British Council Wales launches season two of 'Breaking Boundaries' on April 11, 2025, hosted by award-winning musician Georgia Ruth. Following its 2023 debut, the podcast spotlights Welsh artists and their international collaborators, forging creative partnerships between Wales and New Zealand, France, Vietnam, Brazil, and beyond.
Episodes one and two of the series explore music and literary collaborations, beginning with musicians Georgia Ruth, Carwyn Ellis, and producer Greg Haver, discussing their work connecting with musicians and producers in Aotearoa, New Zealand through the Māori-Cymraeg song-hubs project. The episode also highlights Lleuwen Steffan's Tafod Arian project, which breathes new life into forgotten Welsh hymns through collaboration with the National Eisteddfod of Wales along with musicians and producers in Canada.
Episode two covers writer Ian Rowlands' boundary-pushing Aurora Borealis' ‘anti’ theatre project and poet Joshua Jones' work celebrating LGBTQ+ communities' spaces with connections to Vietnam.
Turning to performing and visual arts, episodes three and four showcase theatre companies Dirty Protest Theatre and Hijinx and their connections with communities in France and remote areas of Brazil. Internationally acclaimed artist Sir John Akomfrah will speak about his upcoming exhibition at Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales in Cardiff, which was commissioned for and previously showcased at the Venice Biennale. The series concludes with Anna Falcini's exploration of Welsh artist Gwen John's legacy and her connections to France.
Together, these artists and institutions demonstrate how international collaboration enriches creative practice and builds lasting cultural connections between Wales and the world.
Speaking about the podcast, Ruth Cocks, Director, British Council Wales said: "We are thrilled to bring back 'Breaking Boundaries' for a second season, showcasing the profound impact of international artistic collaboration. This series captures Welsh artists connecting across borders to create powerful new work.
"Building on Hannah Loy's excellent co-production of season one focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, we now journey to New Zealand, France, Vietnam, Brazil, and beyond. These exchanges create ripple effects from Wales to the world and bring the world to Wales.
"We invite audiences to join us as we explore music, literature, performing and visual arts, discovering how Wales is pushing creative boundaries on the global stage and how creatives in Wales learn from and are influenced by their international collaborators. We hope this will also inspire other arts organisations and artists to collaborate internationally”.
“"Hosting 'Breaking Boundaries' has been a fascinating journey”, says series host, Georgia Ruth. “Each episode reveals how Welsh artists are creating remarkable work through international exchange.
“What struck me most was the genuine two-way flow of ideas—our artists aren't just taking their work abroad but bringing fresh perspectives back to Wales. From collaboration with Māori musicians to Joshua’s experience in Vietnam, to Dirty Protest Theatre’s work with communities in the Amazon, these partnerships create something entirely new that couldn't exist without crossing boundaries. These aren't just Welsh stories but international ones, showing that our small nation has a powerful creative voice in the global conversation."
This new four-part series will launch on Friday, April 11, 2025, on the British Council Wales website: https://wales.britishcouncil.org/en/programmes/arts/breaking-boundaries-returns-new-four-part-podcast-series-2025
The podcast series continues the British Council's work, building connection, understanding and trust between people in the UK and overseas through arts, and education. To find out more about our work in Wales visit https://wales.britishcouncil.org/en or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.