Photo: All About Article 19 – UNCRPD

Why, in the 21st century, am I met with surprise when I tell mainly members of the medical profession that I live on my own? Why do I then feel the need to justify it by saying, as if to put their mind at rest, that I have ‘carers’ coming in. Is it because they only see my disability, as the medical model does? 

Artist – Janet Charlesworth 

Article 19 is a new, ambitious multimedia installation created by member and artist, Janet Charlesworth.

The Research

Janet Charlesworth is exploring the United Nations Convention on Rights for Person’s living with Disabilities (UNCRPD) with a focus on Article 19 – Independent living and being part of the community. Disabled people have the same right as everyone else to live where and with who they want.

Janet set out by researching the historical treatment of people living with disability labels including Victorian attitudes. Janet spent considerable time delving into the archives at Central Library, Manchester and Salford Museum and Art Gallery alongside online research to build the concept for this piece. This work builds on this research to ask the bold questions – 

  • Have attitudes changed? 
  • Are people with disabilities right to be scared? 
  • Do you know your rights? 

The Work

In September 2019 Janet performed her first experiment into these questions as part of Emergency Festival. This was an adapted version of her #CABOW piece – In My Own Time. This performance laid the foundations for this new work and offered Janet excellent audience feedback. 

As this work progresses the artist provides a disability perspective to more recent media reports describing the harmful effects of cuts to adult social care. These articles expose the government’s failure to meet their commitment to promote, protect and ensure the rights of persons living with disabilities.  

By combining personal and lived experience Janet tackles headlines including; ‘Council replaces disabled woman’s overnight carers with technology system’. The performance has rapidly developed into an immersive, multimedia work creating an innovative audio and visual experience for the audience.

At the start of 2020, development has included combining new writing, multimedia elements and movement exploration with the Proud and Loud Arts members company.  

You’re invited to FREE screenings of Article 19!

We’re offering not one, but FIVE chances to see Article 19 and comment live with your friends. But once the performance screen finished, that’s it! There’s no chance to watch it again later. 

So we suggest getting some popcorn and a glass of wine (or your preferred beverage) and tuning in to watch a 35 minute screening of this new multi-media performance piece.

To join us all you have to do is click the preferred link at the right time.

We’ll be sending you emails 30 minutes before each screening to remind you, so if you haven’t already please sign up to our newsletter to get the heads up! Sign up HERE.

Article 19 will be shown at the following times –

Monday 6th April 2020 @ 12noon – https://youtu.be/lJ0qvREVAsw
Tuesday 7th April 2020 @ 7pm – https://youtu.be/8GyDaO4_0pU
Wednesday 8th April @ 1pm – https://youtu.be/rMyOeayO_G0
Thursday 9th April @ 3pm – https://youtu.be/xd7SMC7yc68
Friday 10th April @8pm – https://youtu.be/SoRl4fJ8x7g