Liverpool’s Deaf and disability arts festival DaDaFest will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an impressive array of visual arts, movies, performances, and workshops.
Large-scale projections, live theatre, and thought-provoking installations are all part of DaDaFest International 40 (DDFI40), which runs from March 8–31.
Highlights include a unique Bluecoat Weekender at DaDa’s city-centre hub, a large new photography show at Open Eye Gallery, and a visually arresting video work projected onto the Cunard Building.
Conversations with artists who are disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent served as inspiration for the festival’s title, “Rage: A Quiet Riot!” which symbolises continuing battles for equality.
Speaking to MerseyNewsLive , Zoe Partington, CEO of DaDA, commented: “This year the theme is rage because I think disabled people are fed up with not getting the right equality within the arts and cultural sector let alone in their everyday lives.”
The event was established in 1984 and promotes disability arts via festivals and ongoing participation.
Since its formal debut in 2001, it has featured innovative pieces created by under-represented artists.
Artist Zack Mennel said: “DaDa Fest is a festival programme for, about and led by disable artists.”
“It was set up in the mid-eighties under Thatcher government which did not serve Liverpool and that history is really entangled with a disability rights and activism and alongside there’s always disabled artists.”
Referring to the recent disability cuts by the government he added: “And now we’ve seen the government making moves to emulate the cultural values of neoliberalism of Thatcher.”
Colin Hambrook, founding editor of Disability Arts Online also said: “DaDa Fest always had a very political edge to understanding disability as a political construct.”
“DaDa Fest is a really important focus for the disability arts community to have a voice, to present work that champions access and that challenges discrimination.”
For details, visit dadafest.co.uk.
