This event is part of our public + programming
“Au-delà du visuel” method: Creating and communicating dance and theatre beyond the visual
As part of the design of its immersive works involving all of the audience’s senses except sight, the Au-delà du visuel collective has developed a brand new creative method to communicate dance and theater to the specific audience of people with visual impairments. What does the set say when it is not seen, but inhabited? How is movement perceived when it is not watched, but felt?
Participants (sighted, partially sighted, or blind) will be invited to wear blindfolds and take part in a series of individual and group exercises exploring, among other things, the creation of soundscapes and connecting with others through the sense of touch. Participants will take turns receiving and then transmitting the exercises in order to better understand the challenges and creative potential of accessibility in the performing arts.
Free— reservation required
Workshop objectives:
– Explore different possibilities for creating and perceiving movement, sound, and space
– Explore the dramaturgy of the senses in the context of a multisensory experience
– Develop creativity and explore the potential of arts accessibility
– Develop a sense of collaboration and trust in others
– Become aware of other ways of perceiving the world
The workshop is bilingual: it can be given in French and English.
This workshop involves wearing a blindfold and physical contact with other people. The exercises can be adapted to the needs of the participants.
ABOUT+
Audrey-Anne Bouchard is a performing artist trained in scenography (Concordia University) and then in dance and theatre theory and practice (University of Nice and Free University of Brussels). Since 2008, she has been working as a lighting designer in the dance and theatre communities in Montreal and internationally. Her keen interest in the collective creative process has also led her to develop her own creations. Inspired by her situation as a person living with a visual impairment, in 2016 she began the research project Au-delà du visuel (Beyond the Visual) to explore the possibility of creating and communicating dance and theatre for a blind audience. With her team, she developed the shows Camille: un rendez-vous au-delà du visuel (Camille: A Date Beyond the Visual), presented in 2019 at the MAI, and Camille: le récit / Camille: The Story. For Camille, Audrey-Anne received the Monique Lefebvre Universal Accessibility Award and the META (Montreal English Theatre Award) for Best Direction in 2022. Since 2015, she has also been a mentor in the production and directing programs (English section) at the National Theatre School of Canada. In addition to her work as an artist and educator, Audrey-Anne participates in several projects as an accessibility consultant: among other things, she is a member of the expert committee for the City of Montreal’s 2020-2024 Universal Accessibility Project and a consultant on a project led by Kéroul aimed at improving accessibility practices in Montreal’s cultural centers.
Credits+
Workshop led by Audrey-Anne Bouchard and Laurie-Anne Langis