Welcome!
Our delicious anthology of Sensory Poetry written by our ‘metaphorical wizards’ at Joseph Clarke School Centre Of Excellence For Vision Impairment And Complex Needs is now available for purchase!
TASTING COLOUR
🇸🇳 Senegal style! 🇸🇳
‘A Blind Bit of Difference’ in collaboration with Senegal’s leading Forum Theatre company ‘Kaddu Yaarax’, are fusing an exciting “connection of the senses”, where both disabled & non-disabled people take the microphone, & seize the opportunity for their stories be experienced, across the world! The moving bodies, voices, lips & fingertips of the future are stepping up to the Sensory Microphone!
Photograph of the A Blind Bit of Difference Book Cover. The background design is a ‘rainbow’ of colours: green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple and blue. The colours zig-zag and swirl all over the page behind the finger painted words "A Blind Bit of Difference". At the bottom of the cover, with words over a blue background reads "An Anthology of Sensory Poetry from Joseph Clarke School Centre of Excellence for Vision Impairment and Complex Needs".
Cover artwork © Ruqaiya Asim 2018
Banner Reads “Tasting Colour” in white, finger-painted words over a colourful collage of confetti and bright paint
Have You Ever Tasted Colour?
Here, at A Blind Bit of Difference, we are much more than our vibrant sensory poetry anthology (that Michael Rosen described as “an explosion of a book” that he felt “privileged to read”!).
We are an Inclusive Arts organisation, excitingly, currently registering as a National ‘disability arts’ charity!
We run Inclusive Arts Sensory Workshops in disabled and non-disabled schools, and blue skies welcome, we are on a mission to make schools sensorially sumptuous!
We are about to embark on our first International Sensory explosion, joining forces with disabled artists from overseas!
‘Sensory Shoes’ is also about to burst juicily onto the UK performance scene, including a national and international tour! Whaaaaaaaat??? So, keep your eyes, ears, noses and heat sensitive skin, peeled, like an orange, and ready for immersive sensory magic!
“A Blind Bit of Difference celebrates the senses! Every single one of them! Come join our full flavoured, immersive experiences! Step into your ‘sensory suits’ and let your body and mind, experience something completey new! Have you ever tasted colour?”
Photograph with Resident Poet and Sensory Poetry Educator Amy Neilson Smith and English teacher Megan Gosling, alongside a group of eight student-poets (AKA metaphorical wizards!) with pink, yellow, red and blue helium balloons floating in the air on strings. The student-poets hold Open Senses Festival flyers and several posters for the A Blind Bit of Difference book.
Find out more about why everyone is raving about A Blind Bit of Difference!
“This is an explosion of a book; feelings, thoughts, memories, hopes, attitudes and more whizz through the air and land in our minds. I feel privileged to read it. Please read it too and share your favourite poem with someone. These young people are poets!” - Michael Rosen
Photograph of children’s author Michael Rosen holding his spectacles in his left hand and playfully looking at the camera in mock-surprise. Michael is a white man with grey hair, green eyes and grey facial hair.
Listen to our ‘Audio Tasters’, read our rave reviews and find out more about our ‘Metaphorical Wizards’!
The words “The Event” appear in white, finger-painted letters on a colourful background, surrounded by confetti
The book launch for A Blind Bit of Difference in 2018 was an exciting MultiSensory Event!
We opened with a mouth-watering ‘Tasting Colour’ buffet extravaganza! Fully facilitated by the student-poets (AKA awesome ‘metaphorical wizards’!) the audience was prompted to create their very own colourful language ‘out loud’ using taste and smells – celebrating our connectedness through the joy of food! We playfully ‘induced’ the audience with synaesthesia to magically morph and crosswire their senses!
Students performed Spoken Word & Sound Poetry alongside the electrically incredible Zara Jayne (Deafblind actress & poet), the audaciously talented Abi Palmer (Multidisciplinary Disabled Artist & poet) & the unbelievably inspirational Miss Jacqui (Disabled performance poet, Spoken Word facilitator & proud wheelchair user!). Our intoxicatingly dynamic Resident Sound Poetry Composer & ‘Poetry DJ’ Stephanie Singer recorded the ‘Tasting Colour’ talk, remixed sounds & voices & created an audio “mash-up”! There were top-notch ‘Pop-Up’ Performances from Extant Theatre’s ‘Catching the Ghost’, from the dangerously dynamic duo of vision impaired actors Chris Campion & Steven George. The event ended with book sales of ‘A Blind Bit of Difference’ and student-poet signings from Joseph Clarke School! Throughout the extravaganza, our ‘Tasting Colour’ Chef Adam Thomason created an exciting area exploding with many smells and tastes!
This event was filmed by Kate Dangerfield of the ‘Accessible Film Project’ (BFI/ Sense) and live streamed for those who were not able to attend the launch in person due to their needs or disabilities. Click the button below to see the film!
Did you know?
Our Film was a sucess in Brazil & Russia!
The Launch’s Film was internationally celebrated in Russia & Brazil 2019; we attended #assimvivemos2019 Brazil, having been shortlisted for their disability arts festival!
We created sensory poetry with plates of food in hand “Brazil-style!”at Assim Vivemos, St. Paulo – sharing poetical wizardry & celebrating disabled voices across the globe!
Creative Director Amy Neilson Smith was also invited to Russia to share her innovative and “groundbreaking research” - Dr Lucy English, Bath Spa University.
The words “The project” appear finger-painted on a colourful background, surrounded by confetti
Find out what the Arts Council England funded project “A Blind Bit of Difference” was all about! Learn all about “Tasting Colour” - the process by which Amy Neilson Smith facilitated such wonderful poetry with her “metaphorical wizards” at Joseph Clarke School! Discover our disabled Featured Artists and be inspired by their former and upcoming projects!
Banner shows lipstick marks in various shades of bright pink and red float over a shiny, translucent surface
2021 Coming Soon…
‘Sensory Shoes’
#ABlindBitofDifference
sensorially & sonically synergises with
#TheListeningPassport
Poet and Performer Amy Neilson Smith and Sound Artist Justin Wiggan will help you step into your Sensory Shoes & speak with your Beautiful Body
A Blind Bit of Difference & @thelisteningpassport are fusing our practises, for a new & exciting show for in 2021: Sensory Shoes. We are currently initiating the new, innovative ‘Research & Development’ & leaping into the new #SensorySonicFusion of Sensory Shoes!
Black and white portrait photograph of Amy Neilson Smith. Amy’s head and shoulders are visible, and she is smiling into the camera with her mouth closed. Amy has a light complexion, her lips are glossy and dark and her hair is curly and light.
Amy Neilson Smith
#ABlindBitofDifference was born at Joseph Clarke School – Centre for Vision Impaired & Complex Needs; the Sensory Spoken Our £32,000 Arts Council grant, funded the Sensory Performing Arts Programme, founded & led by Amy Neilson Smith, & included the students’ mentorship from six established disabled artists, performing in alliance with the ‘sensory magicians’, & sharing the spotlight in the immersive, experiential show!
Black and white photograph of Justin Wigan. Justin’s hand is in focus in the foreground, he is holding wires to sound equipment. His head and shoulders are a little out of focus, but he appears to be concentrating. Justin has dark hair on his face and head.
Justin Wiggan
In response to Covid-19, Justin Wiggan created a new digital online innovative product: ‘The Digital Listening Passport’ inspiring those lonely in isolation by improving wellbeing via investigative and playful ‘sound therapy’.
Exploring environments & ‘soundscapes’ affirms our sensory & emotional connection to the ‘sonic world’, using digital activity through domestic, readily available technology: the infamous smartphone!