Unlimited, the commissioning scheme from disability-led arts charity Shape and Artsadmin, have this week announced the successful artists in their 2014 funding programme. Over £400,000 will be awarded to 26 disabled artists to support the development of nine major new works and 17 R&D projects across visual and live art, spoken word, dance and theatre.
Funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Scotland, the commissions build on the success of Unlimited’s 2012 programme, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Many of the newly commissioned works – and tasters of the R&D projects – will be presented from 1-7 September 2014 at the second Unlimited festival of arts and culture at London’s Southbank Centre. Works will also be staged in collaboration with venues and festivals across the UK and, in partnership with the British Council, internationally.
The nine funded projects include Exposure, an intimate one-to-one performance and series of short films by Jo Bannon exploring themes of autobiography, looking and being seen; RING THE CHANGES+, an interactive dance performance by Chisato Minamimura choreographing “visual sound/music” for hearing and non-hearing audiences; and Juan delGado‘s The Flickering Darkness a multi-screen video installation filmed in a Bogotá market exploring ideas of urban territory, displacement and economy. The 17 projects to be supported through R&D include a multi-screen video work by documentary maker and disability journalist Richard Butchins and a 48-hour durational performance by Noëmi Lakmaier.
The Unlimited selection panel included: Ruth Gould (Artistic Director, DadaFest), Chenine Bhathena (Senior Cultural Strategy Officer, Greater London Authority), Cathy Mager (independent curator and event producer), Wendy Martin (Head of Performance and Dance, Southbank Centre), Carole McFadden (Programme Manager, Theatre & Dance, British Council), Sarah Pickthall (independent coach, producer and artist), Marc Steene (Executive Director, Pallant House) and Aaron Williamson (independent artist).
The full list of artists and groups receiving project funding is: Katherine Araniello; Jo Bannon; Birds of Paradise Theatre; Fittings MultiMedia Arts; Ian Johnston; Juan DelGado; Julie McNamara (Vital Exposure); Owen Lowery; and Chisato Minaminura.
The full list of artists receiving R&D funding is: Sonia Allori; Richard Butchins; Nicola Canavan; Louise Coleman; Lea Cummings; Pete Edwards; Extant; Upswing and Yellow Earth; Simon Fildes; Sheila Hill; Kazzum; Noëmi Lakmaier; Aidan Moesby; Ailís Ní Ríain; Bekki Perriman; Touretteshero; the vacuum cleaner; and Aaron Williamson.
weareunlimited.org.uk/commissions
More on a-n.co.uk:
Unlimited: Looking for allies to promote great work by disabled artists
Artist calls for more support for disability arts
Aspire to inspire by Emma Geliot – Debate piece from a-n Magazine, November 2011 – 16 years after the Disability Discrimination Act came into force, are disabled artists more in the mainstream now or have the goal posts just moved sideways?
