Anti-ableist work in the arts: artists and professionals in conversation
Ableism refers to the discrimination, marginalisation and stigmatisation of people because of their disability or illness, which involves invisible barriers and deep-rooted prejudices. Working anti-ableist can make these thresholds visible and eliminate them.
At the Posthuis in Brussels, Flanders Arts Institute brought together Saartje Cauwenbergh, Fanny Vandesande, Saïd Gharbi, Shervin/e Sheikh Rezaei and An-Josefien Falelavaki to talk to Leni Van Goidsenhoven about their experiences in the arts field. How do they navigate themselves within that field? What helps them do so? What really makes a difference?
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Speakers
- Leni Van Goidsenhoven is an associate professor of Critical Disability Studies at the University of Amsterdam and visiting professor of Disability Studies at the University of Ghent.
- Saartje Cauwenbergh is an arts and culture mediator by training. For 12 years, she worked as an audience worker for a large performing arts institution, with a specific focus on accessibility. During these years, she was able to build up extensive know-how and expertise, also through her involvement in the European ACT (Accessible Culture & Training) project and the development of a new technical tool to make theatre performances accessible(er). Today, Saartje works as a production manager for a string orchestra and is one of the founders of Staging Access vzw, with which she actively works to make the cultural sector more accessible.
- An-Josefien Falelavaki is a painter, writer, filmmaker, philosopher and activist.
- Shervin/e Sheikh Rezaei is an artist with a multimedia practice in which she explores the contrast between the fluidity and invasiveness of nature and humans, as well as the controlled and impersonal language of technology. Her attraction to the irrational and emotional led her from architecture to autonomous visual art.
- Saïd Gharbi is a dancer, actor, teacher and creator based in Brussels. Saïd was born in Tangier, Morocco, and moved to Belgium with his family in the late 1960s. He became gradually blind at the age of 14. He began his dance career in 1993 with Ultima Vez/Wim Vandekeybus, with whom he made many creations. Since then, Saïd has travelled all over Europe, dancing and performing in international productions. In 2001, he founded Les BGM, a Brussels dance company, and developed his own teaching methods in which non-visual experience became a guiding theme for research and development of potential.
- Fanny Vandesande closely works with Platform-k as artistic collaborator, mentor, choreographer and teacher. In that collaboration, she is currently working as artistic coach and performer for A BIGGER THING at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen led by Lisi Estaras. She is also part of the artistic team of LEON.DANCE – Les Ateliers Leon led by Seppe Baeyens where she researches participation, accessibility and diversity. In 2021, she took on the choreography of ‘Ship of fools’ by Sahar Rahimi (produced by Monster Truck, Platform-K & NTGent) which toured internationally.
Transcription
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