Moving Forwards, Sideways returns for its fourth edition at esea contemporary in 2025, offering a dynamic series of creative workshops and events designed to support the Hong Kong BN(O) community in Greater Manchester. Running from April to June, this year’s programme focuses on capacity building for creative professionals and enhancing family well-being through arts-based activities, fostering both intra-community connections and engagement with the wider society.
The Hong Kong BN(O) community has grown significantly since the introduction of the UK’s BN(O) visa scheme, which provides a pathway for Hong Kong residents to live, work, and settle in the UK. Moving Forwards, Sideways addresses the challenges of resettlement by creating a space for creativity, connection, and cultural exchange.
This year’s programme features a diverse range of workshops, including:
• Grant Application Writing Workshop for Hong Kong BN(O) Creatives
• Moulding Roots and Routes Creative Clay Workshop through an Open Call for Artist-Facilitator
• Family Sculpture Workshop by Lulu Wong
• Tactile Mindfulness Workshop by Kim Chin
• Cantonese Opera Singing Workshop by Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe
All workshops are free to attend, offering an inclusive space for empowerment, creativity, and connection.
Through these workshops, Moving Forwards, Sideways provides a platform for the Hong Kong BN(O) community to explore their creative potential, share their stories, and build connections within Greater Manchester. By blending artistic practice with community engagement, invites participants to move forward—and sideways—in unexpected and transformative ways, creating a legacy of resilience, creativity, and shared humanity.
Past contributors to the programme include Alison Lam, Sarah Marsh, Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe, Little Yellow Rice Co., Lulu Wong, Johanna Leung, and Tina Ramos Ekongo, whose diverse practices and perspectives have enriched the series and deepened its impact.
This programme is realised with the generous support of the North West Regional Strategic Migration Partnership (RSMP).
Kamling Fung and Yuen Wah Leung are Cantonese opera practitioners from Hong Kong. They established the ‘Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe’ in 1994 and have since initiated annual performances, accumulating a rich portfolio of on-stage experience over the years. In 2004, they enrolled in the School of Chinese Opera at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and were awarded the ‘Performing Arts Training Certificate (Cantonese Opera) – Evening Part-time Course.’
Johanna Leung is a classically trained musician and cross-disciplinary art practitioner based in Manchester. Graduating with a Master of Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music, she specialises in classical contemporary and experimental music. The founder and director of ‘Reimagined City Festival,’ Johanna has facilitated workshops with Children's Opera Project, the Seashell Trust, and diverse productions including Gey Teal Music Festival and CoMA Festival (Contemporary Music for Allcomers). Exploring the use of artificial intelligence in audio generation and its compatibility with live music interpretation, she participated in ‘The Sound of Contagion,’ a collaborative project between the University of Oxford and the University of Arts, Berlin. Johanna has given cross disciplinary performances in various venues including the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, MIF Aviva Studio, and Sheffield The Arts Towers.
Little Yellow Rice Co. is a Peranakan supper club experience, exploring Nyonya culture through the flavours of Hainan and Malaysia. It was founded in 2020 to share this cultural heritage with others and showcase authentic, regional dishes.
Sarah Marsh is a Manchester-based creative practitioner, artist, designer and consultant for play, with a passion for textiles, sculpture and hand-made processes. She has many years experience of creating award-winning, sensory-inspired and child-led environments for play and learning, in a variety of internationally renowned cultural settings across the UK and Europe. Sarah’s most recent commissions include; ’Sculpting Conversations’ at Whitechapel Gallery, London (Summer 2023) and ’North Light’ (Art in Manufacturing), The National Festival of Making, Blackburn (July 2023), as part of her HoLD collective. She is currently working on commissions with Tate Britain, Dulwich Picture Gallery, The Whitworth and York Art Gallery. Sarah is an artist whose practice is sensory-led; often working with neurodivergent communities and SEND audiences to create tactile and multi-sensory environments and objects, where design has evolved through observation and interaction. Sarah makes, to understand.
After leaving University of Salford, Sarah worked with the Chinese Arts Centre (2003) in various capacities, including technician, administrator, and freelance project coordinator. Sarah went on to travel extensively through China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea and Japan — an experience that has greatly impacted her creative practice. Her time in Shanghai, informed the look and feel of The Sensory Toolkit; dumpling-esque therapeutic holding objects; her use and passion of fabrics; and the shapes and forms found in architecture and nature all around her.
Tina Ramos Ekongo is an Equatorial Guinean-Spanish visual artist, illustrator and workshop facilitator based in North West England. Organising multicultural and environmentally-conscious creative activities for children, young adults and families, she has been involved with community groups and schools across Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester amongst many more. Ekongo’s practice focuses on innovative approaches and techniques of creating work, exploring the dimensions of blending art forms through collaborative opportunities. Currently, she works with a team of freelance artists at the Manchester Art Gallery to deliver creative activities for families. Moreover, has collaborated with The Whitworth and is part of MADE MCR Manchester’s Cultural Education Partnership Diversifying The Curriculum Task Group.
Lulu Wong is an art practitioner based in Manchester. With over a decade of experience in teaching visual arts and a passion for nature, she enjoys helping individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures express themselves through art. Find out more on Instagram @luluhk.uk.
Alison Lam is a neurodiverse social practitioner and artist, and a mother to two autistic sons. Alison holds an MA in Art & Social Practice, and has been funded by Arts Council England’s National Lottery Projects Grants programme.
