Beyond Limits: Disability at the Heart of the Arts, is the focus of the 13th issue of Stages Journal. The symposium was co-produced by Liverpool Biennial, partnering with DaDa and the Centre for Culture and Disability Studies (CCDS) at Liverpool Hope University, and took place on 6th November, at FACT, Liverpool.
Dr Claire Penketh, Professor of Disability and Art Education, introduced the CCDS, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. Founded in 2009 by Professor David Bolt, the CCDS is internationally recognised for challenging social inequalities experienced by disabled people as a result of cultural factors, including a multitude of disability representations in literature, television and film and music, to name a few. Its core members, most of whom are based at Liverpool Hope University, are known for their work predominantly within cultural disability studies.
This one-day symposium aimed to engage and foreground a range of disabled artists and practitioners working within the Liverpool region and beyond. Cathy Mager (Artist, Curator and Director of Spectroscope) provided an insightful and thought provoking keynote that addressed the importance of Disability arts in promoting Deaf culture
This journal includes documentation of Strings of Hope, an installation by Tanzanian artist Lilian Munuo, who was part of Biennials Connect, the international curator cohort partnership between Liverpool Biennial and British Council. Born from Munuo’s personal journey of navigating disability and self-expression, the installation transforms simple threads into powerful metaphors of resilience and optimism. Through woven forms and sculpted elements, Munuo invites viewers to trace lines of struggle and triumph, reflecting on strength, creativity, and the enduring capacity for hope.
Going beyond what is typically expected within Disability Arts, the contributions to this special issue include a focus on dwarfism, a condition that remains on the margins of the disability community, including within Disability Arts. Dwarfism is popular within the entertainment industry. It is probably one of the few conditions which is mistaken more for a form of entertainment than an actual disability. Pritchard (2021) argues that dwarfism’s identity as a disability must be hidden in order for stereotypes of the condition to remain popular within the entertainment industry.
The symposium launched Dr Pritchard’s latest edited book, Dwarfism Arts and Advocacy: Creating Our Own Positive Identity, published by Emerald. As Pritchard (2024) argues, dwarfism is often missing from Disability Arts. This special issue contains Tamm Reynolds’ chapter, Midgitte Bardot: Using drag performance to challenge people’s perceptions and attitudes of dwarfism. What is interesting is that Reynolds, aka Midgitte Bardot, explains how they feel more welcome within Queer spaces than Disability arts, because their experiences in the latter include being questioned as a disabled person and subsequently feeling like an outcast. This forces disabled artists to question their own prejudices in relation to inclusion within the sector. How can Disability Arts call itself an inclusive space for disabled people when it actively excludes those who do not fit the ideal disabled person?
Reynold’s work is one of shock, so be prepared for references that may make you feel uncomfortable, including her poem that demonstrates the emotional impact of derogatory representations of dwarfism. Whilst readers with dwarfism will likely relate to Reynold’s poem, it is hoped that readers who do not have dwarfism can take away an important message. People with dwarfism are not figures of entertainment, and we do not ‘worship’ performers with dwarfism who engage in stereotypical performances that undermine our equal standing within society.
The special issue continues with the promotion of dwarf voices, with the inclusion of interviews from Dr Amanda Cachia with Amy Claire Mills, and Dr Debra Keenahan with Dr Erin Pritchard.
Dr Keenahan, an Australian artist and advocate with dwarfism, explains how she uses sculpture to educate and challenge problematic behaviours towards people with dwarfism. More specifically, Keenahan engages with the photographer, David Heavy’s Realpolitik to ‘reverse the stare’. As a result, Keenahan’s work demonstrates how Disability Arts is important to challenge long held beliefs about dwarfism and the subsequent behaviours from general society. However, while spaces can provide refuge, they can also be restricting.
Dr Keenahan explains why it is important to move beyond Disability Arts in order to avoid ghettoisation. As Cathy Mager also highlighted in her keynote, Disability Arts normally exist ‘down the back’, ‘round the corner’, or in the ‘other bit’. Thus, it leaves the important question open, how can we advocate for all disabled people beyond our own spaces? How can we also maintain this advocacy once the biennial has finished and plans are made for the next theme.