Thursday 1 May, 7–8 p.m., online, free.
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Join Disability Arts Online for a panel discussion and sharing of work by three disabled and/or neurodivergent artists and writers who explore the theme of masking in their creative practice. Masking refers to the constant pressure on neurodivergent people to conform to societal norms and hide their authentic selves, leading to exhaustion and burnout.
This discussion and sharing event has been curated by current DAO Associate, Elspeth Wilson (she/her/they). Over the last year, Elspeth has been exploring the topic through their associateship with DAO, in partnership with the Edwin Morgan Trust. The culmination of that work is a new poetry film, Skin.
“I had an idea for exploring selkie mythology and autistic masking and it really felt like that idea was telling me the best way to express it was through poetry film. It wanted to be sinuous and slippery and use erasure in a visual way where audiences would be able to see how a mask comes into being. My film, Skin, speaks to the parts of ourselves we are often asked to excise to be acceptable to society and to loved ones.”
Elspeth Wilson
Audiences will have the chance to watch a screening of Skin, and hear live poetry written by Elspeth throughout the project. Elspeth will be joined by Charlie Fitz (she/her/they), a UK-based disabled artist, writer, Interdisciplinary Creative and Medical Humanities researcher and Anita Govan (she/her), a neurodiverse spoken word poet, performer, events producer, and teaching artist.
The artists will share examples of their work exploring the topic of masking, followed by an open discussion, chaired by DAO’s founding Editor, Colin Hambrook. There will also be a chance for audience questions and comments.
edwinmorgantrust.com 