Global moments can and do change the way we see the world: reflections from Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings: Co-artistic directors of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, 2012
Hear from Bradley as he shares more on legacy and inclusion
A Big Bang: from 2012 – 2024
The Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games announced itself with a Big Bang. Professor Stephen Hawking’s prologue was a provocation: “Ever since the dawn of civilisation, people have craved for an understanding of the underlying order of the world. Why is it as it is, and why it exists at all. But, even if we do find a complete theory of everything, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations, and makes a universe for them to describe?”
His words ignited the descent of a golden Astrolabe from the roof of the stadium carrying text from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to effect a theatrical “Big Bang” as a mass cast of volunteer performers expanded out across the field of play. It was an unforgettable opening statement of humanity and the power of ideas, science and art to empower us. As the Ceremony proceeded our extraordinary creative team and cast, set out to showcase the “beautiful diversity of humanity”, of which the Paralympic movement is an outstanding exemplar.
The magnificent 2012 Paralympic Games were a game-changer - a Big Bang for the Paralympic Movement. Never before had a Paralympic Games achieved such record breaking attendance, with the stadium selling out, national and international broadcast attention and a global audience of 3.8 billion. The day after the London 2012 Olympic Games closed, the Paralympics were heralded with a joyously pugnacious Channel 4 campaign with ads and billboards popping up to quip Thanks for the Warm Up, immediately reversing any assumption that these games were going to be anything other than superlative. This struck a new loud and proud tone for disabled people, too often characterised by patronising narratives. It was a tone which rang out in the opening ceremony too with an uproarious disability rights sequence accompanied by Ian Dury’s anarchic anthem “Spasticus Autisticus”.
Global moments like the 2012 Paralympics can and do change the way we see the world and sometimes also sow the seeds of change. The legacies of that incredible year include the brilliantly resourceful Arts Council funded Unlimited programme which has commissioned scores of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. Many organisations working in the cultural sphere have also taken inspiration from the creative access which was pioneered for the very first time in a major broadcast ceremony, to reimagine access and foreground the lived experience of Deaf and disabled people in their work. And of course, many disabled artists who worked on the Ceremony have gone on to create new and exciting productions. One outstanding example is Mark Smith, the phenomenal Deaf choreographer, who created the finale sequence of the 2012 Ceremony with a stadium wide reimagining of “I am What I am”, sung by Beverley Knight and Lizzie Emeh and signed by Caroline Parker.
Mark has had a string of successes as a choreographer and director of productions which integrate BSL with contemporary choreography. This year he is creating a fantastic new production to coincide with the Paris Paralympic Games, entitled “Synergy”. Currently in rehearsal, the production will be presented at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 7 September as part of the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, thanks to support from the UK aid funded AT2030 programme, led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub. Recognising that disabled people are often at the coal face of hard times, this new production imagines what the future might hold for disabled people in a world on the brink of immense challenges as a result of climate change. The production is being created with a UK ensemble collaborating with an extraordinary South African dance artist, Lethabo Shai. Support from the Global Disability Innovation Hub’s AT2030 programme is also enabling a reciprocal programme of work to take place in South Africa with the Lucky Dance Theatre who will be presenting an inclusive dance programme designed to spotlight the diverse experiences of vulnerable and marginalised groups including women, disabled people, and the LGBTI community. Their project aims to celebrate community courage and resilience in South Africa, and to explore the access, structures of support needed for people to be able to freely shape and express their identity and live without fear.
As the 2024 Paris Paralympics continues it’s heartening to see how the Big Bang from the London 2012 Paralympics continues, with Channel 4 announcing earlier this week that Deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis will be hosting coverage, together with a higher proportion of female representation on the Paralympics GB team than ever before. One thing is for sure, after the difficult years of the pandemic, economic hardship, climate change and continuing global conflict, disabled and neurodivergent people across the world will be looking to Paris for hope. We know that alongside the amazing athletes and artists who will achieve remarkable things, the Global Disability Innovation Hub – itself a legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games - will continue to champion the values of the Paralympics and its global impact, driving AT access and inclusion across the world for many years to come through its UK aid funded AT2030 programme and beyond.
Watch 'Synergy' live at the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival
- Presented By Mark Smith Productions
- Saturday 7 September | 3.15 pm & 4.45 pm | Marshgate South, Marshgate Building, 7 Sidings St, London E20 2AE
- Duration: 15 Minutes
- Find out more: Synergy | Greenwich + Docklands International Festival 2024
