This is Your Strife

This is Your Strife is a culmination of multimedia works that incorporate digital technology, music, creative writing, dance, sculpture,  and animation. The ethos that underlies the project attempts to challenge the societal discourse associated with disability. More precisely is the general view that people with disabilities can be seen as limited in ability and thus are not afforded the same opportunities. This is evident through the environment and general discourse of disability. Equality is a treasured human right, yet people with disabilities can face very subversive opinions and environments which do little to explore their strengths but reinforce the view of limitation. 

 

This Is your Strife aims to make the viewer reflect on how they can change their own approach to be less disabling. Adults with learning disabilities from the daycare centre, Daybreak, have been working with artists to explore artistic processes which put the user at the centre of the creative process. The music production phase of the project required the lead artist, Mandeep Kallu, to think about the most inclusive way to generate musical ideas. Using conventional instruments was not appropriate because they would have been disabling for some people. One answer to this problem was the development and utilisation  of a musical system through technology. The participants worked closely with artists over 14 months, using new techniques to produce their work. Sensory technology such as eye tracking glasses, computer applications, and a specifically developed web camera which recognises hand gestures to create musical scores were all used, and were designed to take away any limitations attached to disability and creativity. The result is the opportunity for people to make music and express themselves in an environment which is not disabling but ENABLING. 

The group created a collection of works that focus on the individuals’ world perspectives.
Lead Artist: Mandeep Kallu
Associat artists: Pawel Jedrzejewski, Gary Cordingley, Dr V. Rajput, Nadia Iftkhar, Edward Blazey, Kate McCormick, Martin Robinson and NOVAK.

Partners: GemArts, Daybreak, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

Funded by Arts Council England

Development video :
 

 
Animation:

 
3D Projection mapping and sculpture: