Journal of Arts & Communities - Volume 7, Issue 3, 2015

Between 2010 and 2013, social circus instructor Jon Burtt worked on a number of social circus projects in the Arctic and the sub-Arctic in the far north of Quebec in Nunavik, a semi-autonomous region with Inuit communities dotted around the Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay coasts. In this interview, writer and circus director Katie Lavers talks to him about his experiences there, about the programme he was involved in, the Inuit youth involved and their communities, and the effect of the work on him personally.

This article uses a devised play, Murdering the Soul, to explore issues concerning sexual abuse of girls in southern Africa. University of Botswana students created the play in 1998–1999 through improvisation, research, debates and group scriptwriting. The devising took place under my supervision, but with many inputs from Childline and Ditshwanelo (Botswana’s principle watchdog on human rights), as well as from two anonymous young (but adult) survivors of sexual abuse who acted as research informants. This article focuses on the interaction between theories and praxis, especially as they have become crystallized through the alchemy of performance in Gaborone, as well as through an adapted version in Zomba and Lilongwe, Malawi, in 2004. The finished play was in a mixture of English and Setswana for the Gaborone version, and English and Chichewa for the Zomba version.

Shared reading involves reading short stories, poems, novels and plays aloud with groups of people who meet in a range of settings. Readings are conducted by a facilitator, after which the group members share their responses to the texts. The social and therapeutic benefits of shared reading have been well-documented, often with an emphasis on the role of literature in improving the well-being of individuals. In this article, we bring together our backgrounds in the study of sociolinguistics and literacy education to discuss the work of an inner city shared reading group with which we are both involved. The emphasis in the shared reading we present is on the members’ active and agentive participation in the co-construction of meaning through shared reading and the discussion of texts. We argue that a focus on the collaborative aspect of shared reading contributes to understanding of the role it can play in supporting inclusive, participatory arts practice in communities.

The call for the inclusive participation of adults with intellectual disabilities in research has been taken up by an emerging literature advocating the same opportunities for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). Yet, the barriers to researchers engaging with the demands and particular characteristics of the NHS ethical approval processes are well rehearsed. This can contribute to the marginalization already faced by people with PMLD, with the associated risk that the group remains under-researched. This case study explores current participatory action research utilizing inclusive arts techniques with people with PMLD. It suggests that despite the challenges, engagement with the NHS research ethics processes can be framed not as an isolated form-filling exercise but as a reflective device presenting an ongoing opportunity to gain multiple perspectives on a proposed project. It offers possibilities to collaboratively shape inclusive research design and develop an evolving consent process. It identifies the creative strategies that have contributed to successful ethical approvals and the subsequent participation of people with PMLD in cultural activities.

Performing the Nation: Genocide, Justice, Reconciliation, Ananda Breed (2014) London: Seagull Books, 221 pp., ISBN: 9780857421081, p/bk, £24.50/$35

Marina Abramović: In Residence, Kaldor Public art Project, No. 30, 24 June–5 July 2015, Pier 2/3 Walsh bay, Sydney, Australia