Since 1991, Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company has created a range of innovative and increasingly acclaimed theatre by and about disabled people. Towards the end of 2012, however, the company announced that it was going to be led by “a triumvirate of outstanding talents”: with Shona Rattray, who has worked with many of Scotland’s […]
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Our Friends Electric
Once either the threat or comedy relief in science fiction stories, robots have broken out of our factories and into our homes–and are making a real difference to the lives of disabled people. “The Encyclopaedia Galactica defines a robot as a mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of a man. The marketing division of […]
Unlimited 2014 launch
A new programme celebrating and supporting disabled artists and disability art was launched on Monday in Glasgow. Paul F Cockburn was there. New work from some of Britain’s most exciting disabled artists will help build on the success of London’s Cultural Olympiad in 2012, and both sustain and develop disability arts across the UK, according […]
Better Living through Architecture
The UK’s ongoing shortage of fully accessible homes is well known – but have you ever thought about designing and building your own? Paul F Cockburn looks at how one couple were able to create a distinctive abode for all the family… Following the birth of their younger daughter Greta, Thea and Ian McMillan realised […]
Comic Turns
The 1980s aren’t everyone’s favourite decade but, for theatre producer Nica Burns OBE, there’s at least one thing to look back on with some pride–the comedy. “I was there when ‘Alternative Comedy’ started,” she explains. “The whole point of it was to change things. It had a mission; that jokes that were homophobic, racist or […]
A Polite Queer Revolutionary
Last November, the film and video artist John Smith became the latest recipient of the annual Film London Jarman Award. Smith, who has already built-up an internationally recognised body of work, follows in the steps of, among others, 2012 Turner Prize nominee Luke Fowler, who won the inaugural Jarman Award in 2008. “The breadth and […]
All the Right Notes
“Music can communicate to everyone if you give it a go!” So said one of the many participants in a trial programme that has led to Sounds of Intent, a recently launched new teaching framework which underlines how unlocking the musical potential of thousands of children with special needs can make a genuine difference to […]
