For two months, a group of artists that live with an invisible disability have been creating visual, sound and interactive artworks with the aim of educating the public on what it’s like to live with a hidden illness.
The result is The HUBBUB at Brighton Dome on July 8 and 9; a free gallery showcase that helps people understand the daily impact of having a long term illness despite the sufferer not looking sick.
As stated by the Care Quality Commission, nearly one in three people in England have a long term condition and many of these conditions are ‘invisible’ or not easily noticeable to someone else. More often than not, sufferers do not experience compassion or support for the (sometimes chronic) pain and inhibiting illness they have to cope with, due to a lack of knowledge and understanding.
Known as The Hidden Project, Brighton-based arts charity Root Experience and a handful of creative professionals including a sound engineer, a musician and a designer, worked with seven artists to produce an interactive installation. Visitors to The Hubbub will be invited to touch, talk, think and feel – learning how society can become more inclusive to help people with hidden conditions such as ME, fibromyalgia, autism and depression.
From sound installations to the quiet, safe space of the den along with video, two-dimensional art and interactive sculpture; the HUBBUB is not a conventional exhibition and is free to attend. Held at Brighton Dome, the project has been supported by the Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund and The Betty Messenger Foundation.
Simon Magnus, Artistic Director, said: “The Hubbub is a pioneering arts exhibition, where the quiet reflections of the audience are placed alongside the work created, to allow a public conversation to take place ‘in stealth’. As we’ve delved deeper into what the group question about their own experience of invisibility we’ve found that we all keep things invisible and that all of our internal worlds are not public knowledge. However, when living with an invisibility that disables you from the society we live in, you are asked to speak about this and open up to this vulnerability constantly.”
A further outcome of The Hidden Project is an advocacy toolkit on invisible conditions, informed not only by the creative and focus workshops that Root Experience have undertaken but also by the explorations happening within The HUBBUB. The toolkit will be available to groups, organisations, agencies and individuals with the goal of improving inclusivity for people with invisible disabilities living in Brighton and Hove today.
Root Experience explores audience interaction and play through theatrical performances. Examining audience and performer relationships through improvisation, gaming techniques and compassionate interactive practices, investigating the world from both a personal and social point of view.
If you or your organisation would like to contribute to or receive the Invisible Disability Advocacy Toolkit, please contact Simon Magnus, Artistic Director, on simon@rootexperience.org
Event: The HUBBUB
Where: Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton
When: Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9
Time: noon – 4pm
Cost: Free entry
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