Access Fitz!: LUMINATO INTRODUCES AUDIO DESCRIPTION PILOT PROGRA...

Access Fitz!: LUMINATO INTRODUCES AUDIO DESCRIPTION PILOT PROGRA...: "Gentle readers; I am posting the following information here. However, I am not responsible for the accessibility issues with Luminato's web..."

LUMINATO INTRODUCES AUDIO DESCRIPTION PILOT PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PICASSO PRO/CREATIVE TRUST AND THEATRE LOCAL

Gentle readers;

I am posting the following information here.  However, I am not responsible for the accessibility issues with Luminato's website, which at a glance would appear to be substantial.  If you have trouble accessing information on the www.luminato.com website, including content and ticketing info, please make them aware of it.  Here is their contact info since the contact form on the site isn't labeled and you won't be able to use it. 

info@luminato.com 

 

Luminato

111 Queen Street East, Suite 450
Toronto, ON
M5C 1S2

T: 416-368-3100
F: 416-368-4010

 

Arts organizations need to make their online content accessible as well as their events.  We are pioneering this area in Canada, so please attend.  Constructive feedback is essential in order to develop and improve upon technique, as well as make organizations aware of what needs to be done to achieve inclusion.

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The Luminato Festival is proud to announce the preparation of an audio description for “Sargasso,” a large scale suspended sculpture on display at the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place from June 8 to 18, 2011. The audio file will be available at for download  beginning June 8th. Users will be able to download the audio description as an mp3 file in advance or onsite with a smart phone device. This marks the first time that Luminato offers a descriptive service specifically targeted to the visually impaired community.

In his Luminato-commissioned installation, Philip Beesley’s “Sargasso” combines visionary design with high-tech digital engineering to transform a downtown public space – and to offer a glimpse of the potential future of architectural art. A worldwide pioneer in the fast-growing field of responsive architecture, Beesley and his team of collaborators from the disciplines of architecture, engineering, biology, and sculpture use interactive technology to infuse one of Toronto’s busiest spaces with astonishing new life.

From June 8-18, Beesley’s “Sargasso” transforms a familiar downtown locale: the sweeping atrium of the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place. “Sargasso” is a vast canopy consisting of tens of thousands of lightweight, digitally-fabricated components which form an interconnected network of metal, acrylic, and mylar elements. Sargasso slowly shifts and floats above the pedestrian traffic, while shaping the nature of the environment itself.

Previous projects undertaken by this multidisciplinary group have been featured internationally, including in the Canadian Pavilion at the 2010 Venice Biennale in Architecture, and have won many awards, notably VIDA 11.0, FEIDAD, the Prix de Rome in Architecture, and the People’s Choice award at Toronto’s 2010 Nuit Blanche

Audio Describer Rebecca Singh trained with Picasso Pro/Creative Trust and was last heard describing “More Fine Girls” at the Tarragon Theatre.  Rebecca has also been a Fellow of the Luminato Festival* since September 2010.

The audio description pilot program is produced in association with Picasso Pro/Creative Trust and Theatre Local. This small project is serving as a pilot, with the hopes that audio description can be integrated throughout the visual arts program in years coming.

*This position is generously funded by the Canada Arts Training Fund, at the Department of Canadian Heritage, in partnership with Obsidian Theatre Company.

Access Fitz!: Accessible Graphic Novels - Phase One: Bad Black C...

The latest development in the Accessible Graphic Novel project.

Access Fitz!: Accessible Graphic Novels - Phase One: Bad Black C...: "A couple of months ago I set out on a quest to find the solution to the issue of accessible graphic novels. Well, I haven't found it yet, t..."

Accessible Graphic Novels - Phase One: Bad Black Cats

A couple of months ago I set out on a quest to find the solution to the issue of accessible graphic novels.  Well, I haven't found it yet, though I have many ideas which I am going to investigate.  But I thought it might be interesting to document the process from beginning to end both for technical, and artistic interest.

The first thing I needed to do is find a subject or a story.  I had thought to go with The Patient Old Spider a dark children's tale I wrote years ago about a spider who eats fairies. Cool as that idea is, it's a fair task to create the artwork.  I did panels for the first few pages, but am not happy with them.  This is my first foray into this area, so I need to develop the cartooning skills a bit; and that project is a bit too involved for me at this time.

So I decided to choose simpler subject matter.  I will make some small comic strips to begin with.  My subject?  Two little girls are always getting into trouble and who provide me with endless story telling opportunities in short bursts.  My twin kittens, Lursa and B'Etor; the Bad Black Cats.

If you are a Star Trek fan, yes, I named my cats after the Duras Sisters.  If your not, it's irrelevant.  And if you work for Paramount, Viacom, or whoever owns the franchise now, those really are their names, no infringement intended.

The real Duras sisters: Lursa and B'Etor

My cats: B'Etor (front) Lursa (behind)

The first thing I needed to do was think up a story.  Something simple that can be told in 3 - 4 frames.  This is pretty easy for me.  I have a lot of photos of the fur balls.  So, the day before yesterday they were playing on the dining room table, and before I scolded them for it, I grabbed my camera and took several quick shots.  Thus, Bad Black Cats was conceived.

ctual photographs used for comic strip.

Of course, I'm not going to use the actual photos.  But I chose three of them to use as the basis for some drawings.   The photos above have already been cropped.  They are a bit fuzzy because you have to move quickly with kittens or you miss the moment.  When you already have a vision impairment, this added to the challenge.

After cropping the photos I began to draw.  There are two ways you can do this.  Draw on paper, scan in and ink.  Or draw on computer, ink.  I chose the latter.  Using the photos as an underlay, I drew over top of them using Corel Paint and my tablet.  Basically, I just blocked off the basic shapes in the composition.  After I was satisfied with the composition of the frame, I began inking them in.  I must admit, I found this process quite fun, and am pleased with the results for a first time attempt.

Finished drawings for comic strip

Once the frames were drawn, I now had to arrange them and come up with some dialogue.  Depending on who you "look" at the photos, you could come up with several little scenarios.  Generally, for a more complex story, you should think all of this out ahead of time.  Write your dialogue out and all of that.  But for this I just wanted to keep it simple.  So it was all quite spontaneous.

So, I decided on an order (what you see above) and now it was time to make the speech bubbles. There are a lot of ways to do this.  There are even specific comic making programs for the less ambitious! It's your choice.  For me, I like to use a vector program, Inkscape.

Inkscape is an awesome freeware program similar to Adobe Illustrator.  It is VERY accessible.  Almost everything can be controlled from the keyboard.  Very nice I must say.  The interesting thing, and maybe it's just me, but the keyboard commands are easy to remember.  They seem to coincide with the process of what you are doing.  I have never been able to remember the Adobe key commands.

The first thing you have to do is import the jpg file into Inkscape in order to wok with it.

For a more detailed tutorial an how to create speech bubbles using Inkscape, I will refer you to this blog.
http://thepinksylphide.com/2008/11/21/inkscape-web-comic-tutorial-the-speech-balloon

After you have completed the speech bubbles on a frame, save them as svg files.  This is for future editing, and it may come in handy in the "accessibility process" later on.

Then, export the file as a bitmap. or PNG format.

You can use inkscape to do your layout.  And it works very nicely.  However, in this case, I just decided to use Adobe Photoshop, as I know the program backwards and can work very quickly.  Although, for something more complex, I'd use a proper layout program like Inkscape or Illustrator.

Basically, all I did here was make a black background, resize my PNG images to about 4 x 4.z to fit on the 16' x 6 inch strip. They did require some cropping of course.  And here we are.

Finished comic strip

Of course you probably can't read these speech bubbles, and I haven't gotten to the accessibility bit yet.  So here is a text descriptive.


Description Text
Three Panels on black background
Top Left Title
BAD BLACK CATS
By Wanda Fitzgerald


Panel One:
Lursa and B'tor are sitting on the dining table. Lursa is looking at the viewer. On the table are yellow and orange linen place mats. A paper, part of a book and a rectangular blue object are visible. There is a padded rocker with a wooden frame behind the table.
Lursa is in front, seated, with her foot on a the metallic strips of the tassel of a cat toy attached to a rod. She has a green collar with a shiny green bell.  B'Tor is hiding behind Lursa. Only part of one of B'tor's ears is visible
2 Speech Bubbles:
1. B'Tor: "Pst, Lurs, yer not 'uposed to be on the table."
2. Lursa: "Hi Mummy. I found our toy.  I don't know where B'Tor is.

Panel Two
Same scene, but B'Tor is now on the rocker.  You can only see her head poking out from behind Lursa.  Lursa is looking away and to the right.
4 Speech Bubbles:
1. B'Etor: "B'Etor is a good girl.  See?  Not on table.  I get TUNA!"
2. B'Etor: (to Lursa) "You're bad Lursa.  B'Etor is good."
3. Lursa: "prrrr, prrrr, prrrr, prrrrrr.
4. Lursa: (thinking) "If I don't look at her, she won't see me."

Panel Three
Same scene from a different angle.  The rocker is not visible.  Lursa sits pretty looking at the viewer.
2 Speech bubbles.
1. Lursa: "Lursa is pretty.  Lursa is good.  But very, very pretty. And smart."
2. Lursa: "Hee, hee, heee.  I found the shiny toy. Prrrrrrrrrrr."

Bottom Caption
Antics of the cutest 'er, fiercest (and l'ilest) warrior kittens ever: Lursa & B'Etor.

There you have it.  It's not very sophisticated, the story is VERY simple. The subjects are awesome.  And it is a start.  Something to work with.  Now I will have to explore the "accessibility process". Wish me luck!

View more artwork by Wanda Fitzgerald @ www.wandafitzgerald.carbonmade.com
Buy aret by Wanda Fitzgerald @ http://WandaFitzgerald.imagekind.com/

Urban Garden Series at Zazzle.ca

At the end of a busy day, for those of us trapped in city madness, here is an oasis to hide in. The mayhem of the world can bleed away and swirl around us. A place to hide, where what we want to make real exists, and the rest??? IRRELEVANT

Urban Garden Series at Zazzle.ca

The Eye of the B'Holder

It is said that art is in the eye of the beholder.  But if you’re not careful, this particular piece of art could just be in your eye. I’m referring to “Squeeze Me” by Veronica Abrenica  (OCADU); a tactile installation on display in the main hallway of CNIB’s National headquarters in Toronto. It was part of the tactile tour held last night (May 12 2011) as part of their Art in The Dark feature of the Toronto Vision Gala. It might be the biggest accessible art fail I have ever seen.   

I’m not one to judge any art or artist.  As an artist, I realize art doesn’t have to be pretty. It can be pretty damn ugly, weird and conceptual: that’s cool.  But guys, WTF were you thinking?

Like all not-for-profits they are desperate for cash, and are looking for unique ways to fundraise. But their marketing people are woefully deficient in their knowledge of the needs, views and capabilities of the client base they portend to serve.

Over the last couple of years I have tried to be charitable and restrained, supportive even, with my criticisms at some of their shenanigans. Above all, I have tried to keep a professional attitude at all times. 

But this is too much!

Plastered on the wall in the main hallway across from the conference center are blobs of fleshy coloured substance (I have only seen the photo, so I can’t speak to texture). There are fleshy red bulbous protrusions sticking out of these patches.  Apparently these are filled with a custard-like substance. On the wall between patches are “Do not touch” signs.

Curious that.

So, what is all this supposed to represent?

Art instalation at CNIB

Nipples?  Bubonic plague? Harpies? Melanoma?

WRONG! It’s acne.  Yup.  Big festering, liquid filled oversized, squeezable zits. And apparently they are starting to smell!

This thing is disgusting. It reminds me of the fake vomit we used to make in grade school. Sure zits are tactile, but who wants to feel them?  I’d rather see breasts, or cactuses up there. Hell, here’s one, bubble wrap with different scents inside each bubble that is released when you pop them.  They don’t even all have to be nice smells.

The tour took place before the gala fundraiser dinner.  Yum yum. I’ll bet that stimulated the appetites of those business and community leaders!

I was flummoxed when I first saw this piece.  I was even more flummoxed and flabbergasted when I discovered what it actually was, and why it was there.

I thought it might contain some witty Braille message, or possibly be a grotesque representation of Braille or something equally esoteric.  Yes, it’s tactile, and therefore accessible; but really. How is something so repulsive and puerile supposed to inspire the generation of funds?  All I could think is, WTF?

Here's what was written next to the installation art. At least it was in large print and Braille.

Veronica Abrenica
Artist - OCADU
Title: Squeeze Me

Summary:
"Squeeze me!" is a piece that comments on one type of obsessive, compulsive behaviour that many individuals, mainly teenagers, have. I see pimples as a part of something natural that does occur to every individual and it is a part of growing up but society tells you otherwise as there are so many products that try to get rid of these 'imperfections' on one's body. My piece forces the individual to face this wall of pimples and either provoke the need to get 'rid' of these 'imperfections' or disregard them entirely.

Here is a link to the event that was info.  http://www.cnib.ca/en/ontario/events/visions_gala_toronto/

State of the Art (Part II) A Brief History of Disability and the Performing Arts

Some time ago, I posted part one of this series.  After much consideration, here is part two of the three part series.  I've tried to be as accurate as I can, and if I have missed things, it is either that I am unaware of their existence, or they are not relevant to my scope of experience.  Perhaps they also may be covered at another time. For the most part, this brief history encompasses that which I know.  Please feel free to make me (and the readers) aware of any historical data that might be relevant.

I must say, this isn't a very well documented subject, and finding information on this subject isn't easy.  While there are numerous organizations around the world supporting artists with disabilities, my focus will be on Canada, and, since I am here, Ontario, and to a finer degree, Toronto. If anyone has some good source material, I'd love to see it so that I can expand upon this article.


Creeps by  David Freeman:
Whenever they need privacy from their domineering female supervisor, four men with CP, seek asylum in the men's room of the sheltered workshop in which they work.   Here they share their feelings and pour out their venom for the system, for charities and to smoke and gossip and tell their stories. 

This play is most likely the first recorded event featuring artists with disabilities, Freeman himself has cerebral palsy.  It is significant in more ways then that, and perhaps we have never seen anything quite on this level since.  This was the first play presented at Factory Theatre, 41 years ago, when the theatre scene in Canada was pretty much non-existent, but for Stratford.  Eight months later, it was the first play performed at Tarragon Theatre.  When I worked at Factory, I came across the script and had me a little read.  It was a stunning peace of work; and I still marvel at how ahead of it's time it was with the embrace and depiction of the relevant social issues of the time; another first in Canadian theatre.

Then there is a huge gap until the eighties.


Insight and The Glenvale Players
The Insight Theatre Company founded by Gregory Heyn., was semi-professional group mostly made up of blind actors. His mandate - “to educate the public to the misconceptions of blindness” while providing a creative arena for the development of the talents of the blind in the performing arts.  This project was incredibly well funded, back in the day when equity was trendy. It provided a wonderful opportunity for a group of aspiring young blind actors to work in the industry for pay.  Unfortunately, once the money was gone, so was the project.  Mr. Heyn moved on, and the only actor to really take advantage of the opportunity he provided was Alyson Court   a non disabled actor famous for a number of successful children's shows and films.  The blind kids did continue acting, but not on a professional level.

In the early part of this decade there was a revival of The Glenvale Players , a community theatre group with a mandate to expand and develop the talent of blind and vision impaired persons with an interest in theatre.  During the early part of this decade, Glenvale produced a fair number of original works and provided a venue for some of it's key members to gain experience in order to pursue more professional aspirations.  Sadly, the group seems to become dormant over the last couple of years.

The Glenvale Players: Antigone Cast (back l-r) Kelly MacDonald, Theresa Kikot, Martin Courcelles, Phil Williams.

 

 (front l - r) Kurt Thomsen, Gleason, Naomi Vondell, Wanda Fitzgerald

Once of the key Glenvale members however, Kelly MacDonald, has gone on to form a similar organization in London Ontario; Out of Sight Productions .

"Over the years, Out of Sight Productions, London's leading theatre company featuring sight-challenged performers, has been successful in fulfilling its mandate of providing vision-restricted theatre artists the opportunity to create and produce fun and exciting theatrical projects." *Kelly MacDonald. OOSP website.

If you live in the London area, and are interested, this group is well worth checking out.

Lights, Camera, Access
Another worth while organization, dedicated to helping to advance the work of persons with disabilities in the entertainment, arts and new media industries that has come into being in the Toronto area is Lights, Camera, Access.  Founded by Leesa Levinson, an actor with Multiple Sclerosis, Lights, Camera, Access is a great resource for persons with disabilities seeking employment, experience, or just wanting to connect with others in the industry.

PicassoPro
A driving force in the disability Arts community for many years, Rose Jacobson, founder of PicassoPro has also been a leader in the advancement of opportunities for artists with disabilities. Picasso PRO was formed to facilitate genuine opportunity and integration for artists with disabilities and Deaf artists in the performing and media arts. It springs from the passionate conviction that artists with disabilities and Deaf  artists belong on Ontario and Canada's stages and screens, among our audiences, professional staffs, teachers and cultural leaders.

Abilities Arts Festival
Finally, I'd like to mention The Abilities Arts Festival; *(from the AAF website) a disability arts organization that promotes diversity, inclusiveness and the power of art as a means of enriching the cultural fabric of our communities. Since 2003, Abilities Arts Festival has been adding a new dimension to Toronto’s diverse arts scene. Through multidisciplinary, visual, film and performing arts festivals and events, Abilities Arts Festival showcases artistic excellence by artists with disabilities.

Abilities Arts Festival 2007: Fall From Grace, by Wanda Fitzgerald Rebecca Redmile (Pope Joan) Wanda Fitzgerald (Lucifer)

Looking Forward