September 2016 saw the much-anticipated return of Unlimited, a festival that celebrates the artistic vision and originality of disabled artists.
Originally part of the Cultural Olympiad for the London 2012 Olympics, Unlimited has become one of the biggest and best programmes of its kind in the world. The Unlimited commissions programme aims to embed work by disabled artists within the cultural sector, reach new audiences and shift perceptions of disabled people.
Unlimited 2016 incorporated theatre, dance, music, literature, comedy and visual arts that celebrated difference with a spirit of artistic adventure, honesty and humour. It ran from 6-11 September at London’s iconic Southbank Centre and, for the first time ever, the Festival extended to Scotland with Tramway’s Unlimited Festival which ran in Glasgow from 15-25 September.
As well as providing a programme of extraordinary art by disabled artists, Unlimited aims to give artists an opportunity to develop international partnerships and collaborations. The British Council in Australia invited Australian delegates to attend Unlimited for a week of performances, panel discussions, workshops and exhibitions. They were:
- Michele Saint-Yves – Poet, Playwright
- John Willanski – Artist
- Daniel Savage – Artist
- Vicki Sowry – Director, ANAT
- Gaelle Mellis – Creative Director, Access2Arts
- Morwenna Collett – Disability Coordinator, Australia Council for the Arts
- Gaele Sobott – Producer, Outlandish Arts
- Sofya Gollan – Director, Writer
- Alison Richardson – founder and co-collaborator, RUCKUS
Michele Saint-Yves, John Willanski and Daniel Savage also took part in artists’ residency, Unfixed.