Nearly there with our links to the essays about the Creative Case on Arts Council England’s website hosted by Disability Arts Online. This time we are pointing you to one in which Laurence Clark spearheads –  You’ve got to Laugh, an essay on disability and humour.

“The main thrust of [his] humour stems from the ways in which disabled people experience the world, rather than the [others] who occupied themselves making jokes ‘about’ impairment and disabled people per se.

My all time favourite Laurence Clark moments have included his rant about why the refreshments trolley on the train is treated better than he is; and in his show Spastic Fantastic, the fabulous video footage of Laurence with a collecting tin ‘begging’ on the streets. No matter what the collection is for – to kill puppies or to pay off his mortgage – some people still donate, finding the sight of a disabled person with a collecting tin somehow compulsive.”

And don’t miss also one which talks about Graeae’s inclusive yet creative approach to access and the ripples it is creating in the mainstream  - Aesthetics of Access.

“We’re making access a sexy word! Exploring the aesthetics of access, we’re in a position to find things out creatively… We layer the work: words, music, visuals tell the story. It’s multi-sensory. There are so many ways to communicate and collaborate… It’s my ambition to create something 100 per cent accessible. It’s never going to happen but by God am I going to try! That’s the artistic ambition of Graeae. Never ever can we sit on our laurels. There’s always a new way of doing something.”

Enjoy!