Conference: Aesthetics of Access

Date: November 10, 2022 - November 10, 2022
Location: Sweden

A half-day conference from Skånes Dansteater presenting international guest lecturers, inspiration and knowledge sharing for professionals working with performing arts or accessibility. Free admission as part of dance festival DansFunk 4.0: Aesthetic of Access, November 8-14.

Aesthetics of Access is a new way of embracing accessibility within artistic process and performing arts. The aim is integrate accessibility as a crucial part of the creative process allowing it to artistically influence ideas as a performance evolves into a finished creation. The concept is not limited to increasing access to performing arts for a specified group, but instead creating performance experiences accessible for all audiences and developing the art form.

Join us for an afternoon of inspiration and expertise on creating performances with Aesthetics of Access and how art institutions and artistic leaders can create more inclusive productions from the start of the creative process.

The Aesthetics of Access Conference 2022 is part of the project Europe Beyond Access co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme and Region Skåne.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM, 13:00-16:30

The conference is held in Skånes Dansteater’s theatre and will be livestreamed via Vimeo.

13.00-13.05: WELCOME

Greetings from our moderator Tanja Mangalanayagam, Region Skåne.

13.05-14.05: WHAT IS AESTHETICS OF ACCESS?

What is an ”Aesthetics of Access”? What do we mean by accessibility within the creative process? What is gained by including access in the creation of a piece and how can we work with accessibility across national borders?

Three speakers will share their journeys and give inspiration on how to make performances with the Aesthetics of Access approach.

Jenny Sealey is CEO and Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre Company, the UK’s flagship disability-led theatre company. Jenny, deaf since the age of 7, has pioneered a new dramatic language which explores the ‘Aesthetics of Access’, creatively embedding tools, such as audio-description and sign language interpretation. She was also the Co-creative Director of the Opening Ceremony of the London Paralympic Games 2012. Jenny will give a video speech, introducing the concept of Aesthetics of Access.

Lisette Reuter, CEO and Artistic Director for Un-Label Performing Arts Company based in Cologne in Germany. She also works as curator and consultant in the international, inclusive art and cultural sector, advising and accompanies cultural stakeholders and organizations throughout Europe in the field of accessibility and equal participation. Lisette’s approach is always border-crossing, in every aspect. She sees inclusion not as a social project, but as a matter of course and as a normal part of art.

Chisato Minamimura is a Deaf performance artist, choreographer and British Sign language art guide. Born in Japan, now based in London, Chisato has created, performed and taught internationally. Chisato has been involved in aerial performances with Graeae Theatre Company, London’s Paralympic Opening Ceremony and Rio’s 2016 Paralympic Cultural Olympiad.  In her work she experiments with and explores the visualisation of sound and music using dance and digital technology.

14.10-15.05: A CREATOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON AESTHETICS OF ACCESS

Four creators share how they work with accessibility as part of their artistic practice. How have their working methods been developed and how do they implement it in their work?

Sindri Runudde is a dancer and choreographer working in Sweden but also internationally with companies such as Les Sept Doigts de la Main and Candoco Dance Company. Currently, Sindri is choreographing the community performance Snaecka at Skånes Dansteater. Sindri will in his video speech share his exploration of how dance can be described, and how words can become dance and dance become words.

Ellen Spens is a performing artist, actor and founder of Kollaborativet, a performing arts collective in Malmö. Ellen and Kollaborativet work in the borderline between dance, performance and theatre, and focus on people’s relations to space, objects, each other and themselves. Their projects när vi lyser för varandra (…when we shine for each other…) was built upon collaborations withchildren using sign language and Jag ärtid, jag är rum (I am time, I am space) was exploring body and perception together with disabled children in shools in Malmö.

Madeleine Månssonis a dancer at Skånes Dansteater, involved in several projects since 2012, and is since 2022 part of the dance ensemble. She has performed in numerous Skånes Dansteater productions and has toured with the highly acclaimed duets Dare to Wreck and Fine Lines all over the world. She has developed methods of inclusive workshop practices as part of the European Union project iDance. This autumn Madeleine is dancing in Vinterresa, an autobiographical solo by the choreographer Carl Knif, where words and motion are intertwined in an exploration of memory and its nature. 

Lisette Reuter, CEO and Artistic Director for Un-Label Performing Arts Company based in Cologne in Germany. She also works as curator and consultant in the international, inclusive art and cultural sector, advising and accompanies cultural stakeholders and organizations throughout Europe in the field of accessibility and equal participation. Lisette’s approach is always border-crossing, in every aspect. She sees inclusion not as a social project, but as a matter of course and as a normal part of art. 

15.05-15.25: BREAK

Coffee and snacks included.

15.25-16.25 HOW TO CREATE DIFFERENT JOURNEYS WITHIN A PERFORMANCE

How do you work with creative audio description and sign language interpretation as an integrated part of the creative process? How can you create different journeys within the same performance? A seminar about how audio description and sign language interpretation can change focus from its traditional role and instead be crucial for the esthetic and dramaturgical story.

Max Greyson is a poet, artist and an academic as well as the script writer for the performance Gravity (and other attractions) with Un-Label Performing Arts Company that is based in Germany. He dedicates his research at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp to the artistic integration of audio descriptors for the blind and visually impaired. He passionately investigates sound and rhythm in order to find a merciless voice that challenges everything and everyone (including himself).

Dodzi Dougban is a professional dancer and deaf. He is a part of Un-Label Performing Arts Company from Germany. As a dancer and dance coach, he focuses on hip hop, modern dance and popping, and it’s crucial to him to make perceptible how music and rhythm can be felt through our bodies. Dodzi is also a sign language teacher.

Quiplash is a queer, disability led consulting and performance project headed by Al and Amelia Lander-Cavallo and based in London. They share their time between making accessible performances that platform queer disabled creatives and consulting other industry professionals on accessibility, disability awareness and disability justice. In this talk, Al and Amelia will talk about their methodology of Queer Audio Description – a style of access that has creativity and activism at is core. 

16.25-16.30: CONCLUDING NOTES

SIGN-UP

If you wish to join us seated at the theatre, book your free seats via the BILJETTER / TICKETS link in the page menu. We are also availble to book tickets via phone +46 (0)703-44 58 11 or by email to dansfunk@skanesdansteater.se

If you wish to join us live online, sign up via email to dansfunk@skanesdansteater.se or call us by phone +46 (0)703-44 58 11

ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL ACITIVITIES

WORKSHOP: POETIC AUDIO DESCRIPTION

Nov 8, 13:00-16:00
With Max Greyson, script writer of Un-Label Performing Arts Company’ performance Gravity (and other Attractions).
More about the workshop here

GUEST PERFORMANCE: GRAVITY (AND OTHER ATTRACTIONS)

Nov 9, 19:00
An international guest performance by Un-label Performing Arts Company. Post-show artist talk directly after the perfformance with the dancers and collaboratng artists, included in the ticket price.
More about the performance here

WORKSHOP: AESTHETICS OF ACCESS IN PRACTICE

Nov 10, 09:30-12:00.
With Lisette Reuter, founder and Artistic Director of Un-Label Performing Arts Company and dancers Sarah ”Sarena“ Bockers and Dodzi Dougban and Max Greyson, script writer of Un-Label Performing Arts Company’ performance Gravity (and other Attractions).
More about the workshop here

VINTERRESA – RELAXED PERFORMANCE

Nov 14, 13:00.
A solo performance by choreographer Carl Knif.
Audio description in Swedish available.
Meore about the performance here