dia/projects was established in March 2010 as an experimental discursive space and creative studio for the arts by artist,

curator and lecturer Richard Streitmatter-Tran. Current projects underway that fall under the dia/projects umbrella include several speculative investigations into art, science and philosophy as they intersect with creative production and curatorial frameworks beginning with Category Violation, completed in 2010 for publication in Shanghai with the Casino Luxembourg and Ministre de la Culture, the Asia-Europe Foundation, Minsheng Art Museum and the DDM Warehouse. We are developing a response to the topic of institutional critique as a part of the Institution for the Future platform for the Asian Art Triennial in Manchester, UK both projects working in collaboration with Le Tuong Vi under the moniker VILE RATS. In April 2011, dia/ projects presented research into duplicity and doubles, The Rupture and the Rapture, as the 5th Art Screening and Workshop at ArtSonje with SAMUSO in Seoul, Korea. dia/projects developed Under/Cover with San Art (HCMC) and the Asia Art Archive (Hong Kong) for the Open Edit initiative in 2011. Other completed projects completed since its establishment one year ago include NTSD (New Technologies for Sustainable Development) in collaboration with CIANT (International Centre for Art and New Technologies) in the Czech Republic and Norway.

DIACRITIC + DIA/PROJECTS MOBILE +84 (0)903.176.199 227 Street 9A, Level 4, Khu Trung Son, Huyen Binh Chanh Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Visitors from the Long March Space (Beijing) during the Ho Chi Minh Trail project in 2010.

On-site is a library containing over 1,600 books on contemporary art, design, theory, literature and a special section on culture in the Mekong subregion (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia). There are also subscriptions to international magazines such as Art Forum, Frieze, FutureArc, Yishu, C-Arts, Art Asia Pacific, and Irrawaddy. Researchers have access to a special contemporary arts archive arranged by country covering exhibitions and events over the last 10 years throughout Asia and beyond.

VUI (Vietnam Urban Projects) is an interdisciplinary investigation into modernity within emerging cities. Dedicated small teams will be formed to explore issues such as education, energy, economies, transportation, trauma, healthcare, communication and technology with a focus on development of sustainable and equitable practices. The specialized teams will realize creative problem-based interpretations that may be contextualized and presented as contemporary art. The founding members of VUI include Richard Streitmatter-Tran (artist), Dang Ha Vi (urban designer), Kristian Kelner (architect), Bucsul Szabo (architect), and Mai Tung (multimedia designer). VUI is also planning intercity collaboration with the Our Cities project/ Java Arts in Phnom Penh. In July 2010, Dang Ha Vi shared VUI as she traveled to Japan as a part of the JENSYS project and The Japan Foundation and in November 2010 Rich Streitmatter-Tran joined a team of designers and artists with the Japan Society in New York to examine creative interventions in inner city project housing. under/cover. a workshop with San Art and the Asia Art Archive (AAA) and students from RMIT University Vietnam

The small space (11x6 sq. meters) can be reconfigured for a number of activities including screenings, small group meetings and photography/video production. The space is equipped with wi-fi and a back-up diesel generator for Vietnams notorious power outages.

dia/projects is developing ideas in conjunction with Shanghai-based curator Biljana Ciric on the formation of a micro-archive platform looking at the internetworked relationships between spaces, local knowledge, archives and production.

Visiting researchers have been using the space for their research and temporary base of operations since its inception. In July 2010, we hosted School of the Art Institute Chicago (SAIC) graduate student and our first researcher-in-residence, Vipash Purichanont from Bangkok. In December 2010, Manila-based researcher Mervin Espina began his residency and investigation into contemporary video production in Southeast Asia. dia/projects is also an extension of the artists studio practice. A part of the studio is dedicated to art production for contemporary art institutions and exhibitions. While small and agile, dia/projects intends to work closely in collaboration with other arts organizations and galleries in Ho Chi Minh City such as San Art and Galerie Quynh to realize and promote contemporary culture in the city.