S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host Sam Colley.
S2: Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision.
S3: Altered States is really leading the way in several instances.
S3: Like to have 100 deaf and disabled artists involved in
S3: the program is phenomenal. Like that is work, employment and
S3: representation and being able to really create incredible artwork and
S3: putting that on the main stages across really important venues
S3: in Melbourne. It's an opportunity to see our communities work.
S2: Welcome to the program. We've got a bit of an
S2: arts and creative bent this week as we chat with
S2: Nilgun Guven and Sara Hobolt. They're involved in a disability
S2: led arts festival taking place over 12 days between the
S2: second and 13th of October. You can find out a
S2: lot more about that very shortly as that interview is
S2: just around the corner. Then after our chat with Sara
S2: and Nilgun, I'll catch up with Fiona Tolmie, Artistic Director
S2: of the other film festival, which is taking place roughly
S2: around the same time over two weeks from the 3rd
S2: to the 16th of October. I hope you'll enjoy this
S2: week's episode of Talking Vision. Altar'd State is Australia's disability
S2: led arts initiative celebrating deaf and disabled artists creativity Activity
S2: and culture. It's happening over 12 days, starting with today
S2: up until the 13th of October. And to have a
S2: chat with me about Altar'd State. It's my great pleasure
S2: to welcome access Consultant Sara Hobolt and CEO of Vita Veritas,
S2: Nilgun Güven. Sara Nilgun, welcome to the show. Thanks so
S2: much for your time.
S3: Thanks for having us, Sara.
S2: I'll start with you. Give us a bit of an
S2: intro to yourself.
S3: Yeah, sure. My name is Sara Hobolt and I am
S3: the access consultant for Altar'd State, which is amazing programming
S3: that's in partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne and Arts Access Victoria.
S3: My background is as a performer, as an access consultant
S3: and as an arts manager across Australia and internationally.
S2: And Nilgun a few of our listeners might have already
S2: heard your voice before, but for the benefit of people
S2: who may not have. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
S4: Sure, I'm Nilgun and I'm the artistic director CEO of
S4: Vita Veritas, otherwise known as VRV, a not for profit
S4: organization that does many things but especially provides access, consultancy
S4: and services to the performing and visual arts industries in Victoria.
S4: And we're a major sort of access provider for various
S4: events and festivals that happen across the year and for
S4: Altar'd state 2024.
S2: Now, Sarah, I'll come back to you. Let's have a
S2: chat about Altar'd state in particular, what is Alter State
S2: and what can people expect?
S3: Alter state is an incredible set of programming across eight
S3: venues in Melbourne. It really places the immense value of
S3: deaf and disabled artists at the center of the programming,
S3: which means that there's over 100 artists who are deaf
S3: and disabled in the program showcasing their work, giving us
S3: really amazing performance work, dance work, performance art, film, visual arts, exhibitions, workshops.
S3: It's super exciting. It's from the 2nd to the 13th
S3: of October and there's quite a few things on offer.
S2: Nilgun did you have anything to add there?
S4: I should add that the type of access that we
S4: provide and will be providing across the festival coming up
S4: is centered around audio description, services and tactile tours. So
S4: we'll be audio describing a number of performances, symposiums, different
S4: events that are taking place.
S3: And the cool thing about that is that the team
S3: at Delta State have committed to a lot of events
S3: being audio described, so there's so much to choose from.
S3: So for example, we have Private View, which is a
S3: theatre dance work by Restless Theatre, and they are on
S3: from the 2nd to the 6th of October. And there's
S3: audio description for every session, which is super exciting. We
S3: don't see that very often, so I'm very excited.
S2: Yeah, that's super exciting. So in terms of audio description
S2: and those tactile tours, that's some fantastic accessibility features there.
S2: But Sarah, what other accessibility features can people look forward
S2: to if they do head along to alter state?
S3: Sure. We place access at the core of everything we do,
S3: which means that we consider it at every level. So
S3: for example, audience can, when they buy a ticket, they
S3: can indicate whether they need physical access or Auslan interpreting
S3: or audio description. Or they can also tell us if
S3: there are any other access requirements that they have that
S3: they would like us to consider. We put on access
S3: services with events as well, but we are also here
S3: to create some bespoke and really welcoming experiences. So we
S3: have Auslan interpreted events, we have audio described events. We
S3: also have a quiet room at all. You know, almost
S3: all of our venues because we have eight venues across
S3: the city. And so we also have services like if
S3: you go to an event at Arts Centre Melbourne, you're
S3: able to ring up the welcome desk ahead of time
S3: and welcome. Staff can meet you at the taxi or
S3: the Uber or guide you around the venue. For example,
S3: there in Arts Centre Melbourne, there's an audio button actually
S3: in the lift. There are places for assistance animals to
S3: go to the toilet. There's a lot of bespoke human
S3: centred help that's available. People are wearing bright red Altar'd
S3: state shirts when you arrive at the Arts Centre Melbourne venue,
S3: and we also work with our partner venues to also
S3: increase their awareness and provision of access to. So a
S3: lot of events also have visual stories. Some people call
S3: them social scripts or social stories, but a guide before
S3: you arrive to understand what to expect from the experience.
S2: You've mentioned Art Centre Melbourne there, but I'm keen to
S2: hear about a few of the other venues and the
S2: accessibility with those. I know there've been a few performers
S2: in the past that I've spoken to who have expressed
S2: a desire to really push for more accessible venues, so
S2: could you tell us a bit about some of those
S2: other seven venues? You don't have to go into huge
S2: detail about all seven, but give us a bit of
S2: a highlight package of the main sort of places that
S2: people can look forward to heading along to.
S3: Absolutely. So our venues are, we've mentioned Art Centre Melbourne,
S3: but there's also Arts House in North Melbourne, the Footscray
S3: Community Arts Centre, the Melbourne Recital Centre, the Victorian College
S3: of the Arts, the Monash University Performing Arts and the
S3: National Gallery of Victoria, and also the Fitzroy North Library.
S3: We've been in discussion with a lot of these venues
S3: over the course of the year in terms of talking
S3: about how to increase access and but more importantly, talking
S3: about how to actually talk about the access that already exists.
S3: So one of the things that I'm finding in this
S3: role is that there's a really great intentions, and there's
S3: also access elements that people just don't know already exist.
S3: So I know it would it would take a long
S3: time to go through all of these venues. So I
S3: guess my main tip is to call up or contact
S3: each venue and have a real conversation with them if
S3: you're interested to go into any of the events. For example,
S3: at Arts House, they have a dedicated box office and
S3: welcome team. There is physical access. There will be Auslan
S3: interpreter and audio described events there. It's actually where the
S3: closing night party will be, which will be really, really fun.
S3: So that one's called disabled and sexy. So we're definitely
S3: here to have a good time at Altar'd State.
S2: Yeah, it sounds like it. But yeah, those are some
S2: really important conversations, obviously, that people are having around Melbourne.
S2: And you know, I have, as I mentioned, you know,
S2: spoken to a few people who have talked about how
S2: they've been barred from accessing certain venues because there's been
S2: steps or the stages too high up, and it causes
S2: issues with people who have coordination and mobility disabilities and
S2: things like that. So it's really important to hear that
S2: access is such a central aspect of alter State. It
S2: is really important.
S3: And we also we definitely working with artists with disability,
S3: like we definitely have ramps going up to the stages,
S3: for example. So you know, as I said before, access
S3: is at all levels. And that includes having staff like I,
S3: you know, I am a person with low vision. There
S3: are many people within the programming staff across the venues
S3: that do identify with disability. So with that lived experience
S3: in the mix, we can place access more at the
S3: core and the center of what we do because we
S3: have no choice not to.
S2: Essentially, now, Nilgun, I think this is a chance for
S2: you to jump in and give your thoughts if you'd
S2: like to.
S4: Sure. Having engaged with a number of those venues, I
S4: also know that they've received, you know, access and inclusion
S4: training to improve their confidence and awareness. And they have
S4: a number of resources on their websites that have been
S4: developed in consultation with the community. Verbal maps, different guides,
S4: especially for Melbourne Recital Centre and Arts House and other
S4: things to mention around the festival. Just adding to Sarah's
S4: list is that there is live captioning and that there
S4: are a number of events online, and a huge amount
S4: of the events are free. Registrations are required and for
S4: things like performances especially there is ticketing and prices associated
S4: with that. But a real plus is that quite a
S4: lot of the festival is, yeah, free.
S2: Yeah, that's a huge bonus and that's great to hear that.
S2: You know, it's accessible in that way as well. It's,
S2: you know, really affordable for a lot of people out there.
S2: But Sarah, what I'd like to get into now is
S2: just talking about why these events are so important for
S2: people around Melbourne with disabilities. Why is something like alter
S2: States such an important festival for people to have access to?
S3: Oh, that is such a great question. There's a number
S3: of reasons why it's important. Alter States is really leading
S3: the way in several instances. Like to have 100 deaf
S3: and disabled artists involved in the program is phenomenal. Like
S3: that is work, employment and representation and being able to
S3: really create incredible artwork and putting that on the main
S3: stages across really important venues in Melbourne. It's an opportunity
S3: to see our communities work. We do have people who
S3: are blind and low vision in the program. For example,
S3: at the National Gallery of Victoria, we have a workshop
S3: that is led by someone who identifies as having low vision,
S3: so we're able to work essentially. The second reason is
S3: for audiences, really, I haven't seen many instances where every
S3: single session has access. So as someone who uses audio description,
S3: I can choose which night or which day or which
S3: session I go to to actually view the work, which
S3: means that I can actually live my life and have
S3: the same choice as everybody else in order to go. Actually, no,
S3: I can't make the Friday night, but hey, I can
S3: make the Sunday matinee and actually have that choice, which
S3: is really amazing. And it's also a chance to connect
S3: with peers, with people within our community, have a social time,
S3: have a good time, meet people, network as well as
S3: to see the work because we also have social Auslan
S3: interpreters that will arrive early to assist with conversations. And
S3: Nilgun is also providing describer guides, for example. So there's
S3: a combination of modes that access is also being provided.
S3: So it's very rare to see that anywhere not just
S3: in Melbourne. So I would get amongst it if I
S3: were you. Like it's a good opportunity.
S2: Yeah. Sounds fantastic. Now. Nilgun did you have anything to
S2: add there? Sure.
S4: I'm going to show my age a little bit by
S4: saying that Alta State Festival is definitely feeling missing gap
S4: of at least like ten years, where previously there were
S4: disability arts festivals called awakenings, for example, the Art of
S4: difference festival, and they were important opportunities back then for
S4: artists from all around to gather and showcase their work.
S4: So there's been a real missing space and Altar'd state
S4: has filled that. And it also highlights contemporary art and
S4: contemporary practice, disabled led practice, and just speaking about audience development,
S4: we really want to encourage people to consider, you know,
S4: attending for all the reasons Sarah highlighted, especially young people
S4: and families and parents and educators to see amazing artists
S4: on stage, amazing artists speaking about their work, and to
S4: also have the opportunity to contribute and feedback about what
S4: future festivals could look like and be.
S3: The other thing that's super cool about this program is
S3: that we're placing First Nations first, so we have a
S3: First Nations yarning circle, and we also acknowledge the intersectionality
S3: of our community. So on the 13th of October, we
S3: also have an event for deaf and disabled people of color.
S3: And those are all audio described in and also interpreted
S3: as well. So it's really, really nice time in Melbourne
S3: to value and acknowledge all of our contributions and who
S3: we are and connect with each other.
S4: The theme for this year's festival and the manifesto performance
S4: that's taking place on the 12th. So manifesto is the
S4: performance devised by Transmit Futures Ensemble. The artistic director, Andy Snelling,
S4: and the ensemble present their interpretations of audience responses that
S4: are central to the alter state provocation, which is what
S4: are our dreams and ideas for the future. So that
S4: is a really interesting collaboration that has audience engagement coming
S4: into and being presented through their work called manifesto.
S2: There might be a lot of people out there right
S2: now thinking, oh my God, this all sounds fantastic. I'd
S2: love to head along, get involved, you know, sign up,
S2: find out more, all that sort of thing. So you know,
S2: what's the best way for people to book a ticket,
S2: register to head along to the event? Or, you know,
S2: just find out more about all the events that are
S2: going on throughout Alta State.
S3: Absolutely. You can buy tickets over the phone by calling
S3: 1301 82183, or you can email ticketing at Arts Centre Melbourne.
S3: Com.au because a number of the events are free, you
S3: can just elect to put how many tickets you want
S3: or you can fill in that companion card ticket box
S3: if you want to. You can also buy tickets or
S3: register in person by going to the theatre's building box
S3: office on level five at Arts Centre Melbourne for the
S3: Arts Centre, Melbourne. Programming, for example. Um, and if you'd
S3: like to go to an event at one of our
S3: seven other venues, you can check the Alter State website,
S3: which is Arts Centre Melbourne. Com.au alter state. Or you
S3: can ring up those venues that I mentioned before. You
S3: can phone, you can email, you can go in person,
S3: or you can also register via the website.
S2: Sarah Nogan, thanks so much for your time today. Look
S2: forward to hearing how Altar'd state goes and having you
S2: back on talking vision in the future.
S3: Thanks, Sam.
S4: I'm Sam.
S2: I'm Sam Coley, and you're listening to Talking Vision on
S2: Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of the Radio Reading Network
S2: and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that
S2: interview there with Nilgun and Sarah. If you missed any
S2: part of that interview, or you'd love to hear from
S2: Nilgun and Sarah again. Talking vision is available on the
S2: Vision Australia Radio website at VA radio Dot org. That's
S2: v a radio all one word.org. Or you can find
S2: the program on the podcast app of your choice or
S2: through the Vision Australia library. Continuing on the arts and
S2: creative theme today we're moving into the world of film
S2: now with the other film festival, which is taking place
S2: over two weeks from the 3rd to the 16th of
S2: October through the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne.
S2: To have a chat with me all about the other
S2: film festival. It's my great pleasure to be joined by
S2: artistic director Fiona Twomey. Fiona, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks
S2: so much for joining me today. Awesome.
S5: Thank you so much for the invitation. And I'm both
S5: excited and honoured to be here with you.
S2: Let's start with a bit of an overview of the
S2: other film festival. What is that all about?
S5: The other film festival is or was. It was Australia's
S5: first international disability film festival. And as you know, we're
S5: actually celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. It's had a
S5: lot of different incarnations or versions of how it's been
S5: delivered over the years, and we now sort of split
S5: it up. We have three streams, so there's a screening program,
S5: an industry program, and a community program. And what I'm
S5: here to talk to you today about is our screening
S5: program that we're working on in partnership with ACMi and
S5: starts on Thursday.
S2: That's right. Thursday the 3rd of October. Now, how many
S2: days is that running for? From the third.
S5: Well, actually it runs for a fortnight.
S2: So wonderful.
S5: Two weeks. It goes from the 3rd of October to
S5: the sixth, Wednesday the 16th of October, and it's available
S5: online for free. And that's on ACMi. So here in Melbourne,
S5: they were formerly known as the Australian Centre for Moving Image.
S5: So many people might know there in Federation Square, but
S5: they actually have a streaming platform called cinema three, and
S5: this is the third year we've worked with them in
S5: this way. So the other film festivals, our screening program,
S5: all the films are free to watch and available to
S5: watch across Australia during those dates.
S2: Oh, fantastic. So tell us a little bit about what
S2: Arts access Victoria has in store for people this year
S2: to celebrate that 20th anniversary of the other film festival?
S2: As you've mentioned, it's been going on in, you know,
S2: various capacities over the years.
S5: The other film festival, our screening program, is a big
S5: way that we're celebrating, and this year's theme is agency.
S5: And why we chose that is that we really try
S5: to focus and prioritise films that are actually made by
S5: and feature, you know, authentically deaf and disabled people and
S5: where we have power and agency in those films. So
S5: agency itself, but highlights the self-determination of deaf and disabled people.
S5: So often we're denied power and agency in our own lives.
S5: So we chose these films because they explore agency and storytelling,
S5: and we really feel like they reveal untold stories and
S5: ways of being in the world, and that's really important
S5: to us. Who's telling the story? That there's an authenticity,
S5: a power, but that they're powerful, but also hopefully, you know, enjoyable.
S5: And there's some that are comedies, there's some that are dramas,
S5: there's some that are documentaries. So we just sort of
S5: want to explore the full spectrum of a world that
S5: many of us live in, but we don't actually really
S5: get to experience very often, you know, in film and television.
S2: And following on from that, it's really important to speak
S2: about why these things, like the other film festival, are
S2: so important to raise these topics in the general public
S2: to shed light on, as you've said, the issues of
S2: agency and autonomy of people with disabilities. So why do
S2: you think the other film festival has been so successful
S2: over the past two decades? To really tell these stories
S2: and raise awareness of the issues that disabled people face
S2: every day?
S5: You know, to reflect on it, it is a big achievement.
S5: But it's also, you know, not easy as well. You know,
S5: we're quite a small team working on the film festival,
S5: but we do have a really big ambition or vision
S5: to what we want to achieve. But I think that
S5: so many of us, we just don't want to have
S5: a very narrow, you know, stereotypical understanding of what so
S5: many of our lives are like. It just makes for
S5: a much richer world for storytelling, but for screen. But
S5: also can, I think, make a difference in people's lives.
S5: If you actually do experience like a reflection back of
S5: what your life is like, or learning about someone else's
S5: life and understanding it so they're more than stories in
S5: a way, if that makes sense.
S2: It does. Battles. Yeah. For sure.
S5: It's really important to us that everything is accessible. Yes.
S5: So all these films are audio described and captioned. And,
S5: you know, when we do do events in person, that's
S5: a given that things will be audio described and captioned.
S5: But then we have a whole other range of access
S5: services that we make sure are embedded into the festival.
S5: You know, that's something that's been important since day one.
S5: So even 20 years ago, you know, one of the
S5: and one of the reasons why it's even called the
S5: Other Film Festival is back then, very few, if any
S5: mainstream film festivals offered audio description and captioning. And I
S5: mean a lot more do now, but it's often not
S5: the whole program. It's just selected films or selected sessions or,
S5: you know, even I know in mainstream cinemas it can
S5: still be very challenging to get access to the audio
S5: description for film. So that's just really important for us
S5: to try to really offer an equitable film festival experience
S5: for everyone.
S2: Moving on to the films Themselves, I understand, Fiona. There's
S2: a couple out there that particularly feature people who are
S2: blind or have low vision quite heavily. I'm quite interested
S2: to hear about those, if you were to tell us
S2: about that.
S5: Well, should I just say overall there's 11 films, there's
S5: three feature documentaries and then eight estranged short films, and
S5: two of those short films. There's one film called The
S5: Flower Man, which is about Otto, a young musician who
S5: grows competition orchids in his home under the flight path.
S5: And we join him in the final days before a
S5: major competition. And as we were talking just before, I think,
S5: you know, the actor who's in this, the main actor
S5: in this film, and he also composed the music, which
S5: is Nelson Rupert.
S2: That's right.
S5: Yep. And my understanding is also, Nelson collaborated quite closely
S5: on the script with the writer director Evangeline Reid. And
S5: this is a really it's a very beautiful film, but
S5: I think to the way it's constructed and framed is
S5: that Evangeline and Nelson really wanted to give an experience
S5: of just how you might experience the world if you
S5: are blind or have low vision, or may have some
S5: partial sight. So even the framing of how it is
S5: really explores that, and kind of so to me, it
S5: actually becomes very sort of cinematic because it's using both
S5: the visual medium and the soundtrack, along with the story
S5: and of course, the performances, you know, to create this
S5: very strong cinematic world.
S2: And how can people find out more about these movies,
S2: about the other film festival, or perhaps even more broadly,
S2: the work that Arts Access Victoria is doing in the
S2: disability space?
S5: I think the main thing, if you go to Arts
S5: Access Victoria's website, so it's arts access. Com.au and on
S5: our front page we've got a link and we're promoting,
S5: you know, the other film festival 224 which is sort
S5: of nickname is tough and you can link on that
S5: to there. And then there'll be a link going up
S5: soon or it's there now to how to book tickets,
S5: and it takes you to the ACMi cinema three website.
S5: And you can, as we said, all those are free.
S5: There's also quite a detailed access page that steps you
S5: through how to sign up for free so you can
S5: access ACMi cinema three to then watch the films. And
S5: it also explains how to access the audio description and
S5: or captions as well. And I'll just say so we're
S5: out of the films. I'm just on the ACMi cinema
S5: three site now. There's the three feature films which are
S5: rewards for The Try, which is a locally made Australian
S5: film featuring Restless Dance Theatre, which is a disability dance ensemble,
S5: and Chunky Move, their swimming pool from UK, which is
S5: made by a neurodivergent collective. And it sort of explores
S5: the world from an autistic perspective. And then a Canadian
S5: film called Leilani's Fortune. So each of those films you
S5: can sign up for individually, but for the short films,
S5: you can either sign up for each film individually, or
S5: you can just take the shorts bundle, and then you'll
S5: have all of the eight films come into your kind
S5: of library on your ACMi cinema. Three free membership on
S5: the platform.
S2: I've been speaking today with Fiona Twomey, chatting to me
S2: today about the upcoming other film festival, running from the
S2: 3rd to the 16th of October through the Australian Centre
S2: for the Moving Image, otherwise known as ACMi. Fiona, thanks
S2: so much for your time today. It was great to
S2: catch up with you and chat all about Toff.
S5: Oh, thank you so much, Sam. And, um, thank you
S5: for having me and I hope everyone will go to
S5: ACMi cinema three and watch the other film festival.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch anytime on our email at
S2: Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one
S2: word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam
S2: Colley saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on 1300 847 486. That's 1300 847 486 or by visiting Vision australia.org.
S1: That's Vision australia.org.