Creative Access in New Media Arts

Creative captions in Dunia Di Khayalan Lain, 2024, Amira Syahirah (Crystal), Continuum exhibition, Saan 1, Manchester

Creative Access in New Media Arts is a Connections Through Culture 2023-24 project, by Filamen (Malaysia) and In Transit (UK)

From 30 January to 21 July 2024, In Transit and Filamen co-hosted an online residency for four artists from Malaysia and the UK: Low Pey Sien, Natasha Stott, Amira Syahirah, and Jade LA Fisher. This residency provided the artists with an opportunity to develop new or existing works.

Explore the partners' reflections from the project

Throughout the project, the artists participated in a 5-week accessibility training program and four workshops, exploring various ways to integrate accessibility and projection mapping into their practices. They shared their research and experiments with each other and the public through online open studios on In Transit, group critiques, and one-on-one sessions.

The project culminated in three exhibitions titled ‘Continuum’: an online exhibition, along with exhibitions at Saan1 in Manchester and Kedai KL in Malaysia. This required the artists to consider how to present their work both online and in adaptable formats that could be exhibited in different countries. Visit the online exhibition.

Developing Work with Access in Mind Across Cultures

Through group discussions, we realised that accessibility may not always be encouraged, celebrated, or utilised due to factors such as perceived aesthetic impact, lack of awareness, cultural and structural barriers, resistance to change, and cultural perceptions.

In the UK, accessibility is often promoted due to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and funding body requirements. However, in Malaysia, where the art scene is dominated by commercial galleries focused on sales, accessibility may be seen as less attractive and a low priority because it doesn’t directly contribute to profit.

In regions or industries where accessibility is not mandated or incentivised by policy or funding bodies, there may be little institutional push to prioritise it. Our exchanges revealed widespread misunderstandings about what accessibility truly entails. Many view it solely as physical modifications, not realising its broader scope, which includes sensory, cognitive, digital, and creative access.

During the residency, we extensively discussed the concepts of ‘creative access’ and ‘ugly access’. Coined by curator Amanda Cachia, ‘creative access’ involves curators actively engaging with artists who use ‘access’ as a conceptual framework in their work. In an exhibition, the curator's and artist's interpretations of access are intertwined and contrasted, fostering a dynamic exchange between the physical and conceptual, or practice and theory. (Cachia, 2022) It requires integrating access in the work rather than an afterthought.

Screencap from Group Crit - artist Low Pey Sien discusses her adaptations for the different exhibitions

Cultural Differences and Future Directions

The artists shared in their open studios that with openness, accessibility doesn’t inherently detract from the work. Instead, it has allowed them to understand their work better from a disability-focused perspective.

The project has allowed us to discover that cross-cultural differences and cultural sensitivities have yet to receive adequate attention in the areas of arts access, assistive technologies, and inclusive design. While accessibility is a universal concept, many frameworks are inherently Eurocentric, particularly with the UK leading the discourse in the arts. What is normalised in the UK may not hold the same significance in Malaysia. Mismatches between the language and cultural assumptions of curators, artists, and users can lead to inappropriate functionality and a lack of acceptance of accessibility accommodations. It is crucial to consider the challenges of creative access in different cultural contexts, and this project has definitely allowed us to have that meaningful exchange.

Cultural differences profoundly impact how individuals interact with, perceive, and evaluate art. While arts access is intended to benefit a wider audience, if people are not inclined or attracted to use it, where do we go from here?

While audiences from multiple countries enjoyed our exhibitions, we realise we have a lot more to learn. This brings us back to the importance of understanding access beyond its guidelines and policies. The first step is to recognise how people with disabilities engage with the world around them, specifically within their unique cultural contexts.

Creative access is not about checking off a list of requirements; it’s about real people—people with disabilities and neurodiversity—being able to engage with and experience our work. It’s about creating inclusive and meaningful experiences that resonate across diverse audiences. As we continue to explore and implement these ideas, it’s clear that embracing creative access is essential for making our cultural spaces more equitable and inclusive. Visit the artists’ online open studios.

About Connections Through Culture

The British Council's Connections Through Culture grants support new cultural collaborations between the UK and East Asia. This support assists artists and cultural organisations working across all art forms to create new connections and collaborative projects. Learn more about the Connections Through Culture programme.