Part 1 Disabled Artists' Collective Kinetic Light: Dancer Laurel Lawson

Part 1 Disabled Artists' Collective Kinetic Light: Dancer Laurel Lawson hosted by Carden Wyckoff

Transcript https://rb.gy/bgmlyd

Who is Laurel Lawson?

Dancer, choreographer, and engineer; Laurel Lawson found that dance combines her lifelong loves of athleticism and art. Featuring liminality, synthesistic myth, and partnering, her work includes both traditional choreography and novel ways of extending and creating art through technology and design.

Laurel began her professional dance career with Full Radius Dance in 2004 and is part of the disabled artists’ collective Kinetic Light, where in addition to choreographic collaboration and performance she contributes design and leads technical innovation, including the Audimance project, a revolutionary app centering non-visual audiences, and the Access ALLways initiative. Beyond dance, Laurel is an advocate, musician, skates for the USA Women’s Sled Hockey team, and leads CyCore Systems, a technology consultancy specializing in novel problems.

What is Kinetic Light?

Kinetic Light is different from many other performing arts companies that feature disabled dancers. We are a disability arts ensemble: We are led by a disabled artist; disabled artists create, design, and perform the work; our work speaks to and emerges from disability aesthetics and disability culture; and our work is connected to the rich traditions and exciting contemporary conversations of disabled artists in all artistic fields.

Founded in 2016 under the direction and artistic leadership of Alice Sheppard, Kinetic Light is a project-based ensemble of three disabled artists: Sheppard, Laurel Lawson, and Michael Maag. A roster of additional artists join us to contribute on a project by project basis.

In this episode Laurel and Carden talk about:

Kinetic Light a collective of disabled artists and the creation behind it

Audimance the app for non visual performance descriptions

Disability inclusion and the arts

Universal design and accessibility in the built environment

Ramps and all their glory

Designing accessible events

Compliance is complacence

Resources:

Connect with Laurel

@worldsoflaurel

Follow Carden on Instagram @freewheelinwithcarden
Find Carden everywhere

Special thanks to my producer Jonathan Raz on Fiverr.com

Use referral code 'Carden' when downloading iAccessLife mobile app.