Southbank Centre’s Unlimited Festival returns this September to celebrate the artistic vision and originality of Deaf and disabled artists from the UK and beyond. Unlimited aims to give arts practitioners an opportunity to develop international partnerships and collaborations.

The British Council, in partnership with Accessible Arts, is offering up to three bursaries for arts practitioners with disability, including artists, producers and administrators, to contribute to the costs of attending Unlimited Festival and Symposium 2018 and to be part of the British Council International delegation.

2018 Unlimited Festival

Dates: Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 September 2018
Venue: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

The full Unlimited Festival program will be released later this month and will be comprised of Unlimited commissions alongside other work from the UK and overseas and will encompass a variety of art-forms including dance, theatre, visual arts, literature and music.

Unlimited: The Symposium

Theme: Disability led arts in the 21st Century
Dates: Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 September 2018
Venue: Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2HZ

Unlimited: The Symposium is a two-day discussion event leading into Southbank’s Unlimited Festival, and is aimed at professionals in the cultural sector – both in the UK and internationally – who want to engage with different perspectives and to plan for real change.

There will be four main sessions – Art, Equality, Attitude and Future. Each session will focus on a different topic and will begin with a series of provocations from a diverse range of speakers followed by discussions and debates. Please visit here for more information.

Please note: Symposium delegates will need to be proficient in English or BSL (British Sign Language) in order to participate in discussions.

Symposium Pre Day

Date: Monday 3 September 2018
Venue: Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2HZ

There is also an option for delegates and staff to attend a Pre Day on Monday 3 September. This is an opportunity to learn more about the history and context of Unlimited, Shape Arts, the UK disability arts scene, the disability rights movement, disability equality and access. There will be two training sessions offered on the day – an introduction to disability equality training and an introduction to disability access and auditing.

The Pre Day is recommended for delegates who have not previously attended the Unlimited Festival and/or feel there are gaps in their knowledge. This is only available to delegates attending The Symposium.

Where and when?

Unlimited Festival and Symposium 2018 takes place in London from 4 to 9 September. The Pre Day is 3 September.

What does the bursary cover?

If successful, you will be provided with a bursary of between $3,000-4,500AUD which you can use towards the costs of travel, accommodation, daily expenses and delegate fees which include ticket costs. Any additional costs will have to be covered by yourself as an investment into making international connections. The delegate fee, including ticket costs for the Unlimited Festival is £150GBP  (approximately $260AUD), and the delegate fee for The Symposium is £175GBP (approximately $300AUD). You will be expected to attend both events.

Who is eligible to apply?

This opportunity is open to assist arts practitioners with disability, including artists, producers and administrators, who are based in New South Wales, Australia.

What are the criteria for selecting bursary award winners?

We will be looking for applicants who demonstrate that attendance at the Unlimited Festival and Symposium will be useful, at this particular moment, to the career of the bursary applicant.

What information do I need to provide in my expression of interest?

The expression of interest is to be made by using the questionnaire on Survey Monkey. Click on this link.

In addition to your name and contact details you will need to tell us:

• Your arts practice;
• Why you wish to attend the Unlimited Festival and Symposium;
• How attending the Unlimited Festival and Symposium will enhance your arts practice; and,
• What new knowledge you hope to gain by attending the Unlimited Festival and Symposium.

Applications close at 4:00 pm on Friday 13 April 2018.

Conditions

• The final decision on successful recipients will be made by the British Council.
• To be considered for this bursary you must complete and submit the expression of interest no later than 4:00 pm on Friday 13 April 2018.

The successful recipients will:

• Travel at their own risk and expense;
• Show proof of travel insurance;
• Be responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements; and,
• Be expected to speak at an Accessible Arts event to share their experience and learnings from the Festival and Symposium.

This page was first published on 4 April 2018.