Electric Bodies

Electric Bodies animations

Electric Bodies is a series of eight poetry cycles by Allan Sutherland taken from the transcripts of oral history interviews with practitioners from within the Disability Arts Movement. Within the context of the D4D project Electric Bodies aims to examine aspects of disabled artists lives that give voice to some of the main concerns of the disability arts movement. As part of the program Mark Hetherington made the following series of animations, using drawings by Colin Hambrook illustrating Allan Sutherland’s transcription poetry cycles

‘Making Merry’ – tells the life story of disabled artist Robin Surgeoner

‘Making Merry’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the writer, performer and athlete Robin Surgeoner.

‘Not Getting Lost’ – tells the life story of disabled artist Vici Wreford-Sinnott

‘Not Getting Lost’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the writer and theatre director Vici Wreford-Sinnott, Artistic Director of Little Cog Theatre Company.

Disconsortia – A Lyrical Essay

portrait shot of a young woman running a workshop

As part of DAO’s Electric Bodies project – Disconsortia, produced by Vici Wreford-Sinnott – brought twenty disabled artists from the North East of England together at the ARC arts centre in Stockton. Writer-in-residence Lisette Auton reflects on the two-day workshop.

Ways of Understanding – tells the life story of disabled artist Colin Hambrook

‘Ways of Understanding’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with Colin Hambrook, an artist, poet and journalist who is one of the key figures in Disability Arts.

‘Stories of Power’ – tells the life story of disabled artist Jess Thom

Touretteshero co-founder Jess Thom. Photo by Laura Page ‘Stories of Power’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the…

Telling Stories – tells the life story of disabled artist Julie McNamara

Julie McNamara ‘Telling Stories’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the writer and performer Julie McNamara, the founder…

A Different Way of Engaging – tells the life story of disabled artist Katherine Araniello

a woman with orange hair sits in her wheelchair in front of a canal boat

‘A Different Way of Engaging’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the late Katherine Araniello, a performance and…

‘Making Links’ – tells the life story of disabled artist Tony Heaton

‘Making Links’ is a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the sculptor and arts administrator Tony Heaton, a leading figure in the Disabilty Arts movement.

‘Thalidomide Acts’ – tells the life story of disabled artist Mat Fraser

‘Thalidomide Acts’ is the first outcome of the ‘Electric Bodies’ strand of D4D, a cycle of transcription poems based on a series of interviews with the performer Mat Fraser, who recently starred to great acclaim in Northern Broadsides production of ‘Richard III’.

Project:Electric Bodies