ART // TECH // PLAY LIVE
Stand up for Diversity

This special mash-up event put a spotlight on diverse artists working within movement and creative tech.

This event, a collaboration between Collusion and Essex Cultural Diversity Project, focused on diversity, movement and creative tech. From VR to motion sensors, programming to pole-dancing, we examined how emergent art forms can enable self-expression and capture joy in new and liberating ways.

In a blend of Collusion’s ART // TECH // PLAY LIVE, and Essex Cultural Diversity Project’s Stand Up for Diversity, audiences heard from a remarkable group of artists, got the opportunity to chat and interact with some of their work, and explored the cutting-edge facilities of DanceEast’s Digital Suite.

Featured artists included Zaki Musa, Brooke Milliner, Rosy May, Johann Don-Daniel, Dulce Duca and Sian Fan.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Zaki Musa – Zaki is a performance artist, circus performer, and aerialist with a passion for movement, design and narrative storytelling. Originally hailing from Singapore, Zaki is now based in London, where he has spent the past 9 years captivating audiences with his shows and coaching others in his craft.

Brooke Milliner – Brooke is a choreographer, dancer, and the creative director of the hip-hop dance theatre company When Time Was New. He has worked on a variety of major projects, from music videos to TV commercials, and has achieved international recognition for his work.

Johann Don-Daniel – Johann is a musician, artist, workshop leader, and creative programmer who uses the language of the drum to engage in a dialogue that reflects the processes of de-colonialisation and the persistence of neo-colonialism.

Rosy May – Rosy May is a dance artist and content creator who mixes the worlds of live dance and online content to create joy. Debuted at Colchester Fringe 23; Rosy May: Finding Joy is a dance and social media explosion.

Dulce Duca – Dulce is a circus theatre performer, podcaster & community engagement experienced. She’s been a professional performer for 20 years and since she arrived in the UK she has been very engaged with local migrant communities. She conceives absurd and surrealistic shows that will make you laugh or run away. She never won any prizes, but she thinks the audience loves her.

Sian Fan – Sian is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist working between Essex and London, where she is artist in residence at Somerset House Studios. Her work combines movement, the body and technology to explore embodiment, identity, and human experience in the digital age.

This event was part of Collusion’s ART // TECH // PLAY programme and network that supports artists and creatives to develop their skills around creative technologies in a practice-led way. Supported by Anglia Ruskin University, Norwich University of the Arts, Cambridge Junction, DanceEast, Norwich Theatre, Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk and Arts Council England.

The event was also part of Essex Cultural Diversity Project’s Stand Up For Diversity series, initiated by Essex Book Festival and Essex Cultural Diversity Project to bring together those who want to champion diversity in the arts and in our communities.