Artists Talk at Tate Liverpool – RIBA North building 25th September 2024.
Artists – Sonia Boue, Becky Beasley, Peirce Starre with Professor Claire Penketh as chair.
I have recently treated myself to a railcard which made the journey up to Liverpool to hear the three artists speak a more relaxed affair. I had also booked myself a hotel so that I could enjoy the talk without worrying about getting home. This is the first time I’ve stayed in a hotel by myself. The talk was part of Liverpool’s Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2024 organised by the Brain Charity.
Described as a talk that ‘will explore how we can rethink contemporary arts practice in relation to neurodiversity and how the neurodiversity paradigm can inform art and its education. The Neurodiversity Arts Festival aims to start a conversation that opens doors, buildings, and minds and showcases the full spectrum of neurodivergent talent.’ (Tate, 2024) I was both sceptical and hopeful. Would this be another naval gazing experience where ND experiences are paid lip service?
While I am very familiar with Liverpool, I have visited the city since I was a teenager, travelling from North Wales to visit family to travelling their as an adult from my home in Derbyshire, the RIBA North was not a building I was familiar with. However, there was a really helpful guide sent out prior to the talk, with photographs of the entrance and these coincided with google earth’s images. This is all very reassuring and important for accessibility and eases the anxiety of Going To New Places. I was joined by my late diagnosed ND sister, who is also an artist.
On entering the building and being greeted by friendly attendants, we found the room easily and were invited to take a clipboard with paper to doodle on, a wide variety of pens and pencils, and the best selection of post it notes that would have made the most ardent of stationary collections proud. I felt reassured. These people knew their audience.
The lights were nicely dimmed, no harsh lighting for this talk, we were seated in a semi circle around the artists, we sat in the back row so that my sister could get up and move if the pain of boredom attacked her legs. It becomes indicative of the torture of talks aimed at neurotypical audiences when you unconsciously put these accommodations in for yourself.
We were introduced to the artists and their work by videos being played which segued nicely into the artists discussing their own experiences of the art world, their latest projects, and how they have navigated the contemporary art world. Starre’s red taped wrapped body was striking in the corridors of institutions in contrast to Boue’s delicate heeled shoes impressively climbing a ladder without falling off it to Beasley’s beautifully photographed installations and sculptures that capture the nuances of life. There was a lightbulb moment, not only for me, but for others as we realised that most of the room had a studio space that they did not use. The safety and comfort of working at home rather than having to navigate studio politics, meetings, sensory input and open events was preferable. This now raises the question for me – what would a neurodivergent affirming studio space look like?
The conversation flowed, the questions forgotten, with Becky asking Sonia and Peirce where they found their ‘joy’ in the artmaking process. We rushed towards the looming deadline of 8.00pm, with not enough time to answer everyone’s questions, or to discuss issues further. Professor Penketh’s preplanned questions were shelved for another time.
And I hope there will be another time, this talk could have spanned a whole afternoon and been a workshop, and we still wouldn’t have covered all the issues. It was a genuinely inspirational talk and I left feeling pleased that I had made the effort to work through my discomfort of travelling and staying away from home to attend. All three artists were open and honest about their achievements and struggles as neurodivergent artists.
We left feeling inspired, deciding not to take Becky Beasly up on her offer to chat outside while she had a cigarette, the Indian street food venue was calling for us to eat and have a long overdue sisterly catch up.
