Blog - Feminism
Miss Havisham’s Wedding Dress
September 17, 2019 - by Michelle BaharierI am a multi-disciplinary artist and in 2012 I made work that celebrated the London Olympics and the Paralympics but also Charles Dickens' bi-centenary, depicting Miss Havisham's Wedding Dress. It's now being brought out of storage for a new show, Impatient! Stories of service user advocacy at Bethlem Museum of ...
A Camera Shy Show-Off
June 24, 2019 - by Penny PepperMany people express amazement, fascination and sometimes gentle envy at what seems to be my life. I’m not that famous, I’m not a celebrity and I certainly don’t have that sort of bank balance. Who really does in the arts? In my hometown of Hastings I am recognised on the street ...
The JOY of Theatre
June 19, 2019 - by Colin HambrookTurtle Key Arts have a long-standing reputation in their role as creative producers advancing participation in the arts by disabled, disadvantaged and socially excluded people. For the second year running they partnered with the Lyric, Hammersmith to produce JOY – a flagship project of the Hammersmith and Fulham ArtsFest showcasing ...
Pimp My Unicorn!
June 10, 2019 - by Vince LawsWith Norwich Pride only 50 days away, it is sad to report that the annual Pride Without Prejudice art show has had to be cancelled due to a lack of bookings. Dismayed at this news I have booked the whole of St Margaret’s Church of Art on St Benedict’s Street in ...
Ten Years of Disabled- and Skint-Led Queer & Trans Art in Scotland: An alternative LGBTQI+ History
February 22, 2019 - by Sandra AllandTen years ago today, on 22nd February, 2009, I was part of the first ever Cachín Cachán Cachunga! As long-time curator of CCC's cabarets, art exhibitions and community events, I want to share a brief-ish history of the many milestones this anniversary celebrates. I'll also explain why ...
Berlin: Cold City, Warm Welcome
December 6, 2018 - by Kuli KohliA few years ago, I would never have dreamt of performing my work in public let alone flying out to Berlin to lecture German students about what it’s like being a British-Asian disabled woman writer. Last year I received an email from Dr. Katrin Röder, a professor at the Humboldt-Universität zu ...
“You’re Not Trans… You’re Autistic!”
November 12, 2018 - by Emma RobdaleAimee Challenor is 20 years. She is a transgender individual and also autistic. She and others from Trans communities feel they have had their Transgender identity undermined by medical professionals because of their autism. This has led to the delaying of gender reassignment procedures. How does it feel to ‘come out’ as Trans, only to have to hide autism? Challenor speaks out ...
Visibility and Me: Poetry, Pathways and Pressure.
November 8, 2018 - by Kay ChannonAs a PhD student living with a disability, occupying space is both a fascinating and problematic process. Walking with a wheelchair like I do means I am very visible to those within my institution and indeed to the public, blending in isn’t an option. One of the reasons for this ...
Being labelled
October 15, 2018 - by Bobby BakerMy experience of mental illness is a long time ago now. It’s ten years since I was discharged from the mental health system. But between 1997 and 2008, I was a ‘care-in-the-community client’, or ‘severe and enduringly ill patient’, a ‘service user’, and so on. I got a lot ...
Great & Tiny War Part One: Can Art Save The World?
July 30, 2018 - by Bobby BakerHello. This is the first time I’ve written a blog so I’m going to start as I always do when I ‘appear’ in public by introducing myself – in case mistakes have been made and people have expected to see a man. I’d like to make it absolutely clear, yet ...