Jo Verrent

Jo believes that ‘different’ is delicious not divergent.

A speaker, writer and activist, she creates, produces and curates art. She also intervenes in arts and culture at strategic levels with national agencies and on the ground with organisations/individuals embedding the belief that diversity adds texture, turning policy into real action.

Jo is currently senior producer for the three-year UK Unlimited Commissions programme (working with Shape and Artsadmin) for disabled artists and companies.

Her most recent video installation, Take Me To Bed, created with Luke Pell and featuring Caroline Bowditch, Robert Softley Gale, Janice Parker and Luke himself, premiered at the Dance Digital Mobilities Festival in Bedford in April 2014 and will be touring the UK in 2014/15.

Other work in the last few years, delivered in partnership with Sarah Pickthall, has included:

• Short Circuit – fusing disabled artistry and digital acumen
• Push Me – film-making for The Space focusing on Unlimited artists within the 2012 Cultural Olympiad
• Sync – examining the interplay between disability and leadership in the cultural sector.

She has also written a number of articles defining the UK’s Creative Case and articulating the perspective that diversity is at the heart of great art.

In 2013, Jo undertook a personal challenge to do one thing differently every day for the whole year, to push the barriers within her own practice.

Jo has won both Cosmopolitan’s woman of achievement award and her village’s cup for making jam.

Jo is partially deaf and has tinnitus. She uses residual hearing, lip reading and sign language.

Take Me To Bed

Duration: Installation on a 60 minute loop

Description: Take Me to Bed is an installation, an invitation, to come close to non-traditional dance bodies and their dances. The installation requires a 14 m blank wall for projection or 2 x 7 m as ideally the bodies in the beds should be displayed life sized.

People on road: 1

Freight: baggage

Freight details: Two projectors can be toured in excess baggage.
Digital media and player can be brought in hand luggage.

Can deliver keynote presentations, speeches and practical workshops based on body image/representation of disabled people within contemporary or historic culture.