DaDaFest has announced the line-up for this, it’s 30th anniversary festival.
The Liverpool organisation celebrates disability and deaf arts from around the world with comedy, film, music, dance and visual arts.
Its anniversary will be marked with a new “thinking and ideas” strand, looking to forge the link between disability arts, social justice and human rights. Speakers include Sir Peter Bazalgette, chair of Arts Council England; and Dr Chris Smit of Calvin College.
“With 30 years’ experience working in disability and Deaf arts we continue to pioneer and bring about social change through championing disabled and Deaf artists from across the world. We have provided new platforms and developed both disabled and non-disabled audiences,” stated Ruth Gould, DaDaFest artistic director.
“We want to use this knowledge and experience to inform the national debate on the position of disabled people and the need for continuing social change. The recent cuts in public spending have hit disabled people particularly hard, and while DaDaFest is all about celebrating the talents and achievement of our artists, we continue to actively highlight the need for social inclusion and justice.”
An exhibition, Art of The Lived Experiment, has been commissioned to illustrate this change. It has been conceived by DaDaFest in partnership with the Bluecoat and curated by Aaron Williamson. Containing 9 new commissions, 6 reworks and 28 artists from around the world it will include sculpture, film, installation, painting, prints and performance works.
The organisation has updated its visual identity ahead of the festival with a new logo.
