Introducing
Bounce! started out as a relatively modest weekend event to welcome the Paralympics to Northern Ireland. As word spread about the programme, the Arts & Disability Forum’s Staff and Board had no choice but to respond to the level of interest and expand the programme. More and more artists have ‘bounced’ on board, and the programme grown into an exciting seven day festival, celebrating the talent of disabled artists and showing some of the best work on these islands and much further afield. We make no apologies for particularly targeting disabled audiences and for doing our utmost to make the events as accessible as possible. However we know that the quality – and perhaps the quirkiness – gives this unique programme much wider appeal. We are an inclusive organisation: everyone is welcome at Bounce! and there’s something in it for everyone. The ADF would like to thank our many members, associates and supporters for helping to make this exciting event happen. In particular we’d like to thank our funders – the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council; the Unlimited Cultural Olympiad 2012, for commissioning the fabulous work that we’ve been able to bring to Northern Ireland; our collaborators and delivery partners – Black Moon, the Black Box, Golden Thread, DadaFest, Adapt NI, Open Arts, Kids in Control, Outburst, Arts Ekta, the MAC, the Belfast Coffee Company, Kelly PR, the Cedar Trust and Disability Action. And there are a few individuals who have been just a little bit ‘bouncy’ about our dedication to this project and who have gone that extra mile – there are too many of you to name accurately but you know who you are and we thank you with beaming smiles!
Chris Ledger, ADF CEO On behalf of Leo Devlin, Gillian Porter, Stephen McManus, Brenda Kent and Andrea Villarino Rua (staff) and Roisin O’Hagan, Julie McGowan, Linda Fearon, Andrew Cooke and Nicholas McAtamney (Board).
Friday 24 August, 7pm and 9pm at Arts & Disability Forum The Ugly Spirit A backstage play by Russell Barr Directed by Garry Robson, featuring David Hoyle Tickets from ADF, £10/£7 Touch tour for visually impaired people at 6.30pm - please book Just 25 people per show NI Premiere Unlimited Cultural Olympiad commission for 2012 Join David Hoyle in a very private audience with Jessie and Bessie, the famous Siamese twins: What's it like to be always together, always to be one of a pair, always to share the praise and the blame and never, ever to have a birthday cake that’s just for you?
From Friday 24 August at Golden Thread Gallery CAUTION curated by Sinead O'Donnell Sinead O’Donnell, Sylvette Babin, Mariel Carranza, Paul Couillard, Poshya Kakil and Shiro Masuyama Free admission NI Premiere Unlimited Cultural Olympiad commission for 2012 Private view by invitation on 23 August – contact Golden Thread
Bringing together six artists from around the world to work on a series of solo and collaborative performances, video works, still images and installations, CAUTION is a major project curated by Sinead O’Donnell, seeking to re-frame artistic identity within an ongoing discourse about invisible disability.
From 24-30 August, 6.40pm at Queen’s Film Theatre Macropolis Animation by Joel Simon screening and workshop part of Animation Week Tickets from QFT, £6.20/£5/£4 Two disabled squeaky toys escape from the factory and find themselves lost and alone in urban world full of over-sized humans. It’s strange and daunting, but they explore and reinterpret everyday objects through their unique perspective. Shot using an unusual mix of stop-motion animation and time-lapse photography, MACROPOLIS is a mini road movie with a striking visual appearance, combining street performance with stop-motion film and real life locations in Belfast. Joel was previously supported by a grant from the Arts & Disability Awards Ireland scheme.* Workshop for children aged 8-12 years on 25 August, 12-2pm. Tickets £5 per child – see www.queensfilmtheatre.com.
Also, until 29 August at W5, Odyssey, Macropolis Animation by Joel Simon screening and exhibition www.w5online.co.uk Exhibition free but valid ticket to Odyssey is required: Adult £7.90 and Child £5.90
Saturday 25 August, 1-4pm at Arts & Disability Forum Cartooning workshop Andy Luke and Stephen Downey For up to 12 people Participation free of charge Book in advance Learn about and experiment with cartooning alongside other disabled people. If you don’t draw or don’t write, or think you don’t have ideas that would translate into comics, just don’t worry! People will team up, to combine ideas with writing and drawing skills.
Saturday 25 August, 8pm at Black Box Church of 80% Sincerity David Roche Tickets from Black Box, £8/£5 (pay once for double bill) NI Premiere From Canada as part of DaDa on Tour An autobiographical one-man show by a man with facial disfigurement, who is both very funny and an inspirational speaker: I had to find my own inner beauty and power. What seemed to be my 'flaw' has been revealed as a wonderful source of strength.David Roche's widely acclaimed signature piece, The Church of 80% Sincerity, is an award-winning, one-man show that has played to enthusiastic audiences across the United States and Canada, in Australia, England, Ireland, Russia - and at the White House.
Saturday 25 August, 9.30pm Music from Catherine Hatt at Black Box Tickets from Black Box, £8/£5 (pay once for double bill) NI Premiere Relax and enjoy some great music from this Belfast-based singer songwriter and poet. With support from the Arts & Disability Awards Ireland scheme*, Catherine is recording a new album, 'lost and found', with four string musicians.
From 24 August, 11-3pm at Arts & Disability Forum Gallery Clusters exhibition by Jan McNeill Tuesday to Friday 11am–3pm Free admission NI Premiere Preview 24 August, 5.30-7.30pm, all welcome Jan McNeill’s own connection with language has often been ambivalent and the installation represents a struggle to understand complexities, confusion, and even intimidation around the power and authority of words. The title refers to little clusters of words that form a conversation.
Intermittently throughout the week various public locations Pardon? Andrew Cochrane NI Premiere Premiere week for a new visual arts piece by a young Deaf artist who showed at the ADF Gallery last year. Andrew Cochrane and Pardon? will appear at various points during the week. Surprise is part of the work's charm but we’ll give you clues on our website so you can find him!
Monday 27 August, 1pm Black Box Green Room Henry and Sunny Writer/director Fergal Rock Cinematographer/producer Orla Russell Conway Free admission NI Premiere In a time of unprecedented economic depression, mass unemployment and civil unrest, one group has borne the brunt of society’s scorn – the clowns. Beautifully photographed in high contrast black & white, Henry & Sunny is a melancholy tale of true love against all odds. Orla Russell Conway’s involvement was supported by a grant from the Arts & Disability Awards Ireland scheme* – Orla will be present to answer questions.
Tuesday 28 August, 1-4pm at Black Box Bouncy Black Moon workshops by invitation only Disabled visual artists will join with regular Black Moon club goers to decorate the club room on a space age theme.
Tuesday 28 August, from 7pm at Black Box Bouncy Black Moon club night Tickets on the door ÂŁ6/3, parents and carers ÂŁ1 A night club by and for people with learning difficulties gets 'bouncy' and opens its doors to welcome all Bounce! festival goers. The night will have a rather bouncy space age theme so dress for the future please! Adult sized space hoppers provided and Luminous Soul will perform mid-evening.
Tuesday 28 August, 9pm at Black Box Patterns of Play Open Arts' Luminous Soul with Maiden Voyage Dance Choreography by Suzannah McCreight Tickets from the Black Box, ÂŁ6/3 (pay once for club admission) Bouncy Black Moon welcomes an exciting new choreography inspired by the world of football. Infectiously energetic, this dance of celebration will have you bouncing in your seats!
Wednesday 29 August, 7pm at Black Box Our World is Our Stage Adventures in Inner Space Theatre Company A KIC Production Tickets from the Black Box (pay once for double bill) A dynamic, physical theatre telling of four stories from the lives of young adults who all have a learning disability. Brave, funny, energetic and raucous with strong visual impact.
Wednesday 29 August, 8.30pm at Black Box Performance Poetry from Dan Eggs Tickets from the Black Box ÂŁ6/4 (pay once for double bill) Performance poetry from Dan Eggs, the highly entertaining Northern Ireland based master of alliteration. Expect Sweet Stella of Stanocum along with more recent work.
Thursday 30 August, 2pm at Black Box Take Me Out and Happy Birthday Impact Forum Theatre Company, Donegal In association with An Grianan Theatre, Letterkenny Tickets from the Black Box, ÂŁ7/5 Two newly devised pieces of theatre, each inspired by the personal stories and life experiences of people living with disability. Happy Birthday tells the story of Alice on the eve of her 21st birthday, excited and looking forward to partying the night away. However things do not go to plan. Take Me Out is the story of PJ, a young man who has applied to go on the popular TV dating show.
Thursday 30 August, 7.30pm at the Black Box Green Room Music by Benny Prasad Presented in association with Arts Ekta Free admission From India as part of DaDaFest on Tour A skilled acoustic guitar performance will be interspersed by Benny sharing his life experiences. Born in Bangalore, India, Benny Prasad is a remarkable musician with a wide musical repertoire. His birth was celebrated with the highest of hopes for his future, but he developed 60% lung damage and a compromised immune system. This led to him being the shame of his family; however through music he went on to be their pride, and now he performs internationally.
Friday 30 August, 7.30pm at the MAC Downstairs Theatre Claire Cunningham in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland presents Ménage à Trois by Claire Cunningham and Gail Sneddon Tickets from MAC, £10/£7 Online booking available www.themaclive.com NI Premiere Unlimited Cultural Olympiad commission for 2012
Sometimes I feel like a machine. I forget I was made to touch skin, to feel heat, breath, to have someone’s smile pressed into my neck. I wasn’t made to click. . . But with you I click. We. Click. Like a clique, a trio, a Ménage à Trois. In a dark, private chamber, a lonely woman begins to craft the perfect man out of the only thing she knows - her crutches. A hauntingly beautiful study of love, obsession, loneliness and manipulation, Ménage à Trois is a stunning new piece of dance theatre from award-winning performer Claire Cunningham and choreographer/video artist Gail Sneddon. Exploring Claire's twenty-year relationship with her crutches, this darkly humorous and deeply personal portrait asks if it's possible to find love when there are already three of you in the relationship. Created in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland and commissioned for Unlimited, a project celebrating disability, arts, culture and sport on an unprecedented scale as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Festival Access The Arts & Disability Forum endeavours to be as accessible as possible to all disabled people. For this reason we only work with venues that have good disability access and we try to make audio description and British Sign Language interpretation available whenever possible. If you have a query about a particular aspect of the access or want to request a particular service like BSL, please contact us as soon as possible, via info@adf.ie or 028 9023 9450. Our partner organisation Adapt NI, the access specialist, has also agreed to take calls and advise festival visitors on particular aspects of venue access; contact caroline@adaptni.org or 0289023 1211. The Ugly Spirit and CAUTION are British Sign Language Interpreted. We have interpreters on stand-by for many of the other events so please contact us if you want to attend anything else and need BSL. Voice sections in Ménage à Trois are minimal and are simultaneously projected as text as an integral part of the performance. CAUTION, Clusters and Ménage à Trois are audio described. The Ugly Spirit has integrated audio description and a touch tour starting at 6.30pm – visually impaired visitors get priority booking for the 7pm show. Bounce! venues are all wheelchair accessible but to varying degrees. For particular access queries contact Adapt NI as above for access appraisal details.
Contact details: Adapt NI (disability access advice) 109-113 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1FF www.adaptni.org caroline@adaptni.org 028 9023 1211
Arts & Disability Forum (festival organiser and venue for three events) Ground Floor, Cathedral Quarter Workspaces 109-113 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1FF www.adf.ie 028 9023 9450 info@adf.ie Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 11am–3pm core gallery hours and open at other times for specific events Online booking not available. Tickets can be reserved by phone or email. Follow up with cash or cheque to ADF please. For disability access requests contact Adapt NI.
Black Box (main festival venue) 18-22 Hill Street Belfast, County Antrim BT1 2LA www.blackboxbelfast.com 028 9024 4400 Office hours: 10am - 5pm Monday to Friday Online booking available.
Golden Thread (venue for Caution) 84-94 Great Patrick Street, Belfast, BT1 2LU, Northern Ireland www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk 028 9033 0920 Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10.30am–5.30 pm and Saturday 10.30am–4pm No booking required. For disability access requests contact Adapt NI.
MAC (venue for Ménage à Trois) 10 Exchange Street West, Belfast, BT1 2NJ www.themaclive.com 02890235053 Opening hours: seven days a week, 10am–7pm Online booking available
Queen’s Film Theatre (venue for Macropolis) 20 University Square, Belfast BT7 1PA www.queensfilmtheatre.com 028 9097 1097 Online booking available Opening hours: seven days a week, from 6pm until late
W5 at Odyssey (venue for Macropolis) 2 Queen’s Quay, Belfast BT3 9QQ www.w5online.co.uk 028 9046 7700 Opening hours: Sun 12pm-6pm; Monday to Friday; 10am-4pm; Sat 10am-6pm
* The cross-border Arts & Disability Awards Ireland scheme is an award-winning grant system supporting disabled artists, managed by the Arts & Disability Forum on behalf of the two Arts Councils of the island of Ireland.