Last Wednesday 27th June, Sue Austin made a spectacle of herself in the best way possible at Creating the Spectacle 1 – ‘The Mouth of the Fleet Lagoon’ in Portland, Dorset, as part of her Unlimited Commission for Festival 2012.  Designed as ‘an experience’ rather than a performance , the hundred or so local people including morris dancing schoolchildren gathered to cheer this endeavour, led by this wonderful artist who continues to defy all sorts of expectations about what we think about a wheelchair at the water’s edge, let alone underwater.

There was a real sense of suspense as her chair was released and Sue slipped into the sea.  We waited in the grey drizzle, half  the Push Me team on a boat offshore and half on the shingle.   The waters ultimately took control and Sue and her team had to give in to the strong current.  Sue reached the other side with the help of a rescue boat but with a dazzling smile on her face.We cannot always control the elements, but Sue Austin through the ebb and flow of her art work, pushes all of our usual head stuff out of the box, stirring our imaginations and challenging our thinking.

You can watch the local news reportage which proved to be the media catch of the day.  Her Push Me for 90 seconds first film is days away from being screened in The Space. Her second film that we shot at this important mid point in her commission can be seen later in the summer. You can book Creating the Spectacle! events through the South Bank Website