The very first Arts & Disability Festival in the Middle East will bring Katara Cultural Village to life from March 15 to 30, inspiring people across Qatar to celebrate the amazing talents of disabled artists through a unique and varied programme of exciting events and activations. The British Council, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage in Qatar are presenting a programme rich with captivating live performances, exquisite exhibitions, intriguing installations, compelling films, relevant discussions and practical workshops, all engineered to interest people across the spectrum.
The Festival will aim to not only raise awareness of disability both within the arts sector, and more broadly within society, but also defy stereotypes, and change perceptions.
Hosted by Katara Cultural Village, the Festival is one of the highlights of Qatar- UK 2013, an initiative of mandated yearlong events that celebrate the developing partnership between Qatar and the United Kingdom in the fields of art, culture, education, sport and science.
Work for the festival event has been selected from The Unlimited Programme, the largest ever celebration and exploration of disability arts that was a major element of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The Festival visitor offerings are a vivid bouquet.
Festivalgoers can expect to be thrilled by standout exhibitions and cutting-edge performances, such as Three, a visually stunning piece of dance theatre from award-winning performer Claire Cunningham and choreographer and video artist Gail Sneddon. It is a deeply personal portrait that explores Claire’s 20-year relationship with her crutches.
The Marc Brew Company’s Fusional Fragments combine classical ballet and contemporary dance, as Grammy Award-winner Dame Evelyn Glennie makes music move as she performs live, fresh from her role in the Olympic opening ceremony.
This Breathing World is a dramatic collection of artwork by Rachel Gadsden. Gadsden spent the first twenty years of her life living in the Middle East and this formative cultural experience continues to inhabit and enrich all of her work.
Turning Points is a short film by Welsh filmmaker Chris Tally Evans and utilises stunning images from his native Wales, images that comment on the narrative, sometimes beautiful, sometimes wry, always enchanting.
In Macropolis, by Joel Simon, two disabled squeaky toys escape from the factory and find themselves lost and alone in an urban world full of over-sized humans. Shot using a unique mix of stop-motion animation and time-lapse photography on the streets of Belfast, Macropolis is a modern-day fable with a striking visual appearance. While Sue Austin’s performances in a self-propelled wheelchair will forever transform your perception of disability in the documentary film, Creating the Spectacle.
Festivalgoers can also hear some of the exhibited artists deliver moving talks about their work and what influences it. They will also share their experience and thoughts on what it means to be a disabled artist in 2013, as well as engaging with the audience in a question and answer session.
The festival has something for everyone. Artist Rachel Gadsden leads a Body Mapping Workshop for families with disabled children. She introduces participants to a powerful tool to envision how life experience is stored in your body. It is suitable for all ages.
As the recognised world leader in disability arts, and with an ongoing commitment to the cause, The UK is the ideal partner to engage local audiences in Qatar on the issue of disability. The Arts & Disability Festival will draw on this expertise to provide an unprecedented platform for disabled artists to express themselves, and for disabled people in Qatar to be inspired and motivated.
