Europe Beyond Access is an ambitious 4-year programme designed to internationalise the careers of disabled artists and revolutionise Europe’s performing arts scene.
The core partners of the project are British Council (operating for this project in the UK and Germany), Kampnagel (Germany), Skånes Dansteater (Sweden), Oriente Occidente (Italy), Onassis Stegi (Greece), Holland Dance Festival (The Netherlands), and Per.Art (Serbia). It is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission.
The programme consists of an extensive plan of activity including new commissions, workshops, residencies, toolkits, networking events, performances, creative laboratories, artist interviews and films.
The core objectives of Europe Beyond Access are to:
- Contribute to artistic innovation of disabled artists in Europe
- Revolutionise the programming palette in European performing arts through showcasing world-class disability-led work and creating a network of experienced programmers interested in commissioning and presenting artists
- Increase interest in disability-led work
- Create the best possible industry conditions to source, develop, produce and present work of disabled artists
Europe Beyond Access in Germany
“Artistic Directors, theatre directors and choreographers are mostly non-disabled (and usually white male). Disabled artists projects are often initiated and perceived as ‘social projects’ which underlines their inferior position (as artists). We want to make a difference.”
Kampnagel
Kampnagel (Hamburg) is Germany’s largest production and presentation venues for theatre, dance, music, performance, music as well as conferences and festivals. Based in an old factory building, on six differently sized stages, Kampnagel presents a seasonal programme of international and national works as well as productions by Hamburg artists.
Kampnagel hosted the first Europe Beyond Access laboratory led by learning disabled artists Dennis Siedel and Julia Hausermann. Bringing together disabled artists from each of the seven partner countries, they explored the theme Dance, Politics, Disability and the Body.
Europe Beyond Access produces a series of artist profile films, promoting German disabled artists on an international stage. In the videos below you can learn more about artists Dennis Seidel (Meine Damen und Herren) and Julia Hausermann (Theater HORA).
For updates on Kampnagel’s programme visit: https://kampnagel.de/
German disabled artists take part in every Europe Beyond Access laboratory.
International partnerships like these are crucial for both the circulation of creative ideas, supporting experimentation and the work of disabled artists, and strengthening the European arts sector.
There are many ways you can take part and support Europe Beyond Access.
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By engaging with our content online, you can find out about forthcoming performances, discover emerging and established disabled artists from across Europe, see behind-the-scenes on workshops and residencies, and increase public interest in disabled artists’ work. Importantly, you can directly help to raise the visibility of disabled dancers, theatre-makers and performing artists by sharing our posts. Play a part in educating the mainstream by pushing forth the brightest innovations in the field.
Report launch: 'Disabled Artists in the mainstream: a new cultural agenda for Eruope'
Europe beyond Access's new report is outlining how access to the arts for disabled people as artists, audiences, and arts professionals needs to be at the heart of Creative Europe’s successor programme. ‘Disabled artists in the mainstream: a new cultural agenda for Europe’ emerges from the first European Arts & Disability Cluster meeting in The Hague on 30 November 2019, hosted by two of the core partners of Europe Beyond Access, British Council and Holland Dance Festival. The cluster represents the first time that EU arts & disability projects have gathered in order to shape policy and cultural change. Working towards raising awareness of the barriers that disabled artists and audiences continue to face when accessing Europe’s cultural institutions, the report heralds a clear call to policymakers and funders to seriously reduce the cultural exclusion of disabled people.
Co-authored by Betina Panagiotara (dance researcher and journalist, Greece), Ben Evans (Head of Arts & Disability, European Union Region) and Filip Pawlak (artist and producer, Poland), it outlines one major policy recommendation for a new European cultural agenda and six proposals for the forthcoming 2021-2027 Creative Europe programme.