December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the theme for this year is “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future”.
It seems perfect to announce the four projects selected from the open call for co-production launched last spring. All these projects are leaded by artists with disabilities and they will have co-production support and the opportunity to present their work at some of the EBA partners’ venues or festivals.
They are: Starting with the limbs by Annie Hanauer and l’Autre Maison, Horn fuckers by Diana Niepce, LAYERS by Katarzyna Żeglicka, AD Orchestra (Audio Description Orchestra) by Sindri Runudde with the sound designer Dehendrik Lechat Willekens.
Mira Helenius Martinsson, Skånes Dansteater’s CEO, comments on the selection process:
As CEO of EBA leading partner, I am very happy first of all about the selection process of the co-productions. Extensive collaboration among the partners, and the quality of the projects we received, made it possible to arrive at a shortlist which will find their way into the European performing art sector. An accessible open call gave us the opportunity to realize the great artistic variety we have in Europe and made us aware of how much a project like EBA can have a twofold positive impact: on one hand supporting artists with disabilities to break the glass ceiling of the mainstream sector, on the other hand, cultivating new aesthetics and inviting both programmers and audiences to develop new looks through which to look at the stage
Starting with the limbs draws on the experiences of artists using prosthetics or mobility devices to create scenographic elements which blur body and landscape, generate & amplify movement possibilities. A new cross-disciplinary, international collaboration between choreographer Annie Hanauer and l’Autre Maison.
Horn fuckers, by Diana Niepce, thinks of the body as an extraordinary event. In a post-apocalyptic universe, the piece based on the chaos theory works on loneliness and exposes the body in a state of contemplation and defies the viewer to reconsider conventions and social norms.
LAYERS, by Katarzyna Żeglicka, is a project of radical imagination, hope, and utopian reality, rooted in anarchy understood as the building of community and love. It’s a story about emancipated women fighting against oppression; about dreams and visions of transforming the world, grounded in a feminist-queer genealogy.
In AD Orchestra (Audio Description Orchestra), Sindri Runudde explores visual interpretation as a medium for creating dance and live performance. Together with sound designer Dehendrik Lechat Willekens, they will dive into a landscape of words and description practices, questioning how we can listen to dance and hear movements. Let’s awaken the soul within visual interpretation.
Ben Evans, project director at EBA, is very happy and proud of the selkcted projects:
Together they give us a glimpse into the rich and innovative artistic practices of Europe’s disabled artists. After receiving more than 150 applications from right across Europe following our Open Call for disabled-led projects, we have decided to support the following artists.
Diana Niepce is an artist with whom EBA has worked for many years. Having hosted Diana’s first ever international touring presentation years ago, we are proud to support Diana as she makes the next step into a large-scale and technically ambitious work. Horn fuckers promises to bring Diana’s characteristically uncompromising and physically challenging practice to the topic of chaos theory – with dancers suspended in the air echoing Diana’s past work as a circus artist. Alongside Diana is another EBA alumnus – Katarzyna Żeglicka. Żeglicka is renowned for their aesthetic exploration of the intersection between queer, disabled, anarchist and feminist artistic practices. Zeglicka’s production, LAYERS, reflects a deep activist practice, but does so in a way that imagines a glorious utopia grounded in community. Sindri Runudde’s work is radical in a different way. How can dance change to be an artform that is experienced deeply by people with visual impairment – both as audiences and as artists. AD Orchestra (Audio Description Orchestra) not only will explore the relationship between sound and dance, but also the intimate relationship between visually impaired people and their assistive technologies. Sindri imagines a trio between Sindri, a musician and Apple’s “Siri”. And, finally, in Starting with the Limbs, established choreographer Annie Hanauer will collaborate with French dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers, L’Autre Maison, in a dynamic and beautiful work exploring the aesthetics of prostheses. A co-production with Festival de Marseille, Starting with the Limbs is a work for large stages – an important step as disabled artists are so often only invited to make works for small stages and small audiences.
