Imperfect moments - DADAfest 2009

DaDaFest has fast become one of the main events in the Disability Arts calendar. Trish Wheatley, LUA Co-ordinator made the journey up to Liverpool to experience it first-hand.

"When I initially looked into travelling up to Liverpool for DaDaFest I looked at the programme and felt disappointed at how spread out each event was in terms of timing. Going for the whole festival was just not an option financially so I had to pick my chosen events very carefully. with a quick breather after Testing the Edges I opted for the weekend of the 28th November which promised visual arts exhibitions, debate and performances across many subject matters and genres.

Kevin Connolly's arresting photographic portraits held the space in the Open Eye Gallery well. I have talked to many disabled people about the looks they get on the street from passers-by, there seems to be a common ground here. Connolly, who has no legs and uses a skateboard for transportation, has captured this 'universal stare' during his widespread travel across 15 different countries. The unusual low down angle is reminiscent of the 50's and 60's American 'shoot from the hip' street photography. It also refers to a child like gaze at an adult world which makes the photographs of children looking down into the lens unsettling emphasising to an even greater extent the stare of the individuals. A good start to the festival, I moved onto the main venue, The Bluecoat.

The photographic theme continued into Sally Booth's exhibition on the top floor of the Bluecoat which emerged from a three month residency there earlier this year made possible by the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary. The exhibition, for me, was about a consolidation of earlier themes and techniques within her work: The use of lightboxes, exploring her environment through spaces and apertures with varying transparency and translucency. The work was visually very beautiful and a successful deviation from the panoramic line-drawings for which she has become well known.

The DaDaTalks across the two days focussed on 'Creating Art with an Edge' and 'Disability and Sexuality, The Last Taboo.' Both brought up some of the issues that have been floating around in Disability Arts for years but there is a renewed outward look being projected by familiar faces within the movement which hint at a time for change bringing wider recognition for the work of disabled artists and value in their contribution to the arts. This is, without doubt, linked to the Cultural Olympiad (the nationwide programme of cultural activity which will accompany the London 2012 Olympic and paralympic games). Although there is a certain degree of scepticism and concern that the inclusion of disabled artists might be regarded as tokenism most are excited by the prospect of a new, bigger platform from which to showcase their work to a wider audience. personally, I want to bring some of this enthusiasm back from the North west and inject it into our future plans here in the South. particularly interesting was the contribution to the panel discussion by Dr. Andy Miah, professor in ethics and emerging technologies who gave an insight into the ethical debates emerging from new technologies being used by athletes and how artists might engage in this debate at part of the Cultural Olympiad.

The Disability and Sexuality, The Last Taboo talks were punctuated by the showing of two films from 15mm Films, the creative produce of artistic partners Aaron Williamson and Katherine Araniello. Sex and the Disabled is a trailer for a non-existent movie that parodies the non-disabled view of disabled people and their sexual exploits. The piece was incredibly funny, with some laugh out loud moments and was an excellent conversation starter for how disabled artists might deal with this subject in their work. However, I did leave this talk thinking is this really such a big issue? Is it really something people want to talk about and focus on - within the disability community and outside of it? I have to consider my own position whilst looking at this work. As a non-disabled person I have a good understanding of disability within a social model context and the motivation behind Disability Arts having worked in the sector for four years. It is difficult to anticipate the reaction a less knowledgeable non-disabled audience and this is something people were trying to do within the discussion. I have reservations over this and would like to see the film tested out on this demographic - this might even become part of the work. This difficulty has emerged elsewhere and I return to of one our research questions from Testing the Edges: who is our audience? I think that disabled artists need to be very clear about who their work is intended for. There is still a lot of ignorance in the general public regarding disability and the social model is not widely understood or even known about. To understand Disability Arts, in the political sense, one must first have an understanding of the social model of disability. It could easily be argued that this is why a non-disabled audience often finds it difficult to understand Disability Arts.

By far the most entertaining part of my DaDaFest experience was DaDaLesque. I arrived expecting to be a passive audience member but with an unfamiliar camera thrust into my hands as I queued to enter the venue I became an active participant as official photographer when their previous one dropped out at the last minute. The night was a celebration of disability, difference, beauty and sexuality. The audience clearly enjoyed it and it displayed all the characteristics I have come to know, appreciate and love within Disability Arts. I left Liverpool the next day looking forward to DaDaFest International 2010, thinking of ways we in the South might contribute."

- Trish Wheatley, December 2009

Originally published in Link up Arts news Issue 6, December 2009. Reproduced with the kind permission of the author.

[added 03 Feb 10]