Editor's Blog
Colin Hambrook responds to Tony Heaton’s talk about his sculpture as part of Shape’s ‘Animate’ programme on 4 February 2010
I’ve known Tony Heaton since 1993. He’s always been very enigmatic, passionate and down-to-earth in his approaches to the projects he takes up. I came into the disability arts movement in...Comments: 1
Colin Hambrook wishes the good ship dao and all who sail in her a Happy New Year!
2009 was a year of extreme highs on the dao front and lows in terms of dealing with personal impairment issues. Big thanks to all our writers and bloggers for helping us bring disability arts online...Comments: 6
Colin Hambrook reflects on the Rethink Parliament programme
Dao has been working with Parliamentary Outreach, Rethink and artist Rachel Gadsden on a project which looks at the relevance of the parliamentary process to people who have been through the mental...Comments: 0
16 October 2009
Colin Hambrook reflects on the 2nd Artists Debating Identity event at Shape
On Thursday 15 October Shape held their second informal conversation, led by Michèle Taylor - this time targeted at performing artists. Recognising the current lack of a platform for disabled...Comments: 6
Colin Hambrook needs to learn to take it easy ...
I’ve been at sixes and sevens the last couple of weeks. You know how it is – sometimes impairment can get the better of things. I count myself lucky to be in a position where I can do...Comments: 3
16 August 2009
Colin Hambrook drops in on the Edinburgh Fringe
I’ve been away for the past week, staying in Dunbar with friends. I thought I’d pop in on the Edinburgh Festival to see what disability-related arts I could find in the theatre section. From...Comments: 0
Artists Debating Identity
In the 1990s LDAF used to organise debates, which, truth to tell, became circular arguments centering around the question of what is Disability Arts? We somehow never seemed to get beyond celebrating...Comments: 9
12 May 2009
Getting into the groove ...
I have been slowly getting myself back into the groove since getting back from Australia. Big thanks go to Jon Pratty for managing DAO in my absence. I saw some terrific work in Australia, met some...Comments: 1
22 March 2009
Art of Difference
I attended a lot of cabaret performances at Art of Difference. The first reaction to being in Gasworks Arts Park was that it was like being at the Dada-Fest, which takes place in Liverpool every year...Comments: 0
Touch Compass: The Sleep of Reason begets Monsters
Harmonious Oddity – the triple bill by Touch Compass presented over the first three nights of the Art of Difference Festival began with a piece of Dance for Camera called The Picnic made in 2003....Comments: 4
14 March 2009
Touch Compass on the radar
I was very excited at the prospect of seeing Touch Compass, having met several of the artists from the programme whilst I was in Auckland where the company is based. Tim Turner, Rodney Bell and...Comments: 0
Art of Difference Festival: Melbourne 2009
Art of Difference is a disability and deaf arts festival produced by Gasworks in South Melbourne between 10 - 21 March 2009. I have the privilege of attending the first week of the festival and...Comments: 0
Momentum09
Momentum has been a difficult occasion for everyone involved. Philip Patston described his experience of it as being like driving a ten ton truck and suddenly hitting black ice and careering...Comments: 0
24 February 2009
Auckland here I am ... just about
I am writing from Auckland, New Zealand. I'm lucky enough to have been invited out here for a shortened version of Momentum09 - set up and run by Philip Patston of diversityworks. It's been great...Comments: 0
1 December 2008
Baptism of fire
In many ways I feel as if I was born into Disability arts. I was drawn me into it with a baptism of fire and haven't looked back. At the time there weren’t many mental health survivors in...Comments: 0
17 February 2008
The Press continues to pick up on the BAFTA fiasco
It seems that the Guardian (Friday 15 February) has taken up our cause by publishing a very erudite piece by Mat Fraser championing disability film - ie film made by disabled people about disability....Comments: 0
4 February 2008
BAFTA bans screening of one of X'08 films
When I sit down to write, it is rare that I know exactly what I’m going to say or how I’m going to frame it. I’ve run circles around myself over the last week thinking and making...Comments: 0
Arts Council cuts
Well the New Year came in with some devastating news in terms of Arts Council funding. It appears that 194 arts organisations who are currently funded by Arts Council are being cut. Of the few...Comments: 0
December 2007
Okay we're heading for the end of 2007. It's been a monumental year for us at DAO, having finally got some recognition from Arts Council that we have something worth investing in. I have been a...Comments: 0
20 November 2007
Reader's Survey
I understand that reprobate Crippen's missus has become a blog widow! I'm not surprised. Jeni - do you realise I've got a proposal from him here - 500 words a month it says! He sure knows how to make...Comments: 0
Liz Carr's It hasn't happened yet
It's rare I get out and about on the Disability Circuit these days, what with the pressures of family life and constant ongoing health concerns. BUT I was very fortunate to catch Liz Carr at the...Comments: 0