Get moving and head to Basingstoke Festival, three weekends of free street performances for the whole family across Basingstoke and Deane.
Deaf Explorer and Basingstoke Festival put together an opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing emerging artists, wanting to work outdoors, try out new ideas, or translate existing work to an outdoor space.
Irish Deaf performance artist and actor Paula Clarke in collaboration with hearing writer and actor Charis McRoberts are delighted to present The Wee Folk.
This new accessible piece of outdoor theatre introduces children and families to a magical world of myth and legend.
Join spirits of the forest Fiadh and Sion on an exciting adventure as they play tricks and tell tales about the wee folk of the wilderness.
Knock, knock – who’s there? Whisper for a wish and they may grant it but continue to pull down the trees and litter our earth and they may come after you!
Paula Clarke is an emerging LGBTQIA+ performance artist, artist, actress, poet, and live model from Armagh, Northern Ireland. Born Deaf, she grew up fluent in BSL, and is heavily involved in the local NI Deaf Community on a personal and professional level.
In 2020 since National Lockdown Paula created and performed BSL poetry performances online, 19 pieces BSL poems of ‘The Silent War’ with Ross Thompson, ‘Life Motherhood Laundry’, ‘Mother Earth Pause’ and a short film production by Paula Clarke and Jane O’Brien ‘During Quarantine’.
DEAF EXPLORER are hosting their first ever online festival of Deaf artists and Deaf arts.
Join the team and amazing Deaf artists on 3rd – 6th December 2020.
All events are free and live events can be booked through Eventbrite (links below.)
Thursday 3rd December 2020
7pm – Festival launch: We are Deaf Explorer
Deaf Explorer CIC Directors
Meet the Deaf Explorer CIC Directors. Maral Mamaghanizadeh (Jewellery/visual artist and assistant producer), Rinkoo Barpaga (Theatre and filmmaker), Billy Read (Choreographer and street dancer), Alan McLean (Producer & bid writer), Rachael Veazey (Producer & Access Manager.)
Who is Deaf Explorer and what do we do?
How can you get involved?
The team would like to share future plans with you in this panel discussion and live Q&A.
This is a live zoom event and the launch event of Deaf Explorer’s first digital festival: “Square Eye” 3rd – 6th December 2020.
Deaf Explorer are delighted to be joined by Scottish presenter, Lucy Clark and Lucy will host this event with the team.
Lucy Clark – TV presenter
BSL Interpreted
This event is lead in BSL with BSL Interpreters translating into English.
8:15pm – RINKOO BARPAGA: RECORDED LIVE AT CRYSTAL PALACE FESTIVAL
Rinkoo performing in a red long-sleeve t-shirt
A recording of Rinkoo’s live performance from Crystal Palace Festival 2020 will be broadcast on Deaf Explorer’s facebook and youtube channel.
Rinkoo creates solo performances, exploring identity, Deafness and racism. He incorporates a very physical style of storytelling, embodying over 50 different characters in each show. His storytelling is humorous and engaging, but doesn’t fail to stop an audience in their tracks with a well-timed observation of a moment of injustice or discrimination. Rinkoo performs in his first language, British Sign Language and is simultaneously translated into spoken English by performance Interpreter, Kam Deo.
Birmingham born Rinkoo Barpaga has moved around a lot trying to find somewhere to finally settle. Required to both tick the box, ‘ethnic minority,’ but also ‘Deaf’ he has been forced to constantly ask the question, “where do I belong?”
This is an extract from Rinkoo’s solo production: Made In India/Britain and is an insight into one man’s life as he tries to fathom out exactly who he is as he delves deep into past experiences to try and find clues which will help him settle in his present and find a place he can finally call home. Written by Rinkoo Barpaga Directed by Daniel Bailey
BSL Interpreted
8:45pm – Maral Mamaghanizadeh: IF YOU WANT TO BE ALIVE… READ MY LIPS
If You Want To Be Alive…Read My Lips is commissioned by Journeys Festival International and supported by Arts Council England, If You Want To Be Alive…Read My Lips is a performance film introducing Maral’s experience of deafness and jewellery making, her artistic practice and becoming a refugee due to the political nature of her artwork.
The film showcases her bone china jewellery and demonstrates how the jewellery is worn, over the ears. A sound collage, by sound designer Chris Bartholomew, samples Iranian feminist protest songs and asks audiences to consider the difficulties of engaging politically when you do not have access to sound.
You must read Maral’s lips, giving an insight into her unique experience as a Deaf person and revealing the beauty of sign language that has finally given her a ‘voice.’
Maral Mamaghanizadeh is a Deaf Iranian artist, awarded an MA in Jewellery and Silversmithing from Birmingham City University in 2017 with her work ‘The Politics of Voice; The Tale of Tresses.’
Her work explores barriers she encounters in everyday life as a Deaf, female refugee. She communicates through her artworks, combining feminism and cultural politics.
This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook and youtube channel.
9:15pm – Billy Read presentsSIGN CRIMINAL
Billy jumps
Street dance theatre work in progress. Billy is developing a new work for Deaf teenagers with long term collaborators, Ariel Fung and Chris Fonseca. Watch the work in progress.
This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook and youtube channel.
10pm – Rinkoo Barpaga & Zoe McWhinney: THE ARMCHAIR COMMENTATORS
Part One: Deaf Ecosystem
Deaf Explorer commissioned Rinkoo Barpaga and Zoe McWhinney to make a series of four programmes, talking about original topics relevant to the Deaf community.
Make a cuppa and put your feet up to watch their conversation and share your thoughts with us by posting on social media. This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook, instagram and youtube channels.
Friday 4th December 2020
7:00pm – Ahmed Mudawi in conversation with Jean St. Clair
Jean is professional Deaf actor with over 48 years in the business. Find out about Jean’s lockdown experiences, her digital work and her future plans. This event is live on zoom with audience Q&A.
BSL Interpreted
Jean St. Clair in ‘The Process’ (Bunker Threatre) 2020
8:15pm – David Ellington presents: PERMISSION TO SPEAK
Commissioned by DaDa fest, Deaf Explorer commissioned 6 Deaf artists to talk about discrimination and privilege. Comedy writer & actor, Ben Rufus Green, provides a translation for each Deaf artist. The work shows the ‘Deaf Explorer’ collective’s beliefs that “Deaf artists are not just one homogeneous Deaf culture, they always intersect with other kinds of cultural identity”.
Artists David Ellington, Matthew Gurney, Sahera Khan, Ishtiaq Hussain and Leigh Blake will share their thoughts about the Deaf Explorer DaDaFest commission, Permission To Speak videos and what it was like to have a ‘cowboy interpreter’ translating for them. This event will be live on zoom with audience Q&A. Book on Eventbrite – link below.
Deaf Explorer commissioned Rinkoo Barpaga and Zoe McWhinney to make a series of four programmes, talking about original topics relevant to the Deaf community. Make a cuppa and put your feet up to watch their conversation and share your thoughts with us by posting on social media. This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook, instagram and youtube channels.
Saturday 5th December 2020
12:00 – Ruth Montgomery: Audiovisability
Ruth Montgomery will talk about her work ‘Audiovisibility’ and how to make music accessible for Deaf audiences. using performance and visual art. Deaf Explorer is excited to invite Ruth to present her work and past projects and to talk about her next big projects: Calypso and Two Hearts, The Ballet of Dressage and Music.
2021 is a big year for Ruth Montgomery as she will be working in Barbados and Japan as well as organising a concert with Evelyn Glennie and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. This event will be presented in British Sign Language with BSL Interpretation.
1:15pm – Mark Smith, Deaf Men Dancing: PROGRESS SCORE
Deaf Explorer will screen a recording of Mark Smith’s Progress score with his ensemble, Deaf Men Dancing. Performed at the Greenwich Performs Festival in 2019 with original music composed by Chris Bartholomew (Ad Infinitum, Deafinatly Theatre).
Watch a brand new live VV poem by Ishtaiq, especially created for the Square Eye Festival. Broadcasted live on our facebook page and on our facebook page and YouTube channel.
4:00pm: Ishtiaq Hussain: SHINE A LIGHT, Sprit of 2012 project.
in 2021 Ishtiaq Hussain will be working with Creative Black Country and Deaf Explorer to create an inclusive performance and short films of Visual Vernacular (V V) and spoken word poetry. A project for Deaf and hearing people based in the West Midlands, join our zoom session and find out about the project and watch a video of Ishtiaq performing a VV poem about COVID-19.
7:00pm: THE ARMCHAIR COMMENTATORS Q&A with Rinkoo Barpaga and Zoe McWhinney
A live zoom session with Zoe and Rinkoo about their project, The Armchair Commentators. Rinkoo and Zoe are ready to answer your questions about the series. Have you watched their broadcasts? Enjoyed it? Join us and let us hear your thoughts and your questions and maybe you have an idea for a future episode to share with us. This event is in BSL and will not have an interpreter.
Deaf Explorer commissioned Rinkoo Barpaga and Zoe McWhinney to make a series of four programmes, talking about original topics relevant to the Deaf community. Make a cuppa and put your feet up to watch their conversation and share your thoughts with us by posting on social media. This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook, instagram and youtube channels.
Sunday 5th December 2020
SHOPPING TIME!
Deaf Explorer becomes a shopping channel today.
Don’t know what to buy for Christmas gifts? Still haven’t bought anything? It’s time to treat yourself or someone you love with original work made by Deaf artists. Why not to join us to see what Deaf craft makers and visual artists are selling this year. Let’s support each other and the Deaf economy during this strange time.
The artist’s work will be broadcast on Deaf Explorer’s facebook, instagram and youtube channels.
Artists:
11:00
11am Ruaridh Lever-Hogg
Ruaridh graduated recently from Duncan of Jordanstone Art School, Dundee University, with a Masters’ degree in Fine Art. He paints in oils on authentic tartan fabrics, treated and placed on traditional canvas stretchers.
Olivier is an Award Winning Multi Talented Contemporary Artist
Winner of IPSE’s Freelance Project of the Year 2019.
Olivier is shortlisted for European Diversity Awards (EDA): Coca Cola’s Hero of the Year 2019
He specialises in hand drawn multicoloured art using stencils, graffiti, digital art and public art installation. The aim is to produce work that combines the effect of colours and patterns and raises peoples imaginations and awareness.
Olivier sell original artwork and digital prints online at his website
Ruth Montgomery hosts an artist panel discussion about Deaf Visual art and the barriers many Deaf visual artists experience . Find out about Christopher Scare (visual artist), Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings (textile artist), Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq(painter), Ruaridh Lever-Hogg (painter) and Maral Mamaghanizadeh (Contemporary jewellery & visual artist)
This event will be in BSL with captions and a BSL interpreter providing translation into spoken English
4:30pm – Matthew Gurney: MAKING A SHORT FILM ON YOUR MOBILE PHONE
Matthew Gurney recently wowed audiences at AD Infinitum’s online festival: This Is Where We Are, with his short film, ‘Dr. Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children’ made completely on his iPhone. Matthew will lead a workshop on film making on your mobile and talk about Deaf Explorer’s new commissions for short films.
See Matty’s full short film (all filmed and edited on a phone) here: ‘Dr. Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children’ committed by Ad Infinitum & HOME
7:30pm – MARK SMITH, DEAF MEN DANCING: PROGRESS SCORE
Deaf Explorer will screen a recording of Mark Smith’s Progress score with his ensemble, Deaf Men Dancing. Performed at the Greenwich Performs Festival in 2019 with original music composed by Chris Bartholomew (Ad Infinitum, Deafinatly Theatre).
Deaf Explorer commissioned Rinkoo Barpaga and Zoe McWhinney to make a series of four programmes, talking about original topics relevant to the Deaf community. Make a cuppa and put your feet up to watch their conversation and share your thoughts with us by posting on social media. This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook, instagram and youtube channels.
This festival programme is not yet complete. More events will be added over the next few days. Keep watching this page and our updates on Deaf Explorer
Building connections and collaboration between Deaf and hearing artists, creatives and cultural organisations in the Black Country (and beyond) This conference was hosted by VV artist Ishtaiq Hussain.
The event opened up with a conversation between Kelly Parish (Arts council) and Alan Mclean (Deaf explorer.)
“We are here today to find out more about how to make the sector think differently about deaf Creative people, rather than how can the sector be inclusive so we can have equity and creativity.”
In this part of the panel 3 key themes were mentioned: community, workforce development and creative case. Alan introduced the work of Deaf explorer by saying “Over the past 5 years, we have produced Deaf Artists work. We have learnt how to overcome the challenges and barriers that stop deaf artists progressing in the arts. For example, Rinkoo Barpaga. Who was at the start of Deaf Explorer with a Trip to New York to learn stand up comedy and then to Edinburgh with a Pleasance Commission, after amazing reviews toured UK bringing deaf audiences to theatres to watch a solo show in BSL.” He is an example that with the right connections, considerations and support anything is possible. Also how vital representation of intersectionality is. A deaf brown man challenging and changing perceptions on what accessible theatre can look like.
Kelly talked about the DYCP (Develop your creative practice) and how it can be used by deaf individuals to learn skills to make them leaders, organisers and producers in their community. An example is Kevaughn Laing, a deaf dancer who was granted a DYCP to be a dance leader and to develop new work. Someone in the audience asked how hearing people can learn the skills to communicate better with deaf people. Kelly mentioned how the DYCP can also be used to learn BSL, VV to connect with the deaf community. Alan discussed a BSL Level 1 course for people in the creative sector to improve collaboration with Deaf people. This shows the steps being made to expand on community. The Belgrade theatre and the REP are also working on a BSL slam to reflect the thriving poetry scene in the city and making sure deaf voices are involved.
The conversation was a reminder that accessibility for deaf people is much more than having an interpreter and there needs to be a focus on community. “It is important to look at leadership in organisations and grass roots, asking communities what culture do they want and having the appropriate ambassadors to work with and communicate on the ground.” Deaf talent isn’t going anywhere and its about uplifting their voices and making sure they are being supported and represented by the arts sector.
“Better decisions can be made about making shows accessible if you consult before with the community you want to reach”
Alan discussed the intersectionality of deaf identities and that they are helping to uplift and promote voices from the LGBTQIA+ community and south Asian backgrounds. “By consulting with deaf artists The barriers multiply when combined with protected characteristics of Race, Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, sexual preference, religion or belief. Our ethos is that Deaf artists are not just one homogeneous Deaf culture they always intersect with other kinds of cultural identity, making our practice focused on inclusion.” Inevitably peoples backgrounds, experiences and identities influence the work they will make. This links to a discussion had around how deaf artists need to be seen as creatives first. Before that, as regular people.
There was also discussion about consultancy work and how change can’t take place without communication and education. “Deaf Explorer act as broker supporting the hearing sector to meet their ambitions of involving Deaf artists. The question is how, and on what terms? Deaf Creatives need to be given the opportunity to lead and be involved earlier in planning of projects, Festivals and commissions.” Accessibility needs to be something that is integrated into arts organisations to create equal opportunity.
There was a focus on deaf people having a seat at the table and their thoughts and opinions being valued and prioritised opposed to an afterthought. “We recognised that if more deaf representation on boards of arts organisations there would be more opportunities and different thinking about access eg. access ryders booking interps. Also impacting on commissioning decisions.”
Being able to have discourse around people’s needs to one person or organisation then effects a community which is how change is created. It was inspiring seeing the work that Deaf explorer are doing to expand the deaf workforce, educate and equip the hearing world thus building community.
The upcoming conference away days has the purpose of promoting allyship between deaf and hearing people. This has been organised by Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford: Theatre facilitator, director, scriptwriter, BSL storyteller, BSL poet, BSL consultant, producer and mentor. Mary Jayne spoke about Vamos theatre “the UK’s leading full mask theatre company, taking its funny and fearless brand of wordless theatre across the length and breadth of the country and beyond since 2006.”
The discussion was around the inherent accessibility of the theatre as there is no dialogue, with full focus on the masks and body language. Due to this it has a big appeal to deaf audiences and the theatre has been able to make multiple connections with the deaf community they are wanting to expand on. This would be by working with more deaf people internally in the company. They also offer workshops to share their skillset and type of theatre with people of all backgrounds.
Mary Jayne expanded on being a deaf person in the theatre sect and the etiquette around hiring an interpreter in the arts. How important it is for hearing folks to consider what kind of interpreter they are looking for. If you want someone for a theatre show you wouldn’t hire an interpreter who is used for courtrooms as they lack the knowledge needed. Due to the specificity of theatre and the terminology used the interpreter hired should have a degree and/or extensive training and experience in theatre. It’s not as simple as hiring an interpreter and claiming you’re accessible. Someone asked in different cities in the UK are approaching deaf accessibility differently. The answer was yes and because some cities are behind others most of Mary Jaynes work happens outside of the West Midlands. This highlighted why conferences like this are so crucial.
Frances Land from Black country touring mentioned the lack of interpreters for the demand and how she hopes to see it rise in future.
The host then did a talk about his role as a deaf leader in the community. Ishtaek Hussain is a VV artist and director of Deafscope, which is a Deaf-led organisation that aims to bring all diversities within the Deaf and Deaf Ushers Community together. They provide training opportunities and the chance to gain new skills through: I.T, fitness, health and educational workshops – to enhance the lives of the Deaf and Deaf Ushers community. He talked about the effect the pandemic had on the deaf community in terms of isolation. This prompted him to start doing online VV workshops. VV standing for visual vernacular which is the equivalent of deaf poetry. He discussed how he has trained up people who are now experts who initially didn’t know what VV was. It’s a niche and beautiful art form that he is passionate about sharing with other people. The only issue is being able to keep up with the demand and its something that wasn’t sustainable long term. Ishtaek mentioned hosting an Eid celebration in his hometown and doing a VV performance and the joys of being able to share it with hearing people.
Him and Adrian B Earle (Writer, poet and media maker, Think Write Fly) collaborated on a piece across community gardens in Birmingham called where we grow. They spent time with gardeners and volunteers which inspired a performance of VV and spoken word that responded to the others art form. The process of the piece was both artists learning about each others art form which culminated in a beautiful spiritual and almost ritualistic piece. It’s a prime example of how deaf and hearing artists can not only co-exist in spaces but make poignant work. This piece was produced by Black country touring. Samphira Al-Fhiri and Frances Land from the company talked about their experiences of working with a deaf artist. It was eye opening for them and has influenced how they work deaf and hearing artists. It shows that collaboration with deaf and hearing artists is possible it just requires consultation, communication and willingness to learn and adapt.
This event was produced by curiosity productions who want “An arts and cultural sector that is representative, accessible and inclusive for all.” led by creative director Jenny Smith. They have a specific interest in children and families. It was clear from this conference that part of the intention of creating conversations around allyship is so that deaf kids can grow up knowing that they can be deaf artists bcause there will be an infrastructure for it. This event was supported by CEDIA, the Centre for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Birmingham City University. It was hosted by the Arena Theatre and produced by Curiosity Productions for Creative Black Country.
This opportunity is for deaf and hard of hearing emerging artists, new collaborations, and established practitioners wanting to work outdoors, try out new ideas, or translate existing work to an outdoor space.
Applications are accepted from artists around the UK!
The priority is to develop a new piece for a first showing at Basingstoke Festival with the addition of leading a workshop in a local school with deaf and hard of hearing children.
This will be an opportunity to network and get your work seen by outdoor arts promoters. Pending a successful application for funding, this may develop into a week-long residency to make a participatory element to your work or curtain raiser.
The work should be family-friendly, accessible, and suitable for daytime performances. The piece can include any artform or a combination of styles. Previous work performed at the festival has included dance, theatre, circus, physical theatre, digital, cabaret, and music.
Commission Amount: £3500
Inclusive Fee for Workshop & Performance Days: £300 per day per performer
Maximum of 2 performers per commission
Deaf Explorer CIC can support access costs throughout the commission.
Workshop & Performance Date Options – 1 weekend slot per commission:
Friday 21st June – Sunday 23rd June
Friday 28th June – Sunday 30th June
Friday 5th July – Sunday 7th July
Ideally workshops would take place on the Friday with a minimum of two performances per day across a Saturday and Sunday.
There will be an opportunity for questions and feedback from the audience facilitated by Deaf Explorer and Basingstoke Festival.
Responses can be submitted in BSL/Video Format. Please send this to contact@deafexplorer.com or WhatsApp +44 7399 784613.
If you’d like to have a chat before you submit your proposal, please email contact@deafexplorer.com to arrange a meeting. There will also be an opportunity to discuss your ideas with Deaf Explorer and Basingstoke after you have submitted the form.
Deadline to apply: Monday 13th May 2024
Basingstoke Festival is a family-friendly free outdoor arts festival. From music and dance, visual art and street theatre, the festival encourages both residents of Basingstoke and visitors to the borough to be more curious about the arts, engaging those who would not normally think they were interested in cultural experiences. With the banner theme of ‘Art in Unusual Places’, we aim to surprise and delight with high-quality arts encounters and meaningful participatory events during the three weekends of the festival, each year in June and July across Basingstoke town centre and the wider borough.
Basingstoke Festival champions new work created specifically for local audiences and supports the development of new art. The festival is produced by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
To get a flavour, you can see some highlights from last year’s festivaland visit theBasingstoke Festivalsite.Deaf Explorer bridges the cultural sector with the Deaf community, with a genuine commitment to access and inclusion. We strive to develop artistic work that is innovative and representative of the ambitions that Deaf artists have now.
Free professional dance workshop for emerging deaf artists 7th April Dance workshop with Neus Gil Cortes and Anna Seymour. Fabric at the hippodrome. With interpretation from Rachael Radford.
Neus Gil Cortes choreographic work exists in the meeting of cultures, places and backgrounds. With a focus on increasing the diversity of bodies and life experiences of those on stage as a first step to diversify audiences. Neus regularly works with a team of Deaf and hearing dance artists of different backgrounds. She created her own dance company Nua dance in 2015 and currently works as a dancer, choreographer and educator. Her work feeds from dance, circus, visual arts and has been performed around Europe and the USA. Her pieces offer different accessibility options for Deaf audiences embedded from the beginning of the process.
This workshop comes off the back of Neus’ UK tour of her film noise in partnership with Deaf Explorer.
There was a focus on the dancers not looking at themselves as she wanted them to find their own rhythm based on feeling opposed to judgment. After the warm up the dancers were asked to move from one side of the room to the other, whilst staying soft and paying attention to the movement in their neck and ankles.
The metaphor of a palm tree in a hurricane was used. No matter how much the wind blows they bend and adapt to the surroundings. The dancers were urged to view their body in a similar way moving and adapting to the music, vibrations and energy.
Gaga was mentioned: regaining intuition of movement instead of it being structured in a certain way that corresponds to beats. It helps the dancer connect the moves to their imagination.
Navigating from one end of the room to the other was used multiple times with different prompts each time. Neus’ talked about how the everyday movements of walking and running are out of balance, they can base their movements on that. This included incorporating falls and turning them into movement “your body will know what to do.” There was also a reminder that it’s not about how it looks in the mirror but how it feels in the body.
The next iteration of this was “Let your body expand as if it were made out of gum or something.” The dancers moved two at a time so that people could draw inspiration from each other. One of the dancers mentioned that although she has been dancing for years its always nice to have the reminder to keep the neck and ankles sot and loose. With BSL the neck is often rigid for perception purposes so it feels scary to let go of the visual information. A discussion opened up about if there were any links to balance.
“Push your own limits but within your body.” It was beautiful to see how peoples movements evolved as they got more comfortable in the space, with themselves and around each other. The dancers were asked to move across the room in pairs and to follow each other’s rhythm whilst connecting with each other and to “feel the positive tension.” Between each exercise people shared how they were feeling and asked any questions they might have had. It became a space where there were no silly questions or wrong movements.
Neus’ talked about how dancers are often wary of standing still due to the nature of the artform but that there is power in stopping. Keeping the audience guessing. Creating and maintaining suspense.
After the exercises the dancers were given twenty minutes to create their own solo pieces all exploring different themes and emotions. With Neus’ saying “Once you’ve choregraphed step into the performance hat.” It was interesting to see how each person utilised different parts of the room. The first dancer incorporated the wall with a piece that was equal parts thoughtful, beautiful and pensive ‘I wanted to express being pulled and pushed in different directions.’
The second dancer incorporated the mirrors into his performance in a way that was moody, reflective and emotional. Diagonal corners of the room were used as places that had “No solid destinations, only ideas.” The piece ended with a moment of stillness that represented moving into a new cycle.
The third dancer incorporated a large pillar next to the window of the studio. It was captivating and drew in the audience due to the contrast between the size of her and the vastness of her surroundings, which was beautifully concisely conveyed in the piece.
After this the dancers were tasked with dancing with each other with contact improv. This resulted in a beautiful mass of pulsing twists and turns in a way that can only be described as being sublimely alive and present. Neus’ would stamp her foot on the ground to signal a stop and that the dancers should pay attention to these stops and starts with finding softness in each other’s bodies and seeing where theirs naturally landed.
A dancer whos’ first time it was dancing with others said ‘It’s really nice to navigate how other people respond to contact.’
After Lunch was a workshop with Anna Seymour, an Australian born Deaf dancer and performer living in London dancing with Candico dance company. Anna created spin ‘An interactive dance/rave performance with three Deaf hosts and a DJ. Inspired by club culture and social dance scenes in Sn Francisco, Mexico, Cuba and Berlin. SPIN celebrates connection, escapism and the power of ritual. SPIN was recently performed with UK deaf dance artists Chris Fonseca and Raffie Julien at the 2024 Sydney festival in Australia.
It began with Anna asking the dancers what they’ve learnt from the first workshop.
“Questioning ideas and breaking boundaries within them.”
“Allowing myself to improvise.”
‘Thinking about space and pace it was challenging but I learnt a lot.’
“I’ve discovered more possibilities in my body with less rigid movement.”
The dancers talked about their relationship to the artform and their Deafness.
Anna talked about dancing in high school but stopping because of the barriers and lack of accessibility around her Deafness but she was always drawn back to dance.
There was a similar story of someone wanting to pursue dance as a teenager but it not being accessible so at 17 he dropped dance and trained as a chef. He stopped dancing for 15 years then Maral former creative director at deaf explorer asked him to perform 3 years ago. This led to him becoming more confident and has now acquired arts council funding to work on his skillset as a dancer. Deaf explorer are also supporting him. He is doing this alongside being a chef and is happy to have dance back in his life. Though there is still a lot of negativity and disbelief surrounding deaf dancers.
Someone else discussed dancing since she was 2.5 years old with ballet then going into contemporary. She started wearing hearing aids in college and it was hard to navigate hearing along with dance. She is now studying dance at degree level but her access needs are not really considered. She expressed how nice it was to be in a space tailored towards deaf dancers, even small things like tapping the floor to signal a start/stop.
The last dancer spoke about navigating hearing loss and how it helped him to harness his creativity. He has been recently connecting with dancers about their deafness.
This concluded in Anna saying that deafness is a spectrum and that there is no such thing as being culturally deaf or not being deaf enough.
The warmup for the session was centred around the hips and pelvis as ‘they hold all the information and power.’ They are points of the body that help release tension.
It was discussed that there are lots of stereotypes around deaf dancers, that they can’t do it because of the music. This can trickle down into the Deaf community as there’s a fear that trying dance will make them look stupid. There becomes an internalised discrimination around what can and cannot be done. This reinforced how vital it is to have spaces like this for deaf dancers to move, explore and experiment with each other without judgement and the expectations of the hearing world.
An exercise was given to the dancers that they can move around the space within the confinements of standing, sitting, walking and running. and that it holds an archive of movement within it. There was freedom and empowerment of transforming everyday movements into dance.
“Opportunity to be as fluid as you want with these movements, have fun be experimental.”
“Think of your body as a free element.”
Afterwards there was an exercise based on Anna’s piece spin which she shared a clip of with the group. Based on follow the leader each dancer lead the group with movements as everyone followed. No words just a focus of communicating and connecting with the body and exploring the synergy between the dancers.
The final day started of with reflections, thankyous and flowers for organisers Mary-Jayne and Maral. They talked about how a three day conference came out of a 2 hour steering group and a new network of people has come out of this. They carefully created an event that redefined what a conference can be and set a standard for accessible spaces for deaf and hearing people to connect, network and co create work.
Attendees were encouraged to review and share their collaboration opportunities and any thoughts or feelings they had about the event. There was also time for people to write questions down and with different people. These questions covered a whole host of topics including how to bring accessibility to galleries, steps moving forward and how to uplift the deaf community.
Something that stood out was how people travelled from Wales, Scotland and beyond. A woman from Prague said “ It was good to see international structures. Discussion groups were the perfect place to talk about arts education.” This has led to a Facebook group about deaf arts and education.
Artist Katrina said ‘she left feeling inspired it was a great environment and nice to meet new people.’
Someone mentioned how freelancing can be lonely as well as being a deaf person in inaccessible hearing environments. This has been a nice change and she will be leaving with recharged batteries.
A hearing producer talked about how ‘it should be this natural. What is the action plan next? We need to show the rest of the community how things can be.’
Someone reflected on how generous deaf culture seems to be and the conference was filled with so much laughter. This has made her think how she can move forward as an ally.
‘Lovely to have deaf & hearing allyship. deaf people can feel quite isolated, nice to see hearing people be so open minded.’
The free event made it more accessible.
Someone from the gallery of work said “Thankyou for allowing us to showcase our work. From a deaf perspective we need to think about how to continue this momentum moving forward. I think it will become clearer what my path is from here.’
“This is the first event I’ve felt has accommodated for deaf and hearing people. I’ve felt I can do this. I can go back to my area w/ increased strength as an artist in a hearing studio.”
The conference was a beautiful reimagination of what deaf and hearing spaces can look like where there is equal footing and no barriers. A place for people to network and connect with actors, poets, musicians and visual artists. With a gallery showcasing deaf artists. This event could not have been made possible without organisers and producers: Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford, Maral Mamaghanizadeh, Alan Mclean. With Video and social media work from Saneita McKenzie and David Ellington. Hosted by Iron House in the Jewellery quarter.
In late February we facilitated an intensive BSL level 1 course for creatives and artists in the midlands. Our aim was to bring the wonderful language of BSL to more people and allow individuals in the arts to broaden their skills. We succeeded! Assessed by Comm Plus and taught by Jettender Ajimal, it was a successful week of learning the basics of BSL, the history of the language in and outside of this country and Deaf culture. It started of with people tripping over their index fingers and ended with exam passes, new connections and going of topic in class!
“If there was an oppression Olympics I would win gold! What’s My Ident?’ is a work-in-progress that explores Aaron’s identity on his way to self-discovery as a hard of hearing Punjabi lad from Wolverhampton. And, if that isn’t challenging enough, he hopes London might be the place where he can make decisions on his sexuality ! This light-hearted piece focusing on key moments in Aaron’s life, takes you on a journey through torment and laughter when faced with hurdles around identity… If you can’t be yourself, what else is there to be?” – Aaron Virdee
Not deaf enough for the Deaf world, too deaf for the hearing world. Straight at the family function, gay in the club. Too Punjabi for the hair salon. What is my ident takes a playful approach to exploring the shape shifting that comes with being a brown hard of hearing gay lad from the land of the yam yams.
A scripted read through at the Newhampton Arts Centre with a BSL interpreter the piece felt like it was already coming together.
Somewhere between a coming of age story and a comedy show, what’s my ident? is stripped back and poignant. The piece is full of anecdotal tales about how Aarons marginalised identities impacted him navigating the world and finding himself. At the same time it explores him trying to fit into his working class Punjabi household in the early 2000s. The piece is self-referential throughout with characters that highlight good natured people who say it how it is before the age of being PC. Highlights include “So when you eat pork does it have to be halal?” The piece has a level of tongue and cheek that feels true to the era its set in. A time that some folks will remember like it was yesterday, and others will only know through cultural nostalgia. It was interesting seeing how some attitudes from the early 2000’s have completely changed and some have stayed the same.
The forty minute performance was spliced with interludes of movement between the three performers. Each time Aaron was trying to get the attention of the other two performers. This added another dimension to the piece and seemed to symbolise the overwhelming feeling of trying to communicate who you are. Trying to find stillness in the hustle and bustle of it all.
The piece is an ode to Aaron containing multitudes and pays homage to them all in a way that feels effortless and beautiful.
Originally intended as a stand up set then a one man show Aaron hopes that this show will tour and the supporting actors will change depending on what city they are in and have community members play the role. In hopes that each show will pick up a part of the city it tours in.
What’s my ident is a work in progress under R&D with Tara theatre and deaf explorer.
The aim is that sometime soon you can explore a piece of ident- in a city near you.
Talk Is a dance piece in R&D by Kevaughn Laing and Warren Murray performed at Fabric in the hippodrome.
Two men. Dancers. Artists. Raised in the same area. The only difference is that one of them is deaf.
The piece is a sublime blend mix of BSL, VV and dance, intertwined with a voiceover that acts as narrator and mediato,r as they playfully scrap over who gets to tell their story first. Much of the beauty of the piece is expressed through its humour which highlights the brotherly relationship the two have, which is clear to see in and outside of the performance. It continues with the retelling of how they first met – Kevaughn drinking a bottle of Warrens Fanta an unnarrated moment of the piece.
The movement feels fluid and in sync with each other which highlights the duality of the two men. Each a side of a coin, two peas in a pod, two halves of whole and all that jazz. In this space its not clear who is Deaf which seems to be a key part of this performance. It creates a level playing field where people can leave their preconceptions of deafness behind. No need for explanation when the body is a means of communication. The piece further highlights how ‘disabilities’ don’t look a certain way. Kevaughn’s Deafness and Warrens ADHD are quick to be labelled as disabilities in society but this piece couldn’t exist without those elements of the two men.
After the piece there is space for feedback and discussion and it becomes clear that the piece is not named talk for the witty title. It opens up a discourse about how people can bring visibility to deaf talent and educate others about the Deaf community. The answer is simple. Talk. There is a whole world of talent overlooked and unknown by hearing people and we are the ones who are missing out.
They explain how over the twelve days they exchanged skills to form the piece. Exchanging dance for BSL. Its clear that the piece could not have been made without communication and conversation and that the process becomes part of the product.
“Process of making the piece is the piece itself.” – Warren
There is discussion about how having parts of the piece left for the audience to figure out is reflective of how deaf people are left to navigate the world. This piece feels like it embodies form being an extension of content and truly showcases a whole range of talent.
Credits
Director/Choreographer – Warren Murray Performers – Warren Murray and Kevaughn Laing VV Specialist – Brian Duffy Dramaturg – Sarah Butler Producers – Deaf Explorer (Annalise McIntyre) BSL Team – Rachael Veazey, Jen Schneider-Lau, Olivia Whitter, Laura Cutting, Shelley Croghan, Rachel Radford
A brand new outdoor dance production, by Def Motion.
‘Cog in the Wheel’ is a street dance choreographed & performed by Billy Read and crew, Def Motion. The piece explores a world where the production of smart phones is more important than human life. The dancers are not characters with stories and personalities, but are gears in a machine. They are a means to creating a product that can generate revenue. Based on true stories, Def Motion bring their vibrant, unique street dance to a difficult topic. Cog in the Wheel is a street dance that also incorporates, tutting, popping, mime, sign language and the deaf art form Visual Vernacular (VV).
Lead Artist/Choreographer: Billy Read
Performers: Billy Read, Ben Randall, Warren Murray, Kevaughn Laing, Kameel Myrie-Williams Sound Design: Orique Johnson Original Sound Composition: Reece Hayden. Rehearsal Directors: Johnny Autin and Sarah Butler Visual Vernacular Directors: Ishtiaq Hussain & Brian Duffy
Producers: Deaf Explorer
Funders & Supporters: Arts Council England, Midlands Arts Centre, 101 Outdoor Arts, Sense Touchbase Pears
Rinkoo Barpaga’s story is so timely and important, shedding light on the best and worst of our society, all whilst finding the subtle joys in life as we all seek to find our home. Read more at Longstaff Reviews who has shared a 3-star review.
The story is compelling and poignant, yet laced within the pathos is plenty of humour. Subtle staging choices from director Tyrone Huggins both compliment and contrast Barpaga’s dynamic performance. A minimalist black box format ensures that all focus remains on the narrative. Continue reading the review by Prashant Kansara at Disability arts online
Made in I̶n̶d̶i̶a̶ Britain is a truthful portrayal of how it feels to make discoveries in your community and in yourself when you grow up navigating the world differently.The Theatre Flyer has published a wonderful 5-star review of the show on instagram.
Attending the compelling production of “Made in India Britain” at the Soho Theatre was a touching and (at times) emotionally challenging experience. It delved deep into the complexities of identity, ableism, and racism. It was evident that this show’s aim was no easy feat, ambitiously tackling a multitude of themes while artfully presenting a life story that resonates with audiences in just 65 minutes. What I ended up seeing was a small solo show that packed a punch. Read more at West End Evenings has shared a 4-star review.
Is there a more beautiful and expressive language than British Sign Language (BSL)? The Romance languages have their melodic charms, and English has its moments. But BSL can engage and emote in ways other languages cannot – even for those of us disabled by our limited knowledge of its vocabulary, syntax, and idiom. Read more at Plays to See has published a 4-star review
Seeing Rinkoo Barpaga tell his story was a unique experience with a unique audience, while being familiar and open to all. Highly recommend you catch this tour in October 2023:
Norwich Theatre (Norwich) on 1st October, Brixton House (London) on 4th to 6th October Key Theatre (Peterborough) on 7th October and concludes at the Belgrade Theatre (Coventry) on 9th to 11th October.
Deaf Explorer 