Chronic Collective X Pallas Projects

Chronic Collective X Pallas Projects was a disability-led arts initiative presented at Pallas Projects/Studios in Summer 2022. Through a programme of workshops, talks, forums, consultancy, and hybrid live performance events, the project explored art, illness, disability, and accessibility while creating meaningful opportunities for disabled and chronically ill artists to connect, create, and share work.

Designed as an active model of accessible practice, the programme embedded accessibility into every aspect of delivery, including hybrid participation, captioning, Irish Sign Language interpretation, flexible scheduling, rest spaces, transport support, and care-centred event design. Alongside artist development activities, Chronic Collective facilitated forums for disabled artists and arts organisations, generating dialogue around barriers to participation and practical approaches to inclusion.

The project culminated in a series of performance events by Day Magee, David McGovern, Tobi Balogun, Lauren Kelly, Hog and Dice, Alber Saborio, Oz Alvarez, Kathleen O'Leary, Lee Dias, Sebastian Reina, Trudie Gorman, Isolde O'Brollochain Carmody, and Maria Z. Parodi. Insights gathered throughout the programme informed the development of resources and recommendations for the wider arts sector, contributing to ongoing conversations about accessibility, equity, and sustainable participation in the arts.

Workshops were facilitated by Áine O’Hara and Tara Carroll, alongside invited artists and accessibility practitioners including Emilie Conway (Solid, Space and Sound), and Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan (Alt Text as Poetry).