Press Release: Mayor of London and Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 present a free festival to celebrate the work of deaf and disabled artists

[Jan McNulty]

Website: www.wfculture19.co.uk  
Twitter: @WFculture19  #WFCulture19 
Facebook: @WFculture19  
Instagram: @wfculture19

 

MAYOR OF LONDON AND WALTHAM FOREST LONDON BOROUGH OF CULTURE 2019 PRESENT A FREE FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE THE WORK OF DEAF AND DISABLED ARTISTS

 

• LIBERTY WILL TAKE PLACE IN VENUES AROUND WALTHAMSTOW ON SATURDAY 23 AND SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER
   
• A WEEKEND OF FREE ART AND LIVE PERFORMANCE CELEBRATING THE WORK OF DEAF AND DISABLED ARTISTS 

Liberty, The Mayor of London’s free festival celebrating the work of deaf and disabled artists, is coming to Waltham Forest on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November, presenting an exciting weekend of cutting-edge arts in the spaces and places of Walthamstow produced in partnership with Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019. This year’s Liberty presents a diverse programme of ground-breaking art and performance. 

 

Two immersive installations will be featured in Walthamstow for the duration of Liberty, including artist Nwando Ebizie’s Afrofuturist immersive tech installation Distorted Constellations. The brain becomes a fragmented labyrinth inspired by the artist’s rare neurological disorder, Visual Snow. Audiences will also be invited to take a journey through Architects of Air’s monumental inflatable sculpture of colour, air and light Arboria in Lloyd Park behind the William Morris Gallery. Both installations will open before the weekend to allow more time to be enjoyed and experienced.

Liberty will launch on Saturday 23 November with a club night from Deaf Rave, alongside DJ and BSL workshops. This will be followed by a full day of creative and thought-provoking artist performances, new commissions, and visual art in venues across Walthamstow on Sunday 24 November. 

 

Candoco Dance Company will present pop-up performances of You and I Know, choreographed by Arlene Philips.  Dancers Joel and Laura offer audiences a potent and emotive exploration of how we fall in and out of love over and over again, often with the same person. Multi-award-winning writer Byron Vincent presents his thought-provoking Instagramming the Apocalypse, a performance piece examining his own anxiety disorder in the face of the modern malaise.

 

Original work developed as part of the London Borough of Culture Fellowship Funding programme will be on show at Liberty, including E17 local Shyne Phiri’s dance piece about human interdependence, strength and vulnerability developed with Stopgap Dance. Handprint Theatre will present a special performance and arts workshop for young deaf and hearing audiences called Our Patchwork Community.

 

St Helens-based Heart of Glass will work with artist the vacuum cleaner (James Leadbitter) to bring elements of their Madlove Take Over Festival to Bangs Hair Salon.  The festival places mental health centre stage and creates a space for art, conversation and care. In collaboration with world famous disability company, Touretteshero, they will present a Knowledge Exchange project in the salon for this year’s Liberty festival. Madlove Take Over will also be presented as part of Art Assembly, which is taking place in Walthamstow on Saturday 23 November. 

 

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I’m delighted that our Liberty festival is once again showcasing the work of some of the finest deaf and disabled artists and performers in the world. Waltham Forest has pulled out all the stops to put on an unparalleled performance of arts and entertainment. This year’s festival has something for everyone, so my message to Londoners and visitors is to go and enjoy the many performances, sessions and workshops taking place.”

 

Cllr Claire Coghill, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Mayor of London to bring Liberty to Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019. As we move towards the end of the year, we can showcase some of the fantastic work developed through our grants programmes this year, alongside some of the nation's leading companies working with D/deaf and disabled artists. Liberty is an example of our commitment to supporting the capacity of local businesses and venues to host cultural activity, and to make what they do more accessible and inclusive for all.” 

 

Most performances will be free to drop-in, with a number of free ticketed talks and workshops. All venues taking part in Liberty will have a range of access facilities, and there will be additional accessible transport available to take audiences between events. 

 

London Borough of Culture is working with live music and event accessibility charity Attitude is Everything to support Waltham Forest venues to make what they do more accessible and inclusive for D/deaf and disabled people.

 

-ENDS –

Programme at a glance 

 

Arboria Luminarium: Architects of Air
Thu 21 – Sun 24 Nov, 09:30am – 3:30pm, Lloyd Park, E17, Free to attend, just turn up
Architects of Air’s monumental inflatable sculpture of colour, air and light is coming to Lloyd Park. 

 

Nwando Ebizie: Distorted Constellations
Fri 22 – Sun 24 Nov, Waltham Forest Community Hub, Free to attend, just turn up
An exhibition that uses sound, projections and holograms to immerse the audience in the imagined landscape of the artist’s brain, inspired by Ebizie’s rare neurological disorder Visual Snow. 

 

Deaf Rave
Sat 23 Nov
DJ Workshop 12 noon and 2pm, William Morris Community Centre
BSL taster workshop 1pm and 3pm, William Morris Community Centre
Deaf Rave club night 6pm – 10pm Welcome to the Forest Bar 186 Hoe Street E17 4QH, Free to attend, just turn up. 
Organised by deaf people, for deaf people, Deaf Rave brings a line-up of d/Deaf performers to this visual and captivating evening club event. 

 

Sunday programme

Handprint Theatre: Our Patchwork Community
11:30am, Walthamstow Library, High Street, Walthamstow E17 7JN
Using storytelling, physical theatre, British Sign Language and a combination of anything they can get their hands on, Handprint Theatre make theatre accessible to both Deaf and Hearing — allowing all to share stories which communicate across language, disability or culture. Performance, 11:30 – 12:15pm and workshop 12:15pm – 1pm.

 

Shyne Phiri: Outside In 
12:30pm – 1:30pm, Walthamstow Trades Hall, 61-63 Tower Hamlets Rd, E17 4RQ
Stopgap Dance have been working with Walthamstow choreographer Shyne Phiri to develop an original dance piece, responding to themes of human interdependence, strength, and vulnerability.

 

Knowledge Exchange podcast session
12pm-5pm, BANGS hairdressers, 66 - 68 Hoe St, Walthamstow, London E17 4PG
The vacuum cleaner & Heart of Glass are taking over BANGS hairdressers on Hoe Street, sharing the work and process of artists involved in MadLove – TakeOver Festival in St Helens. In collaboration with world famous disability company, Touretteshero, they will present a Knowledge Exchange project in the salon. 

 

Byron Vincent – Instagramming the Apocalypse
4:30pm – 5:40pm, 202 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 4BS
Multi-award winning writer, performer and broadcaster Byron Vincent turns his sharp wit and curious mind to the modern malaise. Byron Vincent is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but with dying icons, impending climate catastrophe, isn’t blind panic the only sane response?

 

Candoco Dance Company: You and I Know
6:30pm – 7:30pm, One Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 4SD
Choreographed by Arlene Phillips and danced with passion and sensitivity to a collection of pop songs, dancers Joel and Laura offer audiences a potent and emotive exploration of how we fall in and out of love over and over again, often with the same person.

 

Unlimited House of Krip Documentary
7pm and 8:30pm, 202 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 4BS
The Unlimited House of Krip celebrates the fusion of D/deaf and disabled performers with the gloriously extravagant world of vogue ball culture. Fittings Multimedia Arts formed a “House” of Deaf performers to walk in the Legendary House of Suarez Vogue Ball and the process - from auditions to performance - was recorded as a celebration of diversity.
 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

 

Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 
Waltham Forest is the Mayor’s first London Borough of Culture. The award, the flagship programme in his culture strategy, was a major new initiative launched by Sadiq to put culture at the heart of London’s communities. More than 15,000 people backed Waltham Forest’s bid, which aims to inspire 85% of households to participate in the cultural year, engage every school in the area in arts and culture, and to attract over half a million new visitors to the borough. 

The year will explore the themes ‘Radicals’, ‘Makers’ and ‘Fellowship’ in a collaboration between local residents, artists and creatives creating a once in a life time celebration of the place we call ‘home’.  Waltham Forest, London Borough of Culture 2019 will shine a light on the character, diversity and cultures of the borough, the things we have in common and the things that make us different, a year-long celebration of the real cultures of London by the people who live here. 

 

Funding for London Borough of Culture 
The two winning London Boroughs of Culture (2019 and 2020) will receive a guaranteed fund of £1.35 million. This comprises of £1.25m pledged by City Hall with additional support from the City Bridge Trust of £100,000. In addition, a total of £1,004,000 has been allocated to up to six additional boroughs for individual landmark projects – the Mayor’s Cultural Impact Award. This comprises £904,000 from City Hall and £100,000 from the City Bridge Trust. The winning boroughs will also be supported to bid for funds that have been agreed by external partners Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Heritage Lottery Fund. The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation will work with the winning boroughs to help them secure further funding for bespoke cultural projects that will help bring real change to local boroughs. Boroughs are expected to provide at least 30% match funding (25% in cash, 5% in kind).

 

About the City of London Corporation 
The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

 

About City Bridge Trust 
City Bridge Trust is the City of London Corporation's charitable funder. It is London's biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital. City Bridge Trust has awarded more than 7,700 grants totalling over £370 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the City Corporation's aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners. 

 

Airbnb 
Airbnb is supporting the London Borough of Culture with funding to promote healthy tourism. Airbnb’s Community Tourism Programme, will support the Mayor’s winning boroughs – Waltham Forest and Brent – by funding innovative local community project ‘Listen Local’. This will place writers in Waltham Forest and Brent to work with local creative talent and their communities to uncover hidden stories about local people and places.

 

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