The Bridge Called Jambatan

The origins of Stateless Mind can be traced to Jambatan—the Malay word for bridge—an independent platform for artistic exchange founded in 2008 by interdisciplinary artist Amir Zainorin and anthropologist Pia Lund Poulsen.

Jambatan was established to create opportunities for artistic exchange between Malaysia, Denmark and wider international contexts. Rather than waiting for institutional support, it developed through self-initiated projects and long-term collaborations that connected artists, curators, researchers and communities across different cultures.

Over time, these collaborations revealed that meaningful artistic exchange depends not only on creating projects, but on creating the conditions in which relationships, dialogue and artistic practice can continue to grow.

From this understanding, Stateless Mind emerged—not as a replacement for Jambatan, but as its natural evolution.

Where Jambatan built bridges, Stateless Mind explores what becomes possible once people have crossed them.

From Festival to Platform

Stateless Mind began with the first Stateless Mind Festival in Copenhagen in 2019.

Between 2019 and 2023, festivals in Copenhagen and Venice brought together artists, curators and participants through exhibitions, performances, conversations and workshops. Rather than being organised around fixed themes, each edition responded to its own place, its participants and the relationships that emerged through the process.

The festivals were artist-initiated, collaborative and developed independently through long-term relationships rather than institutional structures. Each edition responded to its own context while creating new opportunities for dialogue and exchange.

As these collaborations continued, it became clear that the most enduring outcomes were not the festivals themselves, but the relationships that continued long after they had ended.

Rather than continuing as a series of temporary events, Stateless Mind gradually evolved into an ongoing platform supporting artistic research, exhibitions, residencies, publications and public engagement.

Today

Today, Stateless Mind is expressed through three interconnected initiatives.

Stateless Mind Pavilion

An evolving platform for exhibitions, performances and public engagement across different places and contexts.

Stateless House

A place for living, research and artistic exchange in Bohor Jani, Langkawi, where everyday life becomes part of artistic practice.

PACAK

A public programme bringing together residencies, workshops, publications and the PACAK Festival as part of an ongoing practice of artistic exchange.

Together, these initiatives reflect Stateless Mind's continuing commitment to artistic practice rooted in time, place and relationships.

An Ongoing Journey

Stateless Mind is not a fixed institution or a completed project.

It continues to evolve through new collaborations, new places and new conversations.

Rather than following a predetermined path, it remains open to the people, experiences and encounters that shape its future.

Timeline

2008

Jambatan

Independent platform for artistic exchange

↓

2019–2023

Stateless Mind Festivals

Copenhagen & Venice

↓

2024–

Stateless Mind Pavilion

Exhibitions • Performances • Public Engagement

↓

2026–

Stateless House

Living • Research • Exchange

↓

2026–

PACAK

Residencies • Festival • Publications

↓

Ongoing

Future Collaborations