100 days and counting!

Today Accentuate is marking a critical point on our 1000 day countdown – we have reached 100 days to go to the Paralympic Games!

Accentuate, the 2012 Legacy Programme for the South East, is on a journey which aims to create a cultural shift in the way society views disability. Much has been achieved and we wanted to share with you just some of the highlights along with some things to look forward to over the next 100 days....

What better way to celebrate 100 days to the Paralympics than with a bit of friendly competition? Creative Junction are inviting children and young people born since 1983 to play Wheels of Glory, an on-line game based on wheelchair basketball.  Wheels of Glory was created as part of the Gaming! Accentuate project which worked with young people from Chalfonts Community School in Buckinghamshire and professional games designers Tom Scutt and Chicago based Roxanna Hadad to create a new and exciting game. The game was inspired by the Paralympics with the students from Chalfonts visiting Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the home of the Paralympics to shoot some hoops with the British Paralympic Basketball team. Wheels of Glory was played by VIPs at the game's launch at Pinewood Studios last summer, MPs at party conferences last autumn and now we want you to get playing.

Visit the Create Compete Collaborate website to play

http://www.createcompetecollaborate.org.uk/ccc_programme/wheels_of_glory.html

The Accentuate project led by Screen South, uScreen, is looking for inspiring ideas for short films on the theme of “Values” – the best 6 will be given a filmmaking Bursary and Mentor award.

Schools, Youth Groups, Colleges and Communities are invited to encourage any deaf and disabled aspiring filmmakers, aged 14 to 25, from across the South East, to apply for the opportunity to win a £1500 film bursary to make a film and have access to an expert Professional Film Mentor.

The DEADLINE for applications is Friday 15 June 2012

Bursary Winners must make their film by the end of September 2012

Applications are open now at www.uscreen.co.uk where you’ll find a downloadable application form and a link to an online version too! If you require an alternative format or more support please call 01303 259 777 or email apply@uscreen.co.uk.

uShoot is just one of the exciting opportunities offered by the uScreen programme, which focuses on increasing accessibility to filmmaking through the promotion of free online filmmaking tools for young people. uScreen has been set up and is run by Screen South The programme has already had a huge impact and won an international award for its innovation.  Film mentor and actor David Proud is amongst the supporters and commented:

“I am really excited to see how the ground breaking uScreen site will develop. It is essential that we get more disabled people visible and on the screen.”

Other elements of the uScreen programme include the opportunity to train as a uScreen Champion or book a series of uScreen Value-Keepers Filmmaking workshops at your own venue. To find out more or to book a FREE assembly contact us on info@uscreen.co.uk.

We are delighted that our heritage project Creative Landscapes has launched a new set of resources called Accentuate Heritage.  The Resources can be found on the Accentuate website http://www.accentuate-se.org/accentuate-heritage and are a mix of practical guides, films and case studies designed to be used by non-experts with limited budgets.  In addition to this resource Creative Landscapes will be running creative heritage events in Hastings and Gosport September 6th- 9th 2012, as part of the National Heritage Open Day programme.

Creative Landscapes is an Accentuate project working with disabled people to find accessible and creative approaches to exploring and sharing our heritage.
Established by English Heritage, it is now hosted by Screen South and works closely with the national Heritage Open Days programme.
 

Look About is a touring exhibition of a two year mapping project by Portsmouth based artist/geologist Jon Adams in response to Accentuate and the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the South East.  This creatively driven, multi-layered project weaves together science and art, digital and analogue, and Jon's autobiographical experiences.  Jon is also Accentuate’s Geologist in Residence and we are very pleased that a cultural programme is looking at innovative ways of mapping the intricacies of the last 900 days.  You can see Jon’s exhibition in the following venues over the coming months.

Stour Valley Arts Ashford 5th May - 8th June 2012
Pallant House Chichester 29th May - 3rd June 2012
Winchester Discovery Centre 28th May - 31st August 2012
BGS at Natural History Museum 27th July - 3rd August July 2012
Kaleidoscope Gallery 16th Aug - 22nd Sep 2012

A gallery of previous show locations, information and downloads can be found on the current Look About website.  An additional interactive “web” based artwork derived from all material will go live in 2013.

http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/faculties/cci/air/projects/lookabout/

Accentuate has worked in partnership with Creative Junction, and the 2012 Creative Programmer Cat Loriggio, to commission a new piece of outdoor performance, Starting Line. 

Artistic Director Ryan Laight is leading this extraordinary outdoor spectacular in Aylesbury town centre on the 28th August, in collaboration with Rachel Gadsden (visual artist) Luke Pell (performance maker) and Abigail Norris (film maker). This triumphant performance will include visual art, dance & film and will coincide with the Paralympic Torch’s journey, as it travels from Stoke Mandeville to the London 2012 Opening Paralympic Ceremony. Taking their inspiration from the spirit and vision of Paralympic Athletes and celebrating Stoke Mandeville as the birth place of the Paralympic Games, Starting Line builds a dynamic universal performance collaboration between disabled and non disabled young people from around the globe, spinally injured young people from Stoke Mandeville Hospital and emerging young British dancers.

The Starting Line creative team, in partnership with Creative Junction, has developed strong international links with young disabled people in USA, Australia, Ecuador and Cambodia and work has just started with a group in Brazil in April.  This international work is happening alongside continued workshop engagement with young disabled people in the South East.

The Accentuate project Mandeville Legacy celebrates the South East’s unique heritage of being the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement.  This is a large and diverse programme of work but one of the highlights has been the success of Driving Inspiration.

Driving Inspiration is a collaboration between disabled artists, Paralympians and disabled and non-disabled young people. It is about telling the story of the birth of the Paralympic movement at Stoke Mandeville, using part of the archive collection as well as the individual stories of Paralympians. Through assemblies, interviews and workshops, creative work of all kinds is produced and showcased locally and regionally at other Cultural Olympiad activities, local celebrations and at Paralympic and disability sporting events.  This project has recently gone on to have an international impact.

100’s of disabled and non-disabled young people from 12 countries and 23 schools are connecting live online to produce an animation celebrating the Paralympics in time for London 2012! The film celebrates the development of the Paralympic movement across the globe, with young people’s reflections on the Paralympic values, courage, determination, inspiration and equality. The project is being lead by UK based Animator David Bunting, and USA based Oscar nominated Animator Gary Schwartz. Creative inspiration is also coming from Singapore based Paralympian and highly successful artist Greg Burns, alongside other Paralympians and British musicians.

“The children in our small school had not heard of the Paralympics before. We have no specialists for teaching people with disabilities, but maybe one day” Orchid Garden School, Katmandu
 

The Internationally renowned Disabled British Open will happen again on 24th-26th August building on the reputation of the previous years. The championships returned to East Sussex in 2011 with a new addition, the Junior Disabled British Open, running alongside the main event. The 2011 event attracted golfers from 11 countries across the world.

Since its conception, the DBO, 2009, 2010 & 2011 – has been televised by Sky Sports, with each one being broadcast as a 1 hour highlights program and transmitted 4 times.  This has built the profile of the tournament ensuring it’s reputation as a world class sporting event.

In 2011 the tournament received endorsement from the English Golf Union, the European Tour and the Minister for Media, Culture & Sport, the Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt MP.

Accentuate has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK, and is also supported bythe regional cultural agencies. Screen South is the home of Accentuate.