Click to Zoom collage

A collage of images from DaDaFest that you can zoom into

Videos from the festival

Clare Cunningham - Mobile

DaDaUpdate Two

DaDaUpdate One

Wolfgang Temmel - An Art History

DaDaFest International 2008 was fantastic!

Voting open for this year's DaDaAwards for Disabled and Deaf artists and community groups.

Tickets are available for this year's DaDaAwards for Disabled and Deaf artists and community groups

Nominations are now closed for this year's DaDaAwards for Disabled and Deaf artists and community groups

Find out about Disability Arts Online Blogs

This year's festival ran from 4th - 7th September and has been heralded as the 'best ever disability arts festival'.

Festival Highlights

Claire Cunningham - aerial dance takes on a whole new meaning with Claire creating astounding crutch-based performances. See video on this page.
Ju Gosling - internationally-known artist Ju has explored the ideas of normality in her exhibition Abnormal, shown at A Foundation.
Denise Leigh - winner of Channel 4's Operatunity performed at St George's Hall with accordion virtuoso Stefan Andrusyschyn.
DaDaLesque - an edgy burlesque show with world-famous stars like Millie Dollar and Julie Atlas Muz who taught DaDaFest regular Mat Fraser how it's done, at the Bluecoat.
Heavyload - A learning disabled punk rock band took the festival by storm.
DaDaRave - a hedonistic night of dance and music for Deaf people.
Oska Bright - A mini film festival and workshop with learning disabled day centre users, at the CUC.

Visitors

Festival attendees included people travelling from USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and even a contingent from Belarus. It is estimated that between 500-800 people attended each day. Over 270 artists were involved during the festival.

Media Coverage

The festival was featured from the UK to Australia, truly placing the North West on the map. Interviews around DaDaFest were broadcast on BBC 3, Radio 4, and the Guardian. BBC Radio Merseyside broadcast live from the festival exhibition launch on 21st August and the support from the North West media was phenomenal.

The festival has been filmed in detail by a BBC See Hear film crew who have followed the development of four new pieces of work created by Deaf artists.

Season 28 Episode 12 showing BBC2 1pm-1.30pm on Wed 1 October

"Behind the scenes at the UK's largest ever DaDaFest in Liverpool, following deaf dancers, actors and other artists perfecting their acts for the festival. The event organisers are also seen working round the clock to bring together the celebrations."

Access

We put in place whatever it takes to make festival-goers feel safe, comfortable and to help everyone enjoy the events, with a Quiet Zone, personal assistants on hand, BSL interpreters all around the site and making sure all staff working on site had undergone Disability Equality Training. This takes a great deal of planning and one of the main reasons the festival was held in A Foundation was to make it open to all. Every possible barrier that would prevent people access to DaDaFest was thought through and solutions put in place.

Check out our programme of events!

We have expanded our programme to include artists from around the globe with innovative and experimental work plus the popular classics returning to wow audiences from previous festivals. Events will centre around The A Foundation on Greenland Street, with some breakaway performances mainly at The Bluecoat, The Picket and St George's Hall.

Now in its eighth year, the festival is run by North West Disability Arts Forum (NWDAF), which has recently moved to The Bluecoat in the city centre of Liverpool. Visitors will be able to see everything from aerial dance and irreverent comedy to racy burlesque. The festival has artists who explore the idea of normality, a learning disabled punk rock band, a real live mermaid and much more.

DaDaFest Links

www.guardian.co.uk/society

www.liverpool.com

Disability Arts Online

www.disabilityartsonline.org (promo)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (insight)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (at a glance)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (info)

Disability Arts Online Blogs

Eight bursary winners were sent by Dada-South from the South East to sample the rich and diverse programme of events at DaDaFest International 2008. They were invited to report back to DAO (DisabilityArtsOnline) in a range of ways, either through daily blogging, review, report, film, photographs or drawings. A sample of responses from Jon Adams, Marisa Mann, Liz Porter, David Dixon, Sarah Pickthall, Bonny Cummins, Colin Hambrook, Clare Smith, Will Burrows, Gary Thomas, Vidya Wolton can be found on www.disabilityartsonline.org

www.disabilityartsonline.org (blog)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (blog > Gary Thomas)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (blog > Susan Bennett)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (blog > Colin Hambrook)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (blog > Sarah Pickthall)

www.disabilityartsonline.org (blog > Creative contributions)