I came to audio description organically, having worked with blind and partially sighted artists, describing for them in situ, and audio describing my own work. It was only once I was doing this for a while that I started to audio describe work for other artists’ projects. To date, this has included independent video works, visual arts exhibitions, theatre, performance and live art, cabaret and, of course, panto!
I am fascinated by the evolving discourse in the field of audio description and ever-advancing technology to deliver it. Best practice principles are a vital starting point, but every project is different and deserves its own approach. AD practice is advancing and expanding in multiple directions that are challenging and exciting.
In June 2021, I was awarded a Develop Your Creative Grant (DYCP) from the Arts Council England to explore the intersection of audio description and filmmaking in my artistic practice. I used this time to look at innovative modes of audio description for narrative and non-narrative film and video, and started to incorporate this further into my own creative work.
Recently I have been exploring non-traditional modes of AD for movement theatre, dance and circus and continue to work on challenging projects with numerous collaborators and companies.
photo by CaglarK