Original projects created by artists with disabilities in the United Kingdom
Continuing the artistic strand launched in the previous edition, which seeks to foster protagonism, creation, and artistic leadership by people with disabilities (PWD), the 28th edition of the Cultura Inglesa Festival is launching the second open call for Digital Arts – Cultura DEF, dedicated to digital artistic projects. In this second edition, the program features for the first time an institutional partnership with UNLIMITED (UK), a leading reference in supporting works by artists with disabilities since 2012. The 2nd CULTURA DEF showcases original works developed especially for online presentation during the 28th CIF — an open call created, led, and selected by people with disabilities.The jury for this 2nd edition was composed of: Claudio Rubino, Péricles Silveira, Rebecca Hinton, Ruth Simmons, Izzi George, and Fi McGregor.
Cheryl Beer
Composição orientada pela natureza que combina música, arte sonora e partitura gráfica. Está fundamentada em leituras diagramáticas das mudanças climáticas nas florestas tropicais Celtas e Amazônicas, mapeadas durante os 60 anos de vida do artista. O trabalho destaca a perda de biodiversidade, incluindo pássaros e polinizadores, e seu áudio está integrado a uma partitura de aquarela filmada, que se revela como uma experiência visual para Surdos e pessoas com dificuldades de escuta.
Climate Crescendo by Cheryl Beer is a nature-led composition combining music, sound art, and graphic score. It draws on diagrammatic readings of climate change in the Celtic and Amazonian rainforests, mapped over the artist’s 60-year lifespan. The work highlights biodiversity loss, including birds and pollinators, and its audio is embedded in a filmed watercolour score that doubles as a visual experience for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
Deborah Ajia
O trabalho, cujo título traduzido do Yoruba significa Meu Cabelo, Minha Saúde, Meu Mundo, traz uma reflexão sobre o cabelo das mulheres pretas como espaço de identidade cultural e auto-expressão. A obra examina os produtos usados no cuidado com o cabelo, explorando a sua função em rituais diários ao mesmo tempo em que questionando o seu amplo impacto meio-ambiental. Ajja conecta bem-estar pessoal com consciência ecológica, destacando a intersecção entre beleza, herança e sustentabilidade.
Deborah Ajja’s work, Irun mi, ilera mi, aye mi—translated from Yoruba as My Hair, My Health, My World—reflects on Black women’s hair as a site of cultural identity and self-expression. The work considers the products used in hair care, exploring their role in daily rituals while also questioning their wider environmental impact. Ajja connects personal wellbeing with ecological awareness, highlighting the intersection between beauty, heritage, and sustainability.
DYSPLA
Tríptico escultural em Realidade Aumentada (RA) com monólogos performativos, baseado em objetos antropomorfizados encontrados em Enfield, uma área marcada por crimes com facas e privações. Cada escultura digital é apresentada em um microsite, com histórias acessíveis em áudio, texto e RA interativa através de smartphones ou navegadores da web.
SURPLUS: The Rat, The Tampon, The Laughing Gas by DYSPLA is an Augmented Reality (AR) sculptural triptych with performative monologues, based on anthropomorphised objects found in Enfield, an area marked by knife crime and deprivation. Each digital sculpture is presented on a microsite, with stories accessible as audio, text, and interactive AR via smartphones or web browsers.
Este projeto é parte da comissão do Unlimited International Digital Micro Award 2025 com a Cultura Inglesa, viabilizada com financiamento do British Council.
This is part of the Unlimited International Digital Micro Award 2025 commission with Cultura Inglesa, made possible with funding from the British Council.