byCiara King
An introduction to the commissioning process of Sightless Cinema under the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (dlr) Per Cent for Art Programme.
dlr invited proposals for a performing arts commission focusing on the exploration of sensory disabilities. The commission was open to either individuals or companies/collaborators to apply and it was an open submission selection process. At the outset we stated that we were particularly interested in practitioners who worked in a collaborative manner (either on a conceptual level or directly through participation), and would be flexible in their approach and responsive to the needs of those involved.
To put the commission into context, over the past seven years dlr Arts Office has funded long term collaborations as well as short term or one-off projects in the area of arts in health/arts and disability through the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council/Health Service Executive Arts and Health Partnership. Some examples include supporting the Senior Tours Orchestra based in Newpark Music Centre; developing choirs in partnership with the Living Well with Dementia Project that engage with people from the local community who are affected by dementia; and supporting an integrated dance project in partnership with UCD Sports Centre and Rehab Stillorgan and Dún Laoghaire. We wanted to build on this extensive programming and support the creation of new work.
A briefing day was arranged for interested applicants and at this representatives from four organisations in the county who work with people with sensory disabilities introduced themselves and their organisations. Potential applicants were given the opportunity to ask questions, both formally and informally. They then had a number of weeks to put together a proposal which was required to include an outline of the project, in addition to details of a possible outcome from it.
From the applications received, Ciarán Taylor and Rachel Ní Chuinn were selected. Feedback from both artists was that the briefing day was very useful to them in terms of developing a proposal. They actually went to the briefing day separately and, as a result of it, decided to make a joint application.
They proposed a highly collaborative working methodology, which impressed the selection panel. They wished to work with a group of blind and visually impaired participants, through NCBI Services. 11 participants worked with the artists on the project and remained committed throughout the process. Feedback from NCBI Services indicates that the participants found the project engaging and also inspiring. From evaluation of the project, it is clear that the level of support given by NCBI Services was key to the success of the commission. This was both in terms of providing a venue for the weekly meetings and also in terms of supporting and assisting participants attending on a regular basis.
The performance was presented in a live context at the UCD Student Centre cinema and was attended by a capacity audience; members were a mix of sighted, blind and visually impaired. The cinema was darkened for the performance and the work and the shared aural experience was well received by the audience.
Ciara King, Assistant Arts Officer-Arts Programme Development, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council