Since leaving home in Birmingham, Rinkoo Barpaga has been determined to find somewhere to settle.
Along the way, he’s encountered racism, discrimination, and has begun asking himself, “Where do I belong?”
“Made In India Britain” is an insight into one man’s life, as he tries to work out exactly who he is.
Join him as he delves deep into past experiences in order to discover his true self and a place he can finally call home.
Rinkoo Barpaga delivers his award winning performance in BSL with spoken word translation in English, and captions via Difference Engine for mobile phones.
Cog in the wheel is a street dance performance conceptualised by self-taught dancer, and teacher Billy Read. The piece is choreographed & performed by Def Motion, a mixture of deaf and hearing dancers. This is a work in progress, designed to tour outdoor festivals and events.
Cog in the Wheel explores themes of living in a capitalist society, the rise of communication technology and our perceived self-worth. 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.
Performers: Warren Hugh Murray, Kameel Adam Williams-Myrie, Ben Craig Randall and the lead artist Billy Read.
Performers : Jason Michael Drew Read, Rachael Tamon Veazey, Warren Hugh Murray, Kameel Adam Williams-Myrie and Ben Craig Randall
I am very delighted that Deaf Explorer has been selected to be one of Art Council England’s Investment Principle Support Organisations. It is a recognition of the creative development of Deaf Artists and their endeavours to show their work in a positive and inclusive environment. The cultural communication in Sign Language is at last coming into the spotlight with a talented pool of Deaf Artists getting recognition for their high quality creations.
Being a National Portfolio Organisation, Deaf Explorer is able to provide a bigger platform for Deaf Artists and Producers to grow
I would like to begin with why Deaf explorer have established good practice.
It is because we understand the reason why government and the EU want inclusion and diversity. Deaf people are continually excluded, and left out, this is why the Deaf community has established strong networks and self-organising skills.
Deaf community do this so that they can have power and control over what it is they do. Deaf people make the decisions so that quality, and relevance in the deaf community is high. Trust in the organisations that are funded by government is low, especially in the arts because deaf culture is central to the identity and community of deaf culture, and it is not funded, or recognised. Also Deaf people identify as a linguistic minority not as a disability. It is also a diaspora with groups around the country, with larger Deaf populations in the East and West Midlands, Doncaster, Cambridge, Sunderland, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Liverpool.
Our mission: Deaf Explorer reveals the as-yet unheard world of artists. We transform the autonomy and destiny of Deaf artists. We forge radical approaches and creative opportunities to produce contemporary D/deaf culture.
“If we keep re-enforcing positivity in the deaf community, people who feel left behind will be able to fly.” – Warren
We are a social enterprise; resilient with a range of income sources.
We produce Deaf Artists work, within that statement is our best practice, because we actively work with challenges and barriers that stop deaf artists progressing in the arts. 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.
For example, We recently consulted with neurodivergent artists who collaborated with Deaf dancer Billy Read on the Creative City Grants, Cog in the Wheel. Deaf Explorer produced the activity. We discovered that our best practice as producers also supported neurodivergent dancers, treating them as professionals, having respect for their dance practice and the excellence in their work. Overall, they told us that we understand how they operate as neurodivergent artists.
“Until Deaf explorer, I’d never worked with a company so supportive of my needs. You don’t know you’re being treated wrong until you’re treated right.” – Kameel
“With a team you can all help each other, share energy to keep you motivated. Then you can represent. Being on your own is tough.” Kevaughn
“The way we move as a unit and a team, shows me what a healthy work environment looks like.” – Reece.
Last week we began conversations with deaf artists under the age of 30, they were inspired by the work on our website. We are proud to be supporting the next generation of deaf creatives and want to do this work in partnership with the arts sector by sharing and applying our models of best practice.
What is it deaf explorer do?
We produce Deaf Artists work, best practice is actively working with the challenges and barriers that stop deaf artists progressing in the arts. The barriers multiply when combined with protected characteristics of Race, Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, sexual preference, religion or belief.
We are translators, hands on, literally using sign language to directly support and inform deaf artists in their first language of BSL.
We know we must develop Deaf artist work over time, we have been working regularly with Rinkoo Barpaga, Billy Read and Ruth Montgomery since 2016. It is only this year that Rinkoo’s achieved his ambition of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe. Pleasance Theatre Trust showed courage and supported Rinkoo proposal to remake Made in India Britain. After two awards and 4 star reviews we are planning a tour in 2023.
How do we support an artist to achieve their ambition! Like going to Edinburgh.
We give extra time for everything, and we budget for creative enablers, providing bilingual support in the creative process. We are much more available to artists, working beyond core hours adjusting to artists preferred method of communication, for example running projects with What’s app.
We acknowledge that deaf artists are at different stages of progression, requiring different levels of support.
We use R&D’s to support artists to understand the process of making work for a venue, and a wider audience than the deaf community. We focus on fund-raising for R&D’s, we do this by looking out for partners and individual expertise, deaf artists also bring partners into projects.
Good R&D’s can make up for the absence of degree education, or experience of professional work, for example a theatre maker may not of completed a rehearsal and touring process before.
Deaf Explorer produce R&D’s. We find the more involvement Deaf Explorer have in the artists activity, the better the project will be in terms of sector impact. Before Covid-19 we had four production grants lined up, we are still recovering from the set back.
Finally, we have an open door and will trouble-shoot and problem solve for artists, on issues outside of the project that we are producing, issues often occur because of the style of communication by the arts sector.
Best practice with organisations
Deaf Explorer are under the radar of arts organisations. Arts organisations will approach Rachael Veazey and ask for her services as a BSL Interpreter. Rachael’s response will be to suggest another way to the work. We relinquish the work to employ deaf people.
For example, Rachael was approached by the Birmingham Hippodrome to make access videos for deaf audiences wanting to attend the highly visual Van Gogh Installation. Rachael began by suggesting a Deaf person do the video. Now the Van Gohn installation is in its third iteration near London’s Marble Arch. Deaf Visual artist Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq, who is well known in the Deaf community will be leading BSL tours of the exhibition.
Women and Theatre asked Rachael to be an integrated interpreter on their project “women in lockdown’ Rachael proposed that Birmingham based Deaf women Maral Mamaghanizadeh work directly with the deaf community, so that Deaf women fully included in the online participation project. In 2022, Women and Theatre visited deaf explorer fully aware of what was possible, if they collaborated with Deaf explorer as an artistic partner rather than only as an access partner. Six deaf community actors participated in Women and theatre’s One Thousand Threads, a commission for the commonwealth games Cultural Festival.
Similarly, Autin dance theatre, asked Rachel to be an integrated interpreter in Victoria Square in the week before the opening of the Commonwealth Games. Instead Rachael asked Sean Noone to get involved, Sean is well known in the Deaf community and brought Deaf audiences to Victoria square. Go to Zebra Access news feature. He was featured in Deaf press and social media. The BSL video promoting the activity was shared widely via deaf explorer’s social media page, involving groups who had not participated in deaf explorers activities before, like funky kids a deaf group in Walsall. This demonstrates the importance of arts organisations adopting our best practice, of involving deaf people, so there is greater choice for the deaf community and more reason to participate and attend.
Similarly, Autin dance theatre, asked Rachel to be an integrated interpreter in Victoria Square in the week before the opening of the Commonwealth Games. Instead Rachael asked Sean Noone to get involved, Sean is well known in the Deaf community and brought Deaf audiences to Victoria square. Go to Zebra Access news feature. He was featured in Deaf press and social media. The BSL video promoting the activity was shared widely via deaf explorer’s social media page, involving groups who had not participated in deaf explorers activities before, like funky kids a deaf group in Walsall. This demonstrates the importance of arts organisations adopting our best practice, of involving deaf people, so there is greater choice for the deaf community and more reason to participate and attend.
Finally, our best practice online makes Deaf Explorer a content producer serving the linguistic minority of BSL users. Our online Festivals have revealed the potential of our audiences, Billy Read’s online dance tutorials have the importance of platforming deaf role models.
The board of Deaf Explorer CIC are delighted that Arts Council England have chosen Deaf Explorer to help them make the arts be more accessible for deaf artists and deaf people. We will do this by changing the arts, so that a new generation of deaf creatives can thrive,
Maral provides the information using BSL
The grant will strengthen the company, pay for staffing, rent and overheads. Our team of freelance producers and artists will bring together deaf people and arts organisations to create a more tolerant and accessible arts industry. We look forward to announcing our programme of activity in 2023.
We are delighted that Arts Council England have chosen Deaf Explorer to help them make the arts be more accessible for deaf artists and deaf people. We will do this by changing the arts, so that a new generation of deaf creatives can thrive,
The funding will pay for core costs, allowing the company to focus on working with the arts sector to massively improve opportunities for Deaf artists. We will increase understanding about Deaf people who define themselves as a lingustic miniority and transform the arts sectors thinking about inclusion. We will advance our current models of best practice to involve deaf audiences and place artists at the centre of all we do.
The foundation for our work will be strengthemed by bringing together our board, staff and key freelance artists. Internallly we will scrtinise our own collective thinking about inclusion and find a common ground. Our aim is to go beyond removing the barriers Deaf people experience in the arts and prepare our organisation to be advocates for change in the arts.
We will train under-represented board members. Our Board will recieve training and we will set a benchmark for Deaf representation on Boards of arts organisations.
In partnership with Arts Organisations, we will deliver action research projects that will provide professional development opportunities for staff, freelance producers and artists. Our aim is to change thinking and establish good practice that will increase the visibility of Deaf culture in the arts.
Deaf Explorer will support a new generation of deaf artists. We will launch a talent development programme and offer six bursaries to artists who have not received an Arts Council project grant. We will involve arts organisations who want to learn how to remove barriers for new talent.
We will support the deaf community in areas of low enagement in the arts. We will faciliate networks improve planning and instill confidence. We aim to increase participation and co-creation by deaf people.
We will continue to produce Deaf Artists work. We will now have the resources to communicate widely about our best practice, through evaluation, conference, projects and online publications.
Photo credit Graeme Braidwood, Billy Read and Cog in the Wheel team made possible by creative city grants for commonwealth games cultural festival
Cog in the wheel is a street dance performance choreographed and conceptualised by self-taught dancer, artist and teacher Billy Read. The piece is performed by a mix of deaf and hearing dancers; Billy, Warren Murray, Ben Randall, Kevaughn Laing and Kameel Myrie. The piece explores themes of living in a capitalist society, technology and how these things are linked to our perceived self-worth. To effectively break down this piece I think we need to discuss the relationship the majority of people have to their work.
Work. Go home .Check your emails. Be on call. Check your emails. Work. Begrudgingly accept a phone call from your boss when you’re on holiday. Check your emails. Be available. Work. Say you can do the overtime. Work. Check your emails. Work. Check your work phone. Take up a hobby. Capitalise of it. Work. Check your emails. Work. Take a break. But first just one thing.
I think you get the picture.
A huge aspect of society at the moment is hustle culture. We are coming out of a global pandemic that for many people plunged them into a state of financial insecurity. Due to this, through lockdown many people began turning their hobbies into jobs. Due to the rising costs of living for many people the goal is no longer to make enough money to buy a house, but to make enough to pay the rent. To get by. To put food on the table. So many people base their self-worth on how much work they do. To the point that work becomes of the upmost importance. Overtaking rest, comfort and self-care. Capitalism tells us that we are most valuable when we are contributing in a monetary way. If we aren’t working we are lazy and not fulfilling our full potential. Technology and the rise of its prevalence in the world we live in, has made work a harder world to escape and disconnect from. How are you meant to wind down when your boss can ring you at the dinner table? Or tag you on Facebook? Cog in the wheel highlights this by incorporating phones within the piece.
Dance moves aside the performers are visually striking in what they are wearing. All in red jumpsuits the uniformity of the dancers takes away their individuality. It highlights how they are not to be seen as people with stories and personalities, but as gears in a machine. As a means to creating a product that can generate revenue. The stylistic choice of the jumpsuits cleverly and clearly emphasises how they are homogenised, only to be recognised for their work. At the beginning of the piece one of the dancers (Warren Murray) is to one side on his own. He looks lost and his movements are static, robotic and disjointed. This changes when he joins the other workers/dancers. They move together as if they are one body. Fluid with a sense of unity between them. Each movement is effortless and graceful, yet simultaneously purposeful and meticulous. If you aren’t working are you really valuable in society? Are you really contributing? Team work makes the dream work after all. In a society where capitalism has become a factory of sorts. Where wage workers have become exploited. Where you’ll work for £9.50 an hour when food costs have risen by 10%. But you part of a team, so it’s worth it right? In sections of the performance one worker sits/breaks down whilst another reboots him. This could be a commentary on burn out and how work is often prioritised over health and wellbeing.
The brilliance and importance of this piece lies in the time it’s been created in. Inflation has affected so many people and has left many in a cycle of working in whatever way they can to get by. Whilst they know they will never have enough money to truly get out of their financial impoverishment. The context that is behind this piece pushes forward its relevance, Cog in the wheel also holds moments of irony. Capitalism being told through an art form can be seen as something radical and rebellious. Particularly after the governments comments in the pandemic that artists should just hang up their paintbrushes, their pens, cameras and find solace In working in IT or tech. Something comfortable and regular. The way the dancers move throughout this piece is at times jarring and non-human. This is done in a way that captivates the audience and keeps them in the world Read is trying and achieving to create.
Cog in the wheel is a beautifully choregraphed piece whilst being thought provoking, entertaining and mesmerizing. The talent of the dancers shines through as they communicate this story in a way that can be extracted easily from their movements. It’s a story book unfolding on stage and it’s truly spectacular.
Ray Vincent-Mills Copyright 2022
Film commissioned by Creative City Grants Birmingham 2022
Trailer for Made in India Britain, Performance at The 2022 Edinburgh Fringe, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance Two, Venue 33. Time 1.40 pm. Roo is a deaf Punjabi boy from Birmingham, immediately plunged into a world that wasn’t made for him. He explores the impact of ableism and racism throughout his childhood, and how that has seeped into his adult life. Roo grapples with his sense of identity and the communities around him. This leads him to confront one key question: “Where do I belong?”Come and be immersed in Roo’s world as he goes on a journey through the years of self-discovery and personal reflection. This performance is delivered in BSL by Rinkoo Barpaga, with spoken word English translation by Mathias Andre
Forbidden Identity explores the personal struggle of a Deaf child growing up in a hearing world; denied access to British Sign Language and a Deaf community.
Using street dance, tutting, mime, and sign language, Billy Read collaborated with Deaf dancers Ariel Fung and Ben Randall to create the piece, with narrative support and mentorship from Deaf Theatre maker, Brian Duffy and directed by Johnny Autin (Autin Dance Theatre).
Forbidden Identity is available for bookings in August, September and October 2022. For further information please email Annalise Cowan via the contact form below.
I graduated from Elmhurst Ballet School disciplined, driven and always willing to improve my skills. The school is known for its association with Birmingham Royal Ballet and for nurturing exceptional dance professionals. Up until Covid 19, I received training in state-of-the-art facilities. It was during Covid and the move from face-to-face teaching to a learning environment on zoom that I understood the limitations of my hearing. One year on, and I have an enthusiastic attitude toward a career in the Creative Arts Industry. I am a dance instructor for Amplify Talent, teaching Ballet, Cheer, and Acrobatics. I enjoy passing on my knowledge and nurturing the next generation and regularly lead dance classes in Harbourne, Aldridge, Cannock, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cheltenham and Oxford. I also teach a course in Ireland via zoom.
My dance career began with Birmingham Royal Ballet for “The Nutcracker” performance at the Birmingham REP. Another opportunity connected with Elmhurst included participation in an international Ad Campaign titled ‘Surpass Your Potential’ that appeared in Dancing Times Magazine. In August 2021, after a recommendation from Johnny Autin, I was invited by Deaf Explorer to join Billy Read in the studio and make Forbidden Identity. My first performance outdoors was at the Big Feast arts festival in Stoke on Trent. The show is touring in the spring/summer of 2022 to Coventry Mansfield, BIDF, Great Yarmouth, and Castlevale – Birmingham. In September 2021, I joined choreographer Mark Smith and participated as a dancer in the Paralympic Homecoming Ceremony. I have been asked to join Deaf Men Dancing for a performance at Birmingham Weekender and will be a dance captain co-creating with Deaf and Hard of hearing young people from the Black Country.
Deaf young people see me as a role model. Ruth Montgomery, the founder of Audiovisability, a charity that challenges perceptions about Music and deaf people, asked me in September 2021 to deliver dance and creative art workshops to visualise music composition. My confidence as a dancer working in a creative setting is growing. Between September 2021- August 2022- I joined a project exploring the waterways in Coventry, choreographing and devising Dance works. It was an accessible show for disabled children called “Coventry’s Chaotic Canal”, produced by Lucy C Hayward.
In 2022, I am collaborating with Billy Read on his co-creation project, “Cog in the Wheel”, which began with a residency at Level centre, Derbyshire. I have danced at Balsall Heath Farm, Deaf Cultural Centre, Birmingham and was a dance leader at Bristnall Hall Academy in Sandwell. Together we made a performance for parents.
Deaf Rave
Troi Lee invited Billy Read to be part of his Deaf Rave at BIDF. Billy invited the team of dancers who had been making “Cog in the wheel” to join him
DEAF RAVE at Birmingham International Dance Festival
This year Birmingham International Dance Festival (BIDF) have included events with Deaf Artists, Troi Lee (Deaf Rave) and Billy Read (Def Motion) There are also lots of highly visual performances that are fully accessible to Deaf audiences.
8.15 pm | Friday 17 June | In front of Library and Birmingham REP
Deaf Rave go to the front of the Libary and the Birmingham REP
Deaf Explorer 