured me that I don’t always have to go through everything on my own. It has given me courage to reach out and connect with experts in the sector to achieve the objectives for my work and practice. And along the way understand presentation fees and risk assessments! Thanks to Discover I now have a wealth of resources to draw from to support my latest outdoor dance work Roots to Rise which is currently on tour.

WITHOUT WALLS DISCOVER PROGRAMME